Lorenz Hart Biography

(born May 2, 1895, New York, N.Y., U.S.—died Nov. 22, 1943, New York City) U.S. lyricist. A descendant of Heinrich Heine, Hart initially worked as a translator of German. In 1918 he met Richard Rodgers, then age 16, at Columbia University. Their many Broadway hits would include The Garrick Gaieties (1925), A Connecticut Yankee (1927), The Boys from Syracuse (1938), and Pal Joey (1940). Their 25-year collaboration (often difficult because of Hart's alcoholism and aversion to deadlines) yielded nearly 1,000 songs, including “Blue Moon” (their only song not introduced on stage or film), “My Funny Valentine,” “The Lady Is a Tramp,” and “Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered.” Hart died of liver failure at age 48.

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