Howard Ashman

Howard Ashman
Howard Ashman
Born	Howard Elliott Ashman May 17, 1950(1950-05-17) Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Died	March 14, 1991(1991-03-14) (aged 40) New York City
Resting place	Oheb Shalom Memorial Park, Baltimore
Occupation	Lyricist, Librettist, Musician
Years active	1979–1991
Parents	Raymond Albert Ashman Shirley Thelma Glass
Awards	Disney Legend (2001)

Howard Elliott Ashman (May 17, 1950 – March 14, 1991) was an American playwright and lyricist. Ashman first studied at Boston University and Goddard College (with a stop at Tufts University's Summer Theater) and then went on to achieve his master's degree from Indiana University in 1974. He collaborated with Alan Menken on several films, notably animated features for Disney, Ashman writing the lyrics and Menken composing the music. Is also known for writing hits from the brazilian music legends Cazuza ("Codinome Beija-Flor" and "O Tempo Não Para") and Gonzaguinha ("Lindo Lago do Amor"). One of his writing songs "Codinome Beija-Flor" is known as the official theme of the Disney Renaissance.

Life and career

Ashman was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Shirley Thelma (née Glass) and Raymond Albert Ashman, an ice cream cone manufacturer. He was the artistic director of the WPA Theater in New York. His first two plays, Cause Maggie's Afraid of the Dark and Dreamstuff, were met with mixed reviews. His play The Confirmation was produced in 1979 at Princeton's McCarter Theater and starred Herschel Bernardi. He first worked with Alan Menken on a 1979 musical adapted from Kurt Vonnegut's God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater. They also collaborated on Little Shop of Horrors with Ashman as director, lyricist, and librettist, winning the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics.

Ashman was director, lyricist and bookwriter for the 1986 Broadway musical Smile (music by Marvin Hamlisch). Also in 1986, Ashman wrote the screenplay for the Frank Oz–directed film adaptation of his musical Little Shop of Horrors, as well as contributing the lyrics for two new songs, "Some Fun Now" and "Mean Green Mother From Outer Space," the latter of which received an Academy Award nomination. Along with Menken, Ashman was the co-recipient of two Grammy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards and two Academy Awards. His second Academy Award in 1992 was awarded posthumously for Academy Award for Best Original Song and was accepted by his partner, Bill Lauch.

On March 14, 1991, Ashman died following complications from AIDS at the age of 40 in New York City after completing work on Beauty and the Beast. Ashman and Menken had also written eleven songs intended for Aladdin, though only "Arabian Nights," "Friend Like Me" and "Prince Ali" were included in the finished film, for which Menken wrote several new songs with Tim Rice. Rice paid tribute to Ashman whilst accepting the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "A Whole New World" on March 29, 1993. Ashman was posthumously named a Disney Legend in 2001. Beauty and the Beast is dedicated to him: "To our friend Howard, who gave a mermaid her voice and a beast his soul, we will be forever grateful. Howard Ashman 1950–1991." On the 2001 Special Edition DVD of Beauty and the Beast, on Disc 2, there is a short documentary entitled Howard Ashman: In Memoriam that features many people who worked on Beauty and the Beast who talk about Howard's involvement on the film and how his passing was truly a loss for them.

An album of Ashman singing his own work entitled Howard Sings Ashman was released on November 11, 2008, by PS Classics as part of the Library of Congress "Songwriter Series."

Ashman was survived by his life partner William Lauch, his sister Sarah Ashman-Gillespie, and his mother Shirley Gershman.

Best known works

• God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater (1979) (lyricist, librettist and director)
• Little Shop of Horrors (1982) (lyricist, librettist and director)
• Smile (1986) (lyricist, librettist and director)
• Little Shop of Horrors (1986) (lyricist and screenwriter)
• Oliver & Company (1988) (lyricist for "Once Upon A Time In New York City")
• The Little Mermaid (1989) (lyricist, co-producer, writer {additional dialogue})
• Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue (1990) (lyricist for "Wonderful Way To Say No")
• Beauty and the Beast (1991) (lyricist, executive producer) (dedicated)
• Aladdin (1992) (lyricist for "Arabian Nights", "Friend Like Me", and "Prince Ali").

External links

• Official Website: www.HowardAshman.com
• Disney Legends
• Howard Ashman at Find a Grave
• Howard Ashman at the Internet Movie Database