Stephen Sondheim
Born
March 22, 1930
Died
November 26, 2021 (91 years old)
Known For
Writing
Place of Birth
New York City, New York, USA
Stephen Joshua Sondheim (/ˈsɒndhaɪm/; March 22, 1930 – November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. Regarded as one of the most important figures in 20th-century musical theatre, he is credited with reinventing the American musical. With his frequent collaborators Harold Prince and James Lapine, Sondheim's Broadway musicals tackled unexpected themes beyond the genre's traditional subjects while addressing darker elements of the human experience. His music and lyrics are tinged with complexity, sophistication, and ambivalence about various aspects of life.
Sondheim's interest in musical theatre began at a young age, and Oscar Hammerstein II mentored him. He started his career by writing the lyrics for West Side Story (1957) and Gypsy (1959). He transitioned to writing both music and lyrics for the theatre, with his best-known works including A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1962), Company (1970), Follies (1971), A Little Night Music (1973), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1979), Merrily We Roll Along (1981), Sunday in the Park with George (1984), and Into the Woods (1987).
Sondheim's numerous awards and nominations include eight Tony Awards, an Academy Award, eight Grammy Awards, an Olivier Award, and the Pulitzer Prize. He also was awarded the Kennedy Center Honor in 1993 and a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015. A theatre is named after him both on Broadway and in London's West End. Film adaptations of his works include West Side Story (1961), Gypsy (1962), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966), A Little Night Music (1977), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street(2007), Into the Woods (2014), and West Side Story (2021).
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Known For
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Stephen Sondheim
2022
Keeping Company with Sondheim
Self
2022
The Stories of West Side Story
Self
2022
Cameron Mackintosh - The First 50 Years
Self
2021
Something's Coming: West Side Story
Self
2021
tick, tick... BOOM!
Stephen Sondheim (voice on phone) (uncredited)
2021
On Broadway
Self (archive footage)
2019
Harold Prince: The Director's Life
2018
West Side Stories: The Making of a Classic
Self
2016
Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened...
Self
2016
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Self · (1 episode)
2015
Six by Sondheim
Self / Joe
2013
A Place for Us: West Side Story's Legacy
Self
2011
Sondheim! The Birthday Concert
Self - Honoree
2010
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - Burton + Carter + Depp = Todd
Self
2008
Witness to 'Reds'
Self
2006
The Colbert Report
(2 episodes)
2005
Broadway: The American Musical
Self · (6 episodes)
2004
Children Will Listen
self
2004
Camp
Self
2003
Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There
Self
2003
West Side Memories
Self
2003
The Making of Sweeney Todd at the San Francisco Symphony
Self
2002
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street in Concert
Self
2001
Hey, Mr. Producer! The Musical World of Cameron Mackintosh
Self
1998
Company
Self
1996
Some Enchanted Evening: Celebrating Oscar Hammerstein II
Self
1995
A Tribute to Stephen Sondheim
1995
Inside the Actors Studio
Self · (1 episode)
1994
Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall
Self
1992
Pebble Mill
Self · (1 episode)
1991
Assassins: A Conversationpiece
Self
1991
Into the Woods: A Conversationpiece
Self
1990
Sunday in the Park with... Stephen
1990
The Simpsons
Stephen Sondheim (voice) · (1 episode)
1989
Follies: In Concert
Self- Composer
1986
Sondheim on Broadway: Follies - Four Days in New York
Self
1986
Putting It Together: The Making of the Broadway Album
Himself
1986
Sweeney Todd: Scenes from the Making of a Musical
Self
1980
The Kennedy Center Honors
Self · (1 episode)
1978
Previn and the Pittsburgh
Self · (1 episode)
1977
Live from Lincoln Center
Self · (1 episode)
1976
June Moon
Maxie Schwartz
1974
Sondheim: A Musical Tribute
1973
The Last of Sheila Featurette
Self
1973
Great Performances
Maxie Schwartz · (1 episode)
1971
Great Performances
Self · (2 episodes)
1971
Original Cast Album: Company
Self
1970
The Merv Griffin Show
Self · (1 episode)
1962
Tony Awards
Self - Nominee · (2 episodes)
1956