Born Julius Kerwin Stein, December 31, 1905, in London, England; died of a heart ailment following surgery, September 20, 1994, in New York, NY. Composerand producer. Writer of such well-known songs as "I Don't Want to Walk without You," "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend," "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!," and "Everything's Coming up Roses," Styne received numerous awardsand critical commendations over his long career as a composer of musical scores for film and stage. In 1954 Styne received an Academy Award for best songfor the title song in Three Coins in the Fountain, and in 1967 he was honoredwith an Antoinette Perry Award for best score, music, and lyrics for Hallelujah, Baby. In addition to the works for which he received awards, Styne was the composer of such acclaimed musicals as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Gypsy, Funny Girl, Sugar, and Hellzapoppin, and collaborated with noted lyricists Sammy Cahn, Yip Harburg, Frank Loesser, and Stephen Sondheim. Styne became a pianist at a young age, and after graduating high school he toured with Edgar Benson's orchestra, composing "Sunday," the song that became his first hit whileon the road. After working in Ben Pollock's night club band with famed musicians Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, and Charlie Spivak, Styne moved to New York, where he became a vocal coach and conductor for Broadway entertainer HarryRichman. From New York Styne moved to Hollywood, where he served as vocal coach to several stars, including Shirley Temple and Constance Bennett. Styne'swork as a Hollywood vocal coach led to his career as a composer of film scores, in which he had great success during the 1940s, although he claimed that he was not fond of writing music for film. In 1947 Styne collaborated with Sammy Cahn on his first Broadway stage musical, High Button Shoes, and the showhad a successful run of two and a half years. Styne also served as producer for stage productions, including Make a Wish, Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?,Fade Out--Fade In, and Jockeys.
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