Jerry Herman Biography

Fast Facts

• In 1982, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame
• Won a Tony Award for Best Original Score for "La Cage aux Folles" in 1984
• Won a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre in 2009
• Graduated from the University of Miami, choosing the college for its avant garde theater department
• Learned to play the piano when he was young, and often attended Broadway musicals with his parents
• While in college, he write, produced and directed a musical called Sketchbook, which ran for 20 performances instead of three due to popular demand, becoming the longest running show in the University of Miami's history
• Many of his show tunes have become pop standards, including "Hello, Dolly!" and "If He Walked into My Life․"
• Wrote the music and lyrics for such Broadway classics as "Hello, Dolly!" "Mame" and "La Cage Aux Folles․"
• Was the first composer and lyricist to ever have tree musicals run for over 1,500 consecutive performances on Broadway
• When he was 17, Frank Loesser encouraged him to continue composing
• Joined the Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity at the University of Miami