The only child of a self-described "privileged, upper-middle, lower-rich class" German-Jewish family, he regularly attended the theater, beginning at 8 years old with a Mercury Theater production of Julius Caesar starring Orson Welles
Started his career as an apprentice for esteemed author, director and producer George Abbott, whom Prince considered a mentor
Drafted into the Army in 1950 and assigned to an anti-aircraft artillery battalion in West Germany, where he frequented a nightclub called Maxim's, which later became the basis for the musical Cabaret
Won a Pulitzer Prize, as well as a Tony, in 1960 for the musical Fiorello! Published his memoir Contradictions in 1974
The 1981 musical flop Merrily We Roll Along marked his sixth (and final) collaboration with lyricist-composer Stephen Sondheim
Was a 1994 Kennedy Center Honoree
Received from President Bill Clinton in 2000 a National Medal of Arts for a 40-plus year career, in which he "changed the nature of the American musical
" Is the record holder for the most Tony Award wins by an individual for his work producing and directing shows
Has more than 50 musicals, plays and operas to his credit, including Company, Fiddler on the Roof, Cabaret, Sweeney Todd, Follies, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, The Pajama Game, Evita, The Phantom of the Opera and West Side Story