Tony-, Grammy-, and Pulitzer Prize-winning lyricist Sheldon Harnick celebrates his birthday April 30.
Harnick was born in Chicago in 1924. After making his Broadway debut with featured songs and lyrics in Leonard Sillman's New Faces of 1952, Two's Company, and The Littlest Revue, Harnick's work took the spotlight with The Body Beautiful in 1958, for which he wrote lyrics. His collaboration with composer Jerry Bock produced such classics as Fiorello in 1959, which won both a Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award, Fiddler on the Roof in 1964, which won the Tony for Best Musical, and more. Harnick is the recipient of the Pulitzer Prize, two Tonys, a Grammy Award, two New York Drama Critics Circle Awards, one platinum record, and three gold records.
The Body Beautiful
The Body Beautiful
Fiorello! Playbill - Aug 1960
Tom Bosley in Fiorello! on Broadway, 1959.
Tenderloin Playbill - Jan 1961
Maurice Evans in Tenderloin, 1960.
Man in the Moon
She Loves Me Playbill - Jan 1964
Barbara Cook in She Loves Me
Fiddler on the Roof
"The 1st Broadway show I saw was Fiddler On The Roof -- the original company with Zero Mostel. My mother knew that this was going to be a hit, and she ordered seats months before it opened. My most vivid memory is of 'Do You Love Me?' Perfection!"
The Apple Tree Playbill - Sept 1966
Barbara Harris (right) in The Apple Tree
The Rothschilds
David Garfield and Robby Benson in The Rothschilds, 1970.
Rex
Glenn Close, Michael John, Nicol Williamson, Penny Fuller, and Martha Danielle in Rex
