X

Join or Sign In

Sign in to customize your TV listings

Continue with Facebook Continue with email

By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy.

Alan Menken Biography

Birth Name:
Alan Irwin Menken
Birth Place:
New Rochelle, New York, United States
Profession
Composer, singer-songwriter

Fast Facts

  • Started composing as a child when his parents left him alone to practice piano and he would make up variations of the pieces he should have been playing
  • His father, his paternal grandfather and a paternal uncle were dentists
  • Was concertmaster of the band and president of the chess club in high school
  • Entered college as a pre-med student before switching to music
  • Early on, supported himself by writing jingles, providing piano accompaniment to ballet classes and penning songs for Sesame Street
  • Helped finance a cross-country trip in the late 1960s by playing fiddle on street corners for money
  • In the 1970s, wanted to be a singer-songwriter in the Jackson Browne-Elton John-Billy Joel mold
  • Wrote a rock ballet, Children of the World, just after college
  • Once performed live music for the TV soap opera Search for Tomorrow
  • Has a scholarship in his name at his alma mater, NYU

Awards

  • 2011Golden Globe-Best Original Song - Motion Picture: nominated
  • 2011Critics' Choice Movie Awards-Best Song: nominated
  • 2011Grammy-Best Song Written for Visual Media: winner
  • 2010Oscar-Best Achievement in Music (Original Song): nominated
  • 2008Critics' Choice Awards-Best Composer: nominated
  • 2008Golden Globe-Best Original Song - Motion Picture: nominated
  • 1998Golden Globe-Best Original Song - Motion Picture: nominated
  • 1997Golden Globe-Best Original Score - Motion Picture: nominated
  • 1997Oscar-Best Achievement in Music (Original Song): nominated
  • 1996Golden Globe-Best Original Score - Motion Picture: nominated
  • 1996Oscar-Best Achievement in Music (Original Musical or Comedy Score): nominated
  • 1996Golden Globe-Best Original Song - Motion Picture: winner
  • 1995Oscar-Best Achievement in Music (Original Musical or Comedy Score): winner
  • 1995Grammy-Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television: winner
  • 1995Oscar-Best Achievement in Music (Original Song): winner
  • 1994BAFTA Film Awards-Best Score: nominated
  • 1993BAFTA Film Awards-Best Original Film Music: nominated
  • 1993Grammy-Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television: winner
  • 1993Grammy-Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television: winner
  • 1993Golden Globe-Best Original Score - Motion Picture: winner
  • 1992Golden Globe-Best Original Score - Motion Picture: winner
  • 1992Oscar-Best Achievement in Music (Original Score): winner
  • 1992Grammy-Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television: winner
  • 1992Grammy-Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television: winner
  • 1992Grammy-Best Children's Album: winner
  • 1991Oscar-Best Achievement in Music (Original Score): winner
  • 1990Golden Globe-Best Original Song - Motion Picture: nominated
  • 1990Golden Globe-Best Original Score - Motion Picture: winner
  • 1990Grammy-Best Recording for Children: winner
  • 1990Grammy-Best Recording for Children: winner
  • 1990Grammy-Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television: winner
  • 1990Grammy-Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television: winner
  • 1990Golden Globe-Best Original Score - Motion Picture: winner
  • 1989Oscar-Best Achievement in Music (Original Score): winner
  • 1989Oscar-Best Achievement in Music (Original Score): winner
  • 1986Oscar-Best Achievement in Music (Original Song): nominated

Relationships

  • Anna -- Daughter
  • Nora -- Daughter
  • Norman Menken -- Father
  • Judith Menken -- Mother
  • Janis Roswick-Menken -- Wife