Celebrity Biographies
Marvin Hamlisch
Marvin Hamlisch was a true legend among musical songwriters. He and the equally mythical Richard Rodgers are the only ones to have won all five major prizes awarded in the United States: the Oscar (he collected 3), the Tony, the Grammy, the Emmy and the Pulitzer. Hamlisch –who collected almost all these awards more than once– was the author of the unforgettable song “The Way We Were”, which Barbra Streisand sang in the film of the same name, titled in Spain “Just the way we were”. The renowned composer passed away on Monday the 6th, at the age of 68, in Los Angeles, where he had been hospitalized for a week.
Several big stars declare themselves very affected by the sad disappearance of Marvin Hamlisch . “I am devastated (…). He was a genius and beyond that a good human being,” Barbra Streisand has commented . “He was my friend since I was 13 years old, he wrote for several of my albums, and he was also one of the funniest people I’ve ever met,” Liza Minnelli explained .
Born on June 2, 1944 in Brooklyn, New York, Marvin Halisch – the son of an accordionist – almost came into the world with a piano. At age 7 he became the youngest student ever to enter the Juilliard School, where he was trained as a pianist. He was soon making a living as a Broadway show musician.
He began his career as a composer selling several songs for television series. While enlivening a cocktail party with his music, he impressed a Hollywood producer who hired him to compose his first soundtrack, for the film The Swimmer , which starred Burt Lancaster . Right after, Woody Allen enlisted his services for Take the Money and Run and Bananas .
Hamlisch made a name for himself in 1974, when he won all three of his Oscars in one night. Specifically, he triumphed in the categories of best dramatic soundtrack and song for As We Were , and best musical adapter for his version of Scott Joplin ‘s themes for El coup , which brought old ‘ragtime’ back into fashion.
Later he would again opt for the statuette for his work for The Spy Who Loved Me , Next Year at the Same Time , Ice Castles , Sophie’s Decision , A Chorus Line , (film adaptation of his successful Broadway musical), Shirley Valentine and Love Has Two Faces . Her last work on the big screen was for The Informant! , by Steven Soderbergh , with whom she was also going to collaborate on Liberace , her new project.
He also accompanied Groucho Marx on piano during a tour of the comedian between 1974 and 1975.
After a relationship with actress Emma Samms , known in the United States for series like General Hospital, Marvin Hamlisch married Terre Blair, who was with him at the time of death.