Stephen Sondheim
Known For
Writing
Born
1930-03-22 in New York City, New York, USA
Died
2021-11-26
Biography
Stephen Joshua Sondheim (/ˈsɒndhaɪm/; March 22, 1930 – November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. Regarded as one of the most important figures in 20th-century musical theatre, he is credited with reinventing the American musical. With his frequent collaborators Harold Prince and James Lapine, Sondheim's Broadway musicals tackled unexpected themes beyond the genre's traditional subjects while addressing darker elements of the human experience. His music and lyrics are tinged with complexity, sophistication, and ambivalence about various aspects of life. Sondheim's interest in musical theatre began at a young age, and Oscar Hammerstein II mentored him. He started his career by writing the lyrics for West Side Story (1957) and Gypsy (1959). He transitioned to writing both music and lyrics for the theatre, with his best-known works including A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1962), Company (1970), Follies (1971), A Little Night Music (1973), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1979), Merrily We Roll Along (1981), Sunday in the Park with George (1984), and Into the Woods (1987). Sondheim's numerous awards and nominations include eight Tony Awards, an Academy Award, eight Grammy Awards, an Olivier Award, and the Pulitzer Prize. He also was awarded the Kennedy Center Honor in 1993 and a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015. A theatre is named after him both on Broadway and in London's West End. Film adaptations of his works include West Side Story (1961), Gypsy (1962), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966), A Little Night Music (1977), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street(2007), Into the Woods (2014), and West Side Story (2021). Description above from the Wikipedia article Stephen Sondheim, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Most Known For
The Simpsons
as Stephen Sondheim (voice)
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
as Self
Great Performances
as Maxie Schwartz
Great Performances
as Self
The Colbert Report
as Self
The Merv Griffin Show
as Self
Pebble Mill
as Self
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
as Stephen Sondheim
The Kennedy Center Honors
as Self
Camp
as Self
June Moon
as Maxie Schwartz
Live from Lincoln Center
as Self
tick, tick... BOOM!
as Stephen Sondheim (voice on phone) (uncredited)
Original Cast Album: Company
as Self
Broadway: The American Musical
as Self
Inside the Actors Studio
as Self
The Stories of West Side Story
as Self
Six by Sondheim
as Self / Joe
Previn and the Pittsburgh
as Self
Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened...
as Self