More Info on Alan MenkenSimilar Undetermined MusicSearch Artistopia
Biography
Infobox person| name = Alan Menken| image =| image_size =| landscape =| birth_name =| occupation = Composer , singer-songwriter , musician | birth_date = Birth date and age|1949|7|22|mf=y| birth_place = New York City , United States|U.S. | death_date =| death_place =| other_names =| years_active = 1980-present| label = Disneyland Records|Disneyland , Walt Disney Records , Warner Bros. Records|Warner Bros. | spouse = Janis Roswick-Menken (1972-present) (2 daughters)| website =| awards = Disney Legends|Disney Legend (2001) Alan Menken (born July 22, 1949) is an United States|American musical theatre and film composer and pianist.
Menken is best known for his numerous scores for films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios . His scores for The Little Mermaid (1989 film)|The Little Mermaid , Beauty and the Beast (1991 film)|Beauty and the Beast , Aladdin (1992 Disney film)|Aladdin , and Pocahontas (1995 film)|Pocahontas have each won him two Academy Award s. He also composed the scores for The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996 film)|The Hunchback of Notre Dame , Hercules (1997 film)|Hercules , The Last Castle , Home on the Range (2004 film)|Home on the Range , Enchanted (film)|Enchanted , and Tangled . Menken has collaborated on several occasions with lyricists including Howard Ashman , Tim Rice , Glenn Slater , and Stephen Schwartz (composer)|Stephen Schwartz . Having won a total of eight Oscars, he has won more Oscars than any other living individual. He has been Oscar-nominated a total of nineteen times.
Life and career
Menken was born in Manhattan into a Jew ish family, the son of Judith and Norman Menken, a dentist. http://www.filmreference.com/film/46/Alan-Menken.html "Alan Menken Biography (1949-)" FilmReference.com, accessed August 27, 2011 He developed an interest in music at an early age, studying piano and violin. He went to New Rochelle High School in New Rochelle, New York. He attended college as a pre-med student, but later changed his focus to music at NYU Steinhardt . After college, he attended the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop . He performed frequently in local clubs and worked as a composer of jingles and songs and as an accompanist.
In the late 1970s, Menken wrote several shows that were successfully showcased, but were not produced. Menken's first major professional work was with Ashman for the Off-Broadway 1979 WPA Theatre production of the play God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater , an adaptation of a Kurt Vonnegut novel. This was well received, but three years later, he achieved greater success with the 1982 Off-Broadway Musical theater|musical Little Shop of Horrors (musical)|Little Shop of Horrors , again with Ashman, for which he earned a Drama Desk Award nomination. Little Shop was adapted for a successful motion picture and later received a Broadway theatre|Broadway run.
In 1983, Menken received the BMI Career Achievement Award for his body of work for musical theater, including Little Shop of Horrors , God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater , Real Life Funnies , Atina: Evil Queen of the Galaxy (produced in workshop as Battle of the Giants ), Patch, Patch, Patch , and contributions to numerous revue s including Personals and Diamonds . In 1987, a musical adaptation of The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz , with lyrics by David Spencer, was produced in Philadelphia. In 1992, the WPA Theatre produced Menken's Weird Romance , also with lyrics also by Spencer. Menken's 1994 musical based on the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol , with lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and book by Mike Ockrent , debuted at Madison Square Garden 's Paramount Theater. The show proved successful and is becoming an annual New York holiday event. Menken received both Tony Award and Drama Desk Award nominations for the music to the stage musical version of Beauty and the Beast (musical)|Beauty and the Beast which opened on Broadway in 1994.
Menken is best known, however, for his work over the past two decades with Walt Disney Pictures scoring numerous films, including Walt Disney Feature Animation|Disney animated classics The Little Mermaid (1989 film)|The Little Mermaid , Beauty and the Beast (1991 film)|Beauty and the Beast , Aladdin (1992 Disney film)|Aladdin , Pocahontas (1995 film)|Pocahontas , The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996 film)|The Hunchback of Notre Dame , Hercules (1997 film)|Hercules and Home on the Range (2004 film)|Home on the Range , and most recently, Disney's 2010 animated film Tangled (2010 film)|Tangled . He also wrote music for the Disney live-action films Newsies (1992) and Enchanted (film)|Enchanted (2007). Menken has received dual Academy Awards for Academy Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score and Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song on four of these projects. With eight Academy Award wins (four each for Academy Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score and Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song ), only composer Alfred Newman (nine wins) and Walt Disney (twenty two wins) have received more Oscars than Menken. He is tied in third place with late costume designer Edith Head . He currently holds the record for the most wins for a living person. He was named a Disney Legend in 2001.
In 1998, Menken composed a song for Touchstone Pictures|Touchstone 's Armageddon (1998 film)|Armageddon : "Mister Big Time", performed by Jon Bon Jovi .
A musical version of The Little Mermaid (musical)|The Little Mermaid opened on Broadway in January 2008. Menken's Sister Act the Musical was produced in London, 2009, and opened on Broadway in Spring 2011. He was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Score for his work. http://broadwayworld.com/article/2011-Tony-Nominations-Announced-THE-BOOK-OF-MORMON-Leads-With-14-20110503 "2011 Tony Nominations Announced!" BroadwayWorld.com, May 3, 2011
Menken received the 2,422nd star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on November 10, 2010.Gans, Andrew. http://www.playbill.com/news/article/144700-Alan-Menken-to-Be-Honored-with-Star-on-the-Hollywood-Walk-of-Fame "Alan Menken to Be Honored with Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame" Playbill.com, November 8, 2010
He is working on stage adaptations of The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996 film)|The Hunchback of Notre Dame , Newsies and Aladdin (1992 Disney film)|Aladdin . http://broadwayworld.com/article/BWW_EXCLUSIVE_Alan_Menken_Talks_TANGLED_SISTER_ACT_LEAP_HUNCHBACK_ALADDIN_More_20101115 "BWW EXCLUSIVE: Alan Menken Talks 'Tangled', 'Sister Act', 'Leap Of Faith', 'Hunchback', 'Aladdin' & More" BroadwayWorld.com, November 15, 2010
In December 2010, he was a guest on NPR 's new quiz show '' Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! .
Little Shop of Horrors (1986 film)|Little Shop of Horrors 1986 (Oscar nominee)
Rocky V (the song "The Measure of a Man", score by Bill Conti ) 1990
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (the song "My Christmas Tree") 1992
Crimson Tide (film)|Crimson Tide (the song " Eternal Father, Strong to Save ", performed by City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra|The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra , score by Hans Zimmer ) 1995
Armageddon (1998 film)|Armageddon (composer, the song "Mister Big Time", performed by Jon Bon Jovi , score by Trevor Rabin and Harry Gregson-Williams ) 1998
Pearl Harbor (film)|Pearl Harbor (composer, the song " There You'll Be ", performed by Faith Hill , score by Hans Zimmer ) 2001
Captain America: The First Avenger (the song "Star Spangled Man", score by Alan Silvestri ) 2011
Television
Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue (supervising composer, the song "Wonderful Ways to Say No") 1990
A Christmas Carol (2004 film)|A Christmas Carol 2004
Musicals
Little Shop of Horrors (musical)|Little Shop of Horrors 1982 Off Broadway and 2003 Broadway revival
Weird Romance 1992 Off Broadway and 2007 revival of two 1-act musicals Girl who was Plugged in and Her Pilgrim Soul
Beauty and the Beast (musical)|Beauty and the Beast 1994 Broadway (Tony nominee)
A Christmas Carol 1995 Perennial holiday run (10 years) The Theatre at Madison Square Garden
Leap of Faith (musical)|Leap of Faith , a work-in-progress musical, based on the film Leap of Faith (film)|Leap of Faith . A workshop was held in May 2008.Gans, Andrew and Hernandez, Ernio. http://www.playbill.com/news/article/117287-Esparza-Kassebaum-White-Mann-and-More-Take-a-Leap-of-Faith-in-Musical-Workshop "Musical Workshop" Playbill.com, April 30, 2008 The Center Theatre Group presented the musical at the Ahmanson Theatre , Los Angeles, in early September 2010, with Rob Ashford as director/choreographer.Jones, Kenneth. http://www.playbill.com/news/article/136376-Leap-of-Faith-Menkens-Gospel-Filled-Musical-Comedy-Will-Premiere-in-LA "Leap of Faith, Menken's Gospel-Filled Musical Comedy, Will Premiere in L.A." Playbill.com, January 28, 2010
Disney has announced that Der Glöckner Von Notre Dame , the Berlin stage musical adaptation of Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame will be coming to the Broadway stage in the next couple of years. Although the extended music and new songs with lyrics by Stephen Schwartz were completed for the 1999 premiere in Germany, the show is being fine tuned for American audiences, with a 2012 premiere anticipated.
A Broadway musical version of Disney's Aladdin , with a book by Chad Beguelin . The songs will be the ones featured in the movie, along with cut songs written by both Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and the song that Menken wrote by himself for the theatrical adaption at Disney California Adventure Park ( To Be Free ). Casey Nicholaw is expected to direct and choreograph the stage musical Aladdin which is expected to run at the 5th Avenue Theatre , Seattle , Washington, July 7–31, 2011."Hetrick, Adam. http://www.playbill.com/news/article/146669-Disneys-Aladdin-Will-Come-to-Life-on-Stage-at-Seattles-5th-Avenue-Casey-Nicholaw-Will-Direct "Disney's Aladdin Will Come to Life on Stage at Seattle's 5th Avenue; Casey Nicholaw Will Direct" Playbill.com, January 14, 2011
Menken along with Weird Romance collaborator David Spencer wrote the musical The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz , which is currently in Canada.
Awards
Academy Award nominations and wins
1987
* Nominated, Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song (with Howard Ashman ) - "Mean Green Mother from Outer Space", from Little Shop of Horrors (1986 film)|Little Shop of Horrors
1990
* Won , Academy Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score - The Little Mermaid (1989 film)|The Little Mermaid
* Nominated, Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song (with Howard Ashman ) - " Kiss the Girl ", from The Little Mermaid (1989 film)|The Little Mermaid
1992
* Won , Academy Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score - Beauty and the Beast (1991 film)|Beauty and the Beast
* Won , Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song (with Howard Ashman ) - Beauty and the Beast (Disney song)|Beauty and the Beast , from Beauty and the Beast (1991 film)|Beauty and the Beast
* Nominated, Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song (with Howard Ashman ) - " Belle ", from Beauty and the Beast (1991 film)|Beauty and the Beast
* Nominated, Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song (with Howard Ashman ) - " Be Our Guest ", from Beauty and the Beast (1991 film)|Beauty and the Beast
1993
* Won , Academy Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score - Aladdin (1992 Disney film)|Aladdin
* Won , Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song (with Tim Rice ) - " A Whole New World ", from Aladdin (1992 Disney film)|Aladdin
* Nominated, Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song (with Howard Ashman ) - " Friend Like Me ", from Aladdin (1992 Disney film)|Aladdin
1996
* Won , Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song (with Stephen Schwartz (composer)|Stephen Schwartz ) - " Colors of the Wind ", from Pocahontas (1995 film)|Pocahontas
* Won , Academy Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Musical or Comedy Score (with Stephen Schwartz (composer)|Stephen Schwartz ) - Pocahontas (1995 film)|Pocahontas
1997
* Nominated, Academy Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Musical or Comedy Score (with Stephen Schwartz (composer)|Stephen Schwartz ) - The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996 film)|The Hunchback of Notre Dame
1998
* Nominated, Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song (with David Zippel ) - "Go the Distance", from Hercules (1997 film)|Hercules
2002
* Nominated, Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song (with Diane Warren ) - " There You'll Be ", from Pearl Harbor (film)|Pearl Harbor
2008
* Nominated, Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song (with Stephen Schwartz (composer)|Stephen Schwartz ) - "Happy Working Song", from Enchanted (film)|Enchanted
* Nominated, Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song (with Stephen Schwartz (composer)|Stephen Schwartz ) - "So Close", from Enchanted (film)|Enchanted
* Nominated, Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song (with Stephen Schwartz (composer)|Stephen Schwartz ) - "That's How You Know", from Enchanted (film)|Enchanted
2011
* Nominated, Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song - (with Glenn Slater ) - I See The Light from Tangled
Golden Globe nominations and wins
1990
* Won , Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score for The Little Mermaid (1989 film)| The Little Mermaid
* Won , Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song (with Howard Ashman ) - Motion Picture from - "Under the Sea" from The Little Mermaid (1989 film)| The Little Mermaid
* Nominated, Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song (with Howard Ashman) - Motion Picture - "Kiss the Girl" from The Little Mermaid (1989 film)| The Little Mermaid
1992
* Won , Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score for Beauty and the Beast (1991 film)|Beauty and the Beast
* Won , Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song (with Howard Ashman ) for Beauty and the Beast , from Beauty and the Beast (1991 film)|Beauty and the Beast
* Nominated, Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song (with Howard Ashman ) for Be Our Guest , from Beauty and the Beast (1991 film)|Beauty and the Beast
1993
* Won , Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score for Aladdin (1992 Disney film)|Aladdin
* Won , Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song (with Tim Rice ) - " A Whole New World ", from Aladdin (1992 Disney film)|Aladdin
* Nominated, Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song (with Howard Ashman ) for Friend Like Me , from Aladdin (1992 Disney film)|Aladdin
* Nominated, Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song (with Howard Ashman ) for Prince Ali from Aladdin (1992 Disney film)|Aladdin
1996
* Won , Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song (with Stephen Schwartz (composer)|Stephen Schwartz ) for " Colors of the Wind " from Pocahontas (1995 film)|Pocahontas
* Nominated, Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score for Pocahontas (1995 film)|Pocahontas
1997
* Nominated, Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score for The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996 film)|The Hunchback of Notre Dame
1998
* Nominated, Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song (with David Zippel ) - Go the Distance from Hercules (1997 film)|Hercules
2008
* Nominated, Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song (with Stephen Schwartz (composer)|Stephen Schwartz ) - ''That's How You Know from Enchanted (film)|Enchanted
2011
* Nominated, Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song (with Glenn Slater ) - I See The Light from Tangled (film)|Tangled
Tony Awards
1994 Tony Award for Best Original Score - Beauty and the Beast (musical)|Beauty and the Beast nominee
http://disney.go.com/DisneyRecords/Biographies/Menken_Bio.html Disney Biography of Menken
http://web.archive.org/web/20071019222323/ http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9112996 Menken, Alan. Britannica Book of the Year, 1997. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved September 6, 2007.
http://www.theartsdesk.com/index.php? option=com_k2& view=item& id=1506:alan-menken-interview& Itemid=80 Interview with Alan Menken, theartsdesk.com. Posted May 16, 2010.
References
reflist
External links
http://www.musicaltalk.co.uk/episodes_0063.html MusicalTalk interview with Alan Menken
IMDb name|id=0579678|name=Alan Menken
http://www.soundtrack.net/composers/database/? id=294 SoundtrackNet entry for Alan Menken
http://www.alanmenken.info/ The Whole New World of Alan Menken
http://www.todomusicales.com/content/content_english.php? id_content=886 Alan Menken: "BEAUTY AND THE BEAST captures the magic of Disney animations and brings it to the stage" Alan Menken in Barcelona's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
http://www.theartsdesk.com/index.php? option=com_k2& view=item& id=1506:theartsdesk-qa-composer-alan-menken-interview& Itemid=80/ Comprehensive Q& A with Alan Menken on theartsdesk.com (May 16, 2010)
AcademyAwardBestOriginalScore 1981-2000AcademyAwardBestOriginalSong 1981–1990AcademyAwardBestOriginalSong 1991–2000Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score 1970–1989Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score 1990–2009Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song 1980sGolden Globe Award for Best Original Song 1990sSaturn Award for Best MusicGrammy Award for Song of the Year 1990s Persondata | NAME = Menken, Alan | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = American composer | DATE OF BIRTH = July 22, 1949 | PLACE OF BIRTH = New Rochelle, New York , United States|U.S. | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = DEFAULTSORT:Menken, Alan Category:1949 births Category:American film score composers Category:Jewish American composers and songwriters Category:American musical theatre composers Category:Best Original Music Score Academy Award winners Category:Best Song Academy Award winning songwriters Category:Saturn Award winners Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Disney people Category:Living people Category:Rocky music
