Marvin Hamlisch
A melodic genius who gave Broadway and Hollywood some of their most unforgettable, heart-tugging tunes, achieving the rarest sweep of major awards.
1944–2012 (age 68)·American composer and conductor·Birthday: June 2·The Silent Generation
Biography
Marvin Hamlisch possessed a preternatural gift for melody, one that made him the go-to composer for both sparkling entertainment and deep sentiment. A child prodigy accepted to Juilliard at six, he found his true calling not in the concert hall but in the collaborative worlds of film and theater. His score for 'The Sting' revived Scott Joplin's ragtime for a new generation, while 'The Way We Were' became an anthem of bittersweet memory. On Broadway, 'A Chorus Line' broke ground with its gritty honesty, its music pulsating with the dreams of dancers. Hamlisch wore his accomplishments lightly, his wit and generosity making him as beloved offstage as his music was on.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Marvin was born in 1944, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Marvin Was Born
The biggest hits of 1944
#1 Movie
Going My Way
Best Picture
Going My Way
Marvin's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1944Born
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1949Started school
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1957Became a teenager
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1960Could drive
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1962Could vote
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1965Turned 21
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1974Turned 30
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1984Turned 40
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1994Turned 50
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2004Turned 60
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2012Died at 68
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
Key Achievements
- Won three Academy Awards in a single night in 1974 for 'The Way We Were' and 'The Sting.'
- Composed the music for the groundbreaking Broadway musical 'A Chorus Line,' which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
- Achieved the coveted EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) and is one of only two people to also win a Pulitzer ('PEGOT').
- Served as the principal pops conductor for several major American symphonies, including the Pittsburgh and San Diego orchestras.
Did You Know?
He was the youngest student ever admitted to the Juilliard School's preparatory division at age six.
He worked as a rehearsal pianist for Barbra Streisand's 'Funny Girl' Broadway show early in his career.
His song 'Nobody Does It Better' for the James Bond film 'The Spy Who Loved Me' was the first Bond theme nominated for an Oscar.
He wrote the score for the Broadway musical 'They're Playing Our Song' inspired by his romantic and professional partnership with lyricist Carole Bayer Sager.
“Life is like a piano. What you get out of it depends on how you play it.”
