Steve Lawrence
- This article is about Steve Lawrence, the singer. For the Computer Scientist, see Dr. Steve Lawrence.
Steve Lawrence, born Sidney Leibowitz on July 8, 1935, in Brooklyn, New York is an American singer and occasional actor. His wife is American singer Eydie Gorme. They had two sons, the younger of whom, Michael, died at age 23 in 1986.
Beginnings
Lawrence and Gorme both were regulars on Steve Allen's The Tonight Show in the mid 1950s. They married on December 29, 1957 at the El Rancho Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. They still regularly perform in that city. They have been performing as a duo since 1960.
Awards
Lawrence has been awarded a Drama Critics Circle Award and a Tony Award nomination for his performance of What Makes Sammy Run on Broadway, and two Emmy Awards —one for production—for Steve & Eydie Celebrate Irving Berlin, which altogether won seven Emmys. Lawrence also appeared in the last episode of The Nanny as Fran's never before-seen father, Morty Fein.
With Gorme
With Gorme, he has been the recipient of two Emmys for Our Love is Here to Stay, a tribute to George and Ira Gershwin; a "Best Performance By a Vocal Duo or Group" Grammy Award for We Got Us; a Film Advisory Board's Award of Excellence and a Television Critics Circle Award for From This Moment On, a tribute to Cole Porter. The duo have also won a Las Vegas Entertainment Award for "Musical Variety Act of the Year" four times, three of them consecutively. They have been honoured with a lifetime achievement award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and in 1995 were the recipients of an Ella Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Singers, a non-profit organization that helps professional singers with counseling and financial assistance.