Gerald Sheldon Herman was an American composer and lyricist, known for his work in Broadway theatre.
23 Facts About Jerry Herman
2.
One of the most commercially successful Broadway songwriters of his time, Jerry Herman was the composer and lyricist for a number of hit musicals, starting in the 1960s, that were characterized by an upbeat and optimistic outlook and what Jerry Herman called "the simple, hummable showtune".
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In 2009, Jerry Herman received the Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre.
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Jerry Herman was a recipient of the 2010 Kennedy Center Honors.
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Jerry Herman was born in Manhattan and raised in Jersey City, New Jersey, the only child of musically inclined, middle-class Jewish parents.
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Jerry Herman learned to play piano at an early age, and the frequently attended Broadway musicals.
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Jerry Herman's father Harry was a gym teacher and in the summer worked in the Catskill Mountains hotels.
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Jerry Herman spent all of his summers there, from age 6 to 23.
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At age 17, Jerry Herman was introduced to Frank Loesser who, after hearing material he had written, urged him to continue composing.
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Jerry Herman left the Parsons School of Design to attend the University of Miami, which has one of the nation's most avant garde theater departments.
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Jerry Herman graduated from the University of Miami in 1953 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in drama and received a Doctor of Fine Arts degree in 1980.
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In 1957, Jerry Herman approached the owner of a West Fourth Street jazz club called the Showplace and asked to put on a revue.
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Jerry Herman asked his friend, Phyllis Newman, to do movement and dance and it featured Charles Nelson Reilly.
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Jerry Herman next collected enough original material to put together an Off-Broadway revue called Parade in 1960.
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In 1960, Jerry Herman made his Broadway debut with the revue From A to Z, which featured contributions from newcomers Woody Allen and Fred Ebb as well.
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Jerry Herman met playwright Tad Mosel in 1960 and they collaborated on an Off-Broadway musical adaptation of Mosel's 1953 television play, Madame Aphrodite.
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In 1983, Jerry Herman had his third hit with La Cage aux Folles starring George Hearn and Gene Barry, a show that was notable for being one of the first hit Broadway musicals centered around a gay couple.
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Jerry Herman's "I Am What I Am," written for La Cage aux Folles, became a gay pride anthem.
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Jerry Herman is honored by a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at the 7000 block of Hollywood Boulevard.
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Jerry Herman was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1982.
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Jerry Herman reportedly listed his 4,088-square-foot West Hollywood condominium apartment for sale early in 2013.
22.
Jerry Herman was openly gay, and at the time of his death was partnered with Terry Marler, a real estate broker.
23.
Jerry Herman died at a hospital in Miami on December 26,2019, at age 88.