Marvin Hamlisch: Biography

During his first wave of national fame in the mid '70s, American composer/arranger Marvin Hamlisch was a much sought-after talkshow guest, due not only to his quick wit but to the fact that he looked the part of the nice Jewish boy who'd been Julliard's youngest-ever student. The son of a prominent Viennese musician, Hamlisch was working on Broadway even while attending college, as Barbra Streisand's rehearsal pianist for Funny Girl. After some minor theatrical composing, Hamlisch met producer Sam Spiegel, which led to Hamlisch's first film scoring assignment, the teeny-bopper musicale Ski Party. Working quickly and inexpensively, Hamlisch created a demand for himself in the world of medium-budget "personal" film productions like Frank and Eleanor Perry's The Swimmer (1968) and Woody Allen's Bananas. In 1972, he was the accompanist/arranger of Groucho Marx' S.R.O. Carnegie Hall appearance, which led to even more valuable showbiz contacts. When Hamlisch finally hit it big in 1974, he hit it BIG -- winning three Academy Awards in a single evening, one for The Sting (1973) and two for The Way We Were (1973). America literally fell in love with this grinning, bespectacled, slightly dishevelled young man who seemed so comfortable with, yet so shy about, his limitless talent. From the night of that Oscar ceremony onward, producers fell over themselves entreating Hamlisch to add prestige to their projects; frequently, as in the case of the 1975 TV bomb Beacon Hill, Hamlisch's music was the only recommendation. Marvin Hamlisch has remained active in all branches of show business for the last two decades; the quality of the projects may have varied wildly at times, but Hamlisch can always take comfort in the fact that his Tony-winning music and lyrics for A Chorus Line were composed for the longest-running musical in Broadway history. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide