Hart, Lorenz
Lyricist, librettist
b. May 2, 1895 (New York City) - d. Nov. 22, 1943 (NYC)
Hart's witty, intricate and sometimes cynical lyrics found their perfect counterpoint in the rich melodies of Richard Rodgers – his only professional songwriting partner. Teaming up while students at Columbia University, Rodgers & Hart soon won attention with the score for The Garrick Gaieties (1925), which included the hit song "Manhattan." They went on to write 29 stage musicals, including A Connecticut Yankee (1927), Jumbo (1935), On Your Toes (1936), Babes in Arms (1937), and Pal Joey (1940).

Rodgers & Hart contributed songs to a dozen films, including Love Me Tonight (1932) and Hallelujah I'm a Bum (1933). Tormented by his gnomish appearance and unable to accept his own homosexuality, Hart drank himself to an death by age 48. His lyrical legacy confirms his status as one of the brightest lights of Broadway's golden age. "My Funny Valentine," "Blue Moon," "Where or When" and "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" show Hart at his bittersweet best. You can learn more about Larry Hart in our special section on Gays and Musicals, or read Frederick Nolan's Lorenz Hart: A Poet On Broadway (Oxford Univ. Press, New York, 1996) -- a highly readable bio that wimps out by playing the tired "blame Doc Bender for Hart's homosexuality" game.

Hart, Moss
Playwright, librettist, director
b. Oct. 24, 1904 (New York City) - d. Dec. 20, 1961 (Palm Springs, Cal.)
Hart wrote his first play while he was an office boy for producer/manager Augustus Pitou. When that show flopped on the road, Hart lost his job and feared his theatrical career was over. After several years as a Catskill resort entertainment director, Hart collaborated with George S. Kaufman on the hit comedy Once in a Lifetime (1929). He quickly became one of America's top playwrights, working on many hit comedies. Confused for many years about his sexuality, Hart spent most of his adult life in therapy – which may have added insight and complexity to the characters he created.

Hart contributed librettos to several important Broadway musicals, including Irving Berlin's revues Face the Music (1932) and As Thousands Cheer (1933), and Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart's I'd Rather Be Right (1937). Hart battled depression through psychiatric counseling, a practice he eventually showcased in Kurt Weill & Ira Gershwin's innovative psychiatric musical drama Lady in the Dark (1941). Hart was also a distinguished director, helming numerous non-musical plays, as well as Lerner and Loewe's My Fair Lady (1957). Felled by a heart attack during the pre-Broadway tryout of Camelot (1960), Hart successfully revised the show after its New York opening. He died of a second coronary while standing outside his home in Palm Springs several months later. 

Hart's memoir Act One is one of the most delightful books ever written about life in the theatre. His wife, actress and opera singer Kitty Carlisle Hart, went on to head the New York State Council on The Arts for many years. For more, see Steven Bach's insightful biography Dazzler: The Life and Times of Moss Hart (New York: Knopf, 2001).

Hart, Tony
(b. Anthony J. Cannon)
Actor, singer, producer
b. July 25, 1855 (Worcester, Mass) - d. Nov. 4, 1891 (Worcester)
Hart escaped a reform school to start a career touring in variety. He soon teamed up with Edward Harrigan, and the duo won acclaim with slapstick skits, most notably one in which they sang of "The Mulligan Guards." This bit eventually inspired a series of farcical musical comedies that focused on the experiences of lower class immigrant New Yorkers. Hart was noted for his extraordinary ability to portray women, especially the comic blackface role of "Rebecca Allup" in several of these "Mulligan" shows.

Hart's drag performances were so accurate that some questioned his sexual orientation, and his marriage did little to quell the rumors. When Hart's wife encouraged him to feel professionally and personally slighted by Harrigan's nepotistic hiring practices, Hart ended the partnership and tried starring in his own productions. Advanced syphilis (Victorians called this horrifying condition "paresis") soon forced him off the stage, leading him to madness and death at age 36.

Hearn, George
Actor, singer
b. June 18, 1934 (St. Louis, MO)
A versatile actor with a powerful baritone voice, Hearn has won acclaim in both dramatic and musical roles. He made his Broadway debut in the ill-fated musical A Time For Singing (1966), and took over the role of John Dickenson in 1776 both on tour and in New York. He co-starred with Coleen Dewhurst in the comedy An Almost Perfect Person before playing the father in the musical version of I Remember Mama (1979), singing Richard Rodgers' final ballad, "I Could Not Love You More."

In 1980, he took over the title role in Broadway's Sweeney Todd, co-starring with Dorothy Loudon. Hearn repeated his magnificent performance on tour with Angela Lansbury. Their TV version brought Hearn an Emmy. He was Tovald in the disastrous A Doll's House (1983), and soon afterward played the drag queen Albin in Jerry Herman's La Cage Aux Folles (1983). His endearing performance and soaring rendition of "I Am What I Am," brought him a Tony for Best Actor in a Musical. In his acceptance speech, this confirmed heterosexual coyly quipped, "You call her Tony, but her real name is Antoinette!"

Hearn was Ben in the stellar 1985 concert version of Sondheim's Follies, and played Long John Silver in an unsuccessful regional tryout of Jule Styne's Pieces of Eight. He spent several months playing paternal attorney Alonzo Smith in the lavish Broadway adaptation of Meet Me In St. Louis (1989). He won a Best Featured Actor Tony as the mysterious Max in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard (1995), and triumphantly repeated his Sweeney Todd in two 2001 concert versions co-starring Patti Lupone – one of which was televised on PBS. In 2004, he took over the role of the Wizard in the hit musical Wicked.

Held, Anna
(b. Helene Anna Held)
Singer, actress
b. Mar. 18, 1873 (Warsaw, Poland) - d. Aug. 12, 1918 (New York City)
This Polish daughter of a Jewish German glove maker became the toast of Paris and London music halls, where she was discovered by Broadway producer Florenz Ziegfeld. He married Held and presented her in a series of lavish American musical comedies, using outrageous publicity ploys to make her name famous all across the US. After Ziegfeld deserted her, Held went on to a successful solo career. For extensive details on Held's life and career, see our extended Held biography.

Herbert, Victor
Composer
b. Feb. 1, 1859 (Dublin, Ireland) - d. May 24, 1924 (New York City)
A classical cellist, Herbert trained in Europe and played there under the batons of Johannes Brahms and Anton Rubenstein. The composer of numerous orchestral works, Herbert was conductor of the prestigious Pittsburgh Symphony (1889-1904) when he launched a second career as a composer of Broadway operettas and musical comedies. His lilting melodies made hits out of The Fortune Teller (1898), Babes in Toyland (1903), Mlle. Modiste (1905), The Red Mill (1906) and Sweethearts (1913). Herbert was the first Broadway songwriter to successfully insist that no changes be made in his scores without his permission -- a precedent that did much to reshape the role of composers in the American theatre. He had a long list of collaborators, including Harry B. Smith, Henry Blossom, and Frederique DeGresac -- one of the first women to write successfully for the musical stage.

Altogether, Herbert composed 43 complete scores, creating all his own orchestrations. His most lasting success was Naughty Marietta (1910), the story of an Italian woman who escapes a European marriage to find true love with soldier Jim Warrington in colonial New Orleans. The hit score included "The Neapolitan Street Song," "I'm Falling in Love With Someone," "Neath the Southern Moon" and "Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life."

Herbert's music was featured in several editions of The Ziegfeld Follies, and he provided the ballet music for the long-running Marilyn Miller hit Sally (1920). Herbert's grand opera Natoma premiered successfully at the Metropolitan Opera in 1911. An American citizen as of 1902, this gifted Irish native was the driving force behind the creation of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). Legend holds that the aggravation of working with volatile producer Florenz Ziegfeld brought on Herbert's fatal stroke in 1924. His best songs remained popular through the 20th century, including "Every Day is Ladies Day," "Kiss Me Again" and "The Streets of New York." Herbert's "I'm Falling in Love With Someone" was a rediscovered showstopper in the Tony-winning stage version of Thoroughly Modern Millie (2002).

Herman, Jerry
Composer, lyricist
b. July 10, 1932 (New York City)
Known for his optimistic themes and "hummable" melodies, Herman made his Broadway debut with the score for Milk and Honey (1961), a musical romance set in Israel. He then wrote Hello Dolly! (1964) -- a musicalization of Thornton Wilder's The Matchmaker -- for producer David Merrick. With a book by Michael Stewart and stellar performance by Carol Channing in the title role, Dolly won Tonys for Best Score and Best Musical. With a succession of stars, it became the longest running Broadway musical up to that time -- 2844 performances. Herman scored a second mega-hit with his score for Mame (1966), which won a Tony for actress Angela Lansbury and made her a top-rank musical star. It also racked up 1508 performances on Broadway, and became a staple in the world's musical stage repertory.

Although Herman's next three shows had brief runs, Dear World (1969) with Lansbury, Mack and Mabel (1974) with Robert Preston and Bernadette Peters and The Grand Tour (1979) with Joel Grey are justifiably admired for their fine scores. Herman contributed songs to the popular Broadway revue A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine (1980). The internationally acclaimed hit La Cage Aux Folles (1983) starring George Hearn brought Herman every major award, including a second set of Tonys for Best Score and Best Musical  -- and yet another show that would be produced incessantly worldwide. Herman wrote the songs for (and made a cameo appearance in) the CBS television musical Mrs. Santa Claus (1996) starring Angela Lansbury, and created a delightful score for the as yet unproduced Las Vegas musical Miss Spectacular.

Hervé
(b. Florimond Ronger)
Composer
b. June 30, 1825 (Houdain, France) - d. Nov, 4, 1892 (Paris)
This church organist and classical composer used the name "Herve" for his stage compositions. He eventually turned out 60 operetta scores but never quite escaped the shadow of his celebrated contemporary, Jacques Offenbach. Rarely performed today, Hervé's hits included L'Oeil Creve (1867), Chilperic (1868), Le Petit Faust (1869) and La Cosaque (1884).

Holliday, Judy
(b. Judith Tuvim)
Actress, singer
b. June 21, 1921 (New York City) - d. June 7, 1965 (NYC)
This well-loved comedienne got her start in a cabaret act ("The Revuers") with fellow unknowns Betty Comden and Adolph Green. A gifted stage and film actress (Born Yesterday, Adam's Rib), Holliday attained her greatest success in the Broadway musical Bells Are Ringing (1956), which Comden and Green wrote for her with music by composer Jule Styne. As answering service operator Ella Peterson, Holliday introduced "The Party's Over" and sang "Just In Time" with co-star Sydney Chaplin. Holliday deftly re-created the role in the otherwise mediocre 1960 film version. Her only other stage musical was the ill-fated Hot Spot (1963). Cancer ended her all too brief life at age 42.

Holm, Celeste
Actress, singer
b. April 29, 1919 (New York City)
After making her Broadway debut in 1938, this talented actress appeared with George M. Cohan in his last play, Return of the Vagabond (1940). Her strong singing voice and superb comic instincts won her the role of Ado Annie in Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II's landmark musical Oklahoma! (1943), introducing "I Cain't Say No." She starred as Evelina in Bloomer Girl (1944), singing Harold Arlen & Yip Harburg's "Right as Rain." As a favor to Rodgers and Hammerstein, she took over the role of Anna during Gertrude Lawrence's extended 1952 vacation from The King and I.

Holm became a major dramatic star in Hollywood, winning an Oscar for her performance in Gentleman's Agreement (1947) and played Karen Richards in the classic All About Eve (1950). Her best big screen musical role was as Liz in Cole Porter's High Society (1956), and played the Fairy Godmother in the first color remake of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella (1965). Holm frequently returned to Broadway, taking over the role of Anna in The King & I in 1952, and the title role in Mame in 1967. She later starred as headmistress Julia Faysle in the witty but short-lived Utter Glory of Morrisey Hall (1979). She starred in daytime soap opera for several years. Holm bounced back from a stroke in 2002, performing at concerts and special events.

Hopper, De Wolf William
Actor, singer, producer
b. Mar. 30, 1858 (New York City) - d. Sept. 23, 1935 (Kansas City, MO)
One of the first great male stars of the American musical stage, Hopper was a native New Yorker. His father was Quaker lawyer John Hopper, while his mother Rosalie DeWolf came from a noted colonial family.  Hopper originally aimed to be a serious actor, but at six foot three and 230 pounds, he was far too large for most dramatic roles. Thanks to a loud basso singing voice, Hopper soon made his mark in musicals, beginning in Harrigan and Hart's company. He achieved leading man status in The Black Hussar (1885), eventually starring in more than thirty Broadway musicals, including Castles in the Air (1890), Wang (1891) and John Phillip Sousa's El Capitan (1899). His favorite role was Old Bill in The Better Ole (1919).

A brilliant comedian, Hopper appeared in a number of Gilbert and Sullivan patter roles. This lifelong baseball fan was often called upon to give his colorful recitation of Ernest L. Thayer's comic poem "Casey at the Bat." Bald from childhood, he wore wigs both on and offstage – extremely unusual for men of his era. The harsh medications he took to alleviate throat problems gave Hopper's skin a bluish tint in his later years. With an insatiable appetite for young actresses, he left a long trail of six wives and countless mistresses in his wake -- winning the nickname "the husband of his country." (Fifth wife Hedda went on to become one of Hollywood's most feared gossip columnists.) After taking over the role of Lutz in The Student Prince (1927), Hopper made his last Broadway appearance in White Lilacs (1928). He enjoyed a long retirement, and died of a heart attack at age 77. His ashes are buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Brooklyn.

Huston, Walter
(b. Walter Houghston)
Actor, singer
b. April 6, 1884 (Toronto, Canada) - d. April 7, 1950 (Beverly Hills, CA)
One of the most respected dramatic actors of his time, Huston was also an accomplished musical performer. He got his start in vaudeville as half of the song and dance team Whipple and Huston. On Broadway, Huston gave a masterful performance as New York's dictatorial colonial governor Peter Stuyvesant in the Kurt Weill-Maxwell Anderson musical Knickerbocker Holiday (1938), introducing the haunting "September Song." (His performance can be heard in a radio version preserved on CD.) Huston's most memorable musical film role was as genial Jerry Cohan in Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942). This deft portrayal of the old-time vaudevillian brought particular satisfaction to Jerry's son and Huston's longtime friend, George M. Cohan. Huston also played the genial father in Summer Holiday (1948), a lavish but mediocre MGM musical version of Eugene O'Neill's Ah Wilderness. (The film was so weak that the studio did not release it until two years after its completion.) Huston's son John became a top screen director, helming the inexplicably soulless screen version of Annie in his final years.

Hutton, Betty
(b. Elizabeth June Thornburg)
Actress, singer
b. Feb. 26, 1921 (Battle Creek, MI)
With a powerhouse belt voice and vibrant personality, Hutton won attention as a radio singer before making her Broadway debut as a supporting actress in the Ethel Merman vehicle Panama Hattie (1940). Paramount Pictures starred her in a series of wartime screen musicals, including The Fleet's In (1942), Let's Face It (1943) and the aptly titled Incendiary Blonde (1945). Hutton went on to well-received performances in The Perils of Pauline (1947) and Red, Hot and Blue (1949), among other films.

When illness made it impossible for Judy Garland to complete MGM's screen version of Annie Get Your Gun (1950), Hutton landed the greatest role of her career. She then co-starred with Fred Astaire in Let's Dance (1950), and won further raves in The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) and Somebody Loves Me (1952). But the decline of the studio system combined with Hutton's often cyclonic temper brought her screen career to an end. A series of financial and emotional hardships took their toll, and by the 1970s she was working as a housekeeper in a Long Island rectory. After making a triumphant Broadway comeback taking over the role of Miss Hannigan in the long-running Annie (1980), Hutton returned to private life.

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