Dramatists Guild Legacy Member

Sheldon Harnick

Composer Lyricist
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Theatrical legend Sheldon Harnick was best known for his collaborations with composer Jerry Bock on musicals including Fiddler on the Roof, Fiorello!, and She Loves Me.

The Pulitzer Prize- winning composer/lyricist's career began in the 1950s with songs in revues (such as "The Boston Beguine" and "The Merry Little Minuet"). With Jerry Bock he created a number of memorable musicals, including Fiorello! (Tony Award, Pulitzer Prize), Tenderloin, She Loves Me (Grammy Award), Fiddler on the Roof (Tony Award), The Apple Tree, and The Rothchilds.

Other collaborations included Rex (with Richard Rodgers), A Christmas Carol (with Michel Legrand), A Wonderful Life (with Joe Raposo), The Phantom Tollbooth (with Arnold Black and Norton Juster), and The Audition (with Marvin Hamlisch). He wrote three musicals himself: Dragons, A Doctor in Spite of Himself, and Malpractice Makes Perfect.

He also contributed songs to the films The Heartbreak Kid, Blame It on Rio (with Cy Coleman) and Aaron's Magic Village (with Michel Legrand). In the world of opera, he provided librettos for Jack Beeson's CyranoDr. Heidegger's Fountain of Youth, and Captain Jinks of the Horse Marines, Henry Mollicone's Coyote Tales and Thomas Z. Shepard's Love in Two Countries.

 Sheldon was the recipient of two Tony Awards, two Grammy Awards, three gold records, and a platinum record. He also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Dramatists Guild in 2010. He was a member of the Guild for more than 60 years and a member of the DG Council for over 50 of those years. Additionally, he served as President of the Dramatists Guild Foundation from 1992-2005.

He passed away on June 23, 2023 at the age of 99.