Marvin Hamlisch

While I was at work today, I got a text that Marvin Hamlisch had died at the age of 68. My first thought was, he was kind of young to have died. And second, I thought of the songs and movies that he was a part of.

Marvin Hamlisch (June 2, 1944 – August 6, 2012)

… was an American composer. He was one of only eleven people to have been awarded Emmys, Grammys, Oscars, and a Tony. He was also one of only two people to have won those four prizes and also a Pulitzer Prize (the other was Richard Rodgers). Hamlisch also won two Golden Globes. (from wikipedia.com)

Some of the movies that I remember watching that his music was in it are:

• The Way We Were (1973)
• The Sting (1973)
• Same Time, Next Year (1978)
• Ice Castles (1978)
• Seems Like Old Times (1980)
• A Chorus Line (1985)
• Three Men and a Baby (1987)
• The Goodbye Girl (1993)
• The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996)

When I Googled Marvin Hamlisch, I was surprised on how many wards he won. Here is a list of them from wikipedia.com:

Academy Awards

• 1972 Nominee, Best Original Song – “Life Is What You Make It” from Kotch
• 1973 Winner, Best Original Dramatic Score – The Way We Were
• 1973 Winner, Best Original Song Score and/or Adaptation – The Sting
• 1973 Winner, Best Original Song – “The Way We Were” from The Way We Were
  • In 1973, Hamlisch became the second person to win three Academy Awards in the same evening following Billy Wilder in 1960.
• 1977 Nominee, Best Original Song – “Nobody Does It Better” from The Spy Who Loved Me
• 1977 Nominee, Best Original Score – The Spy Who Loved Me
• 1979 Nominee, Best Original Song – “The Last Time I Felt Like This” from Same Time Next Year
• 1980 Nominee, Best Original Song – “Through The Eyes of Love” from Ice Castles
• 1983 Nominee, Best Original Score – Sophie’s Choice
• 1986 Nominee, Best Original Song – “Surprise Surprise” from A Chorus Line
• 1990 Nominee, Best Original Song – “The Girl Who Used To Be Me” from Shirley Valentine
• 1997 Nominee, Best Original Song – “I Finally Found Someone” from The Mirror Has Two Faces

Out of all his song, this one is one of my Top 100 songs ever — “The Way We Were“.

 

 

And this is one of my favorite movies, Same Time Next Year. One of the songs in the movie, “The Last Time I Felt Like This” has to be one of the prettiest songs that I ever heard in a movie. I try to watch it whenever it’s on TV. I just recently got the DVD of the movie.

Here are some other sites about Mavin Hamlisch:

• Marvin Hamlisch – Official Website
• Marvin Hamlisch at the Internet Broadway Database
• Marvin Hamlisch at the Internet Movie Database
• Marvin Hamlisch at the Internet Off-Broadway Database

 

R.I.P. Marvin Hamlisch — Now there is even more sweet music in heaven.