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