Born: Sep 11, 1925 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York
Occupation: Writer, Actor
Active: '60s-'80s
Major Genres: Drama, Comedy
Career Highlights: Tootsie, Ode to Billy Joe, Sometimes a Great Notion
First Major Screen Credit: The Right Approach (1961)
Biography
Along with his wife, Marilyn Bergman, lyricist/songwriter Alan Bergman has composed many popular songs -- mostly love songs -- for stage musicals, movies, and television programs; their work has earned them Oscars, Golden Globes, Emmys, and Grammys. Hailing from Brooklyn, Bergman started out directing kiddie shows on television in the early '50s. Much later in the decade he and Marilyn became a songwriting duo and in 1958 married each other. Many major talents of the '60s sang Bergman songs, including Bing Crosby, Barbra Streisand, Sarah Vaughan, and Johnny Mathis. Television scores include Maude (1972-1978) and Good Times (1974-1979). Their scoring for the television outings Queen of the Stardust Ballroom (1975) and Sybil (1976) earned them two Emmys. Some of their best-loved film hits include the haunting "The Windmills of Your Mind" (music composed by Michel Legrand) from The Thomas Crown Affair (1968) and "The Way We Were" (with Marvin Hamlisch) from the 1973 film of the same name. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Born in Brooklyn, New York, he studied at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UCLA. His involvement in the entertainment industry began in the early 1950s as a director of children's television shows. He and his wife Marilyn Bergman, whom he married in 1958, were born in the same hospital and raised in the same Brooklyn neighborhood, but didn't meet until each had relocated to Los Angeles. Together they have written the music and lyrics for numerous television shows, films, and stage musicals.