Alan Bergman
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Notes
Named to Songwriters Hall of Fame (1980)
Biography
With his wife Marilyn, Alan Bergman has written lyrics to some of the most memorable movie songs of the past two decades. Specializing in dreamy love songs and searching ballads and working with such composers as John Williams, Marvin Hamlisch, Michel Legrand and Henry Mancini, Bergman has been nominated for countless awards and has won several Oscars, Golden Globes, Grammys and Emmys.
The Brooklyn native got his start as a producer and director for such TV shows as "Kid Gloves" (CBS, 1951) and "The M&M Candy Carnival" (CBS, 1952-53). He teamed up with lyricist Marilyn Keith, whom he wed in 1958, and the pair began writing songs for stage shows, television, movies and for such popular singers as Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, and Sarah Vaughan.
The Bergmans also wrote the scores for such stage shows as "Something More" (1964), "Ballroom" (1978) and "The Lady and the Clarinet" (1980). Their TV shows have included lyrics for the theme songs of "Bracken's World" (NBC), the memorable "Maude" (CBS) and "Good Times" (CBS), "Alice" (CBS), the short-lived "Brooklyn Bridge" (CBS) and "The Powers That Be" (NBC, 1992). The two won Emmys for their score for "Queen of the Stardust Ballroom" (CBS, 1975) and the underscore for the TV-movie "Sybil" (NBC, 1976).
But it's for film lyrics that Alan and Marilyn Bergman have won their most lasting fame. Their first collaboration was on the title song for the picture "The Marriage-Go-Round" (1960, composed by Lew Spence). Their first award-winning hit was "The Windmills of Your Mind" (composed by Michel Legrand), for the 1968 film "The Thomas Crown Affair." Among their scores of hits over the next 25 years were "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" (with Legrand, for the 1969 film "The Happy Ending"), the award-winning "The Way We Were" (with Marvin Hamlisch for the 1973 film of that title), "I Believe in Love" (with Kenny Loggins, for the 1976 film "A Star is Born"), and "Papa, Can You Hear Me?" (with Legrand, for the 1983 film "Yentl"). The Bergmans have also contributed original lyrics to songs for scores of other films, including "In the Heat of the Night" (1967), "Sometimes a Great Notion" (1971), "Same Time, Next Year" (1978), "Tootsie" (1982), "Never Say Never Again" (1983), "Major League" (1989), "For the Boys" (1991) and "Sabrina" (1995).
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Writer (Feature Film)
Music (Feature Film)
Misc. Crew (Feature Film)
Director (Special)
Cast (Special)
Writer (Special)
Producer (Special)
Music (Special)
Special Thanks (Special)
Music (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1943
Served with US Army
1960
First screen credit, "The Marriage-Go-Round" (lyrics, with Marilyn Bergman)
1964
First stage show ("Something More")
1969
First TV credit for lyrics (theme from "Bracken's World")
1971
First lyrics for TV-movie ("The Hands of Time" for "Brian's Song")
Videos
Movie Clip
Trailer
Family
Companions
Bibliography
Notes
Named to Songwriters Hall of Fame (1980)
