Marvin Hamlisch, Composer of A Chorus Line, Dies at 68
By Robert Simonson
07 Aug 2012
Marvin Hamlisch
Marvin Hamlisch, who achieved theatre immortality as the composer of the iconic musical A Chorus Line, died Aug. 6 following a brief illness. He was 68.
Mr. Hamlisch's other theatre works included the musicals They're Playing Our Song, Jean Seberg, Smile, The Goodbye Girl and Sweet Smell of Success. He also wrote songs for Nora Ephron's play Imaginary Friends. His latest show, The Nutty Professor, recently opened in Tennessee. But it was with the groundbreaking A Chorus Line—which told of the frustrations and worries of a group of anonymous dancers trying out for a Broadway musical—that he made his mark as a theatre figure.
He was already famous as an all-around wunderkind when he began work on A Chorus Line. A child prodigy, he was accepted into Juilliard at the age of six—the youngest child ever to be welcomed by the august Manhattan institution. His first Broadway job was as rehearsal pianist for Funny Girl starring Barbra Streisand—a professional relationship that would last his entire life. Producer Sam Spiegel hired him to play piano at his parties, where he made connections, leading to his writing his first film score, for "The Swimmer" starring Burt Lancaster. Many more film scores followed.
It seemed his fate to brush up against show-business legends while on his way up the ladder. He wrote songs for Liza Minnelli, worked with Judy Garland and was accompanist and straight man for Groucho Marx during a 1974-75 tour.
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/168832-Marvin-Hamlisch-Composer-of-A-Chorus-Line-Dies-at-68
--- In DeadCelebrityAlert@yahoogroups.com, Jodi <jodit92@...> wrote:
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> LOS ANGELES (AP) - Marvin Hamlisch, who
> composed the scores for dozens of movies
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> Family spokesman Jason Lee says Hamlisch
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> Hamlisch's career included composing,
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> His movies included "The Way We Were"
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> He won three Academy Awards, four
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> (Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.
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> Always remember you're unique, just like everyone else.
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> Keep smiling!
> Jodi
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