Marc Shaiman

Marc Shaiman ( ; born October 22, 1959) is an American composer and lyricist for films, television, and theatre, widely known for his collaborations with lyricist and director Scott Wittman, actor Billy Crystal, entertainer Bette Midler, and director Rob Reiner. Shaiman has received numerous accolades including two Grammy Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Tony Award — as well as seven Academy Award nominations.

Early life, family and education Shaiman was born to a Jewish family in Newark, New Jersey, on October 22, 1959, the son of Claire (née Goldfein) and William Robert Shaiman. He grew up in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, where he attended Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School, but he left school at age 16 to start working in New York's theaters; he later obtained a GED.

Career Shaiman started his career as a theatre/cabaret musical director. He started working at Saturday Night Live as an arranger/writer. He portrayed Skip St. Thomas, the accompanying pianist for The Sweeney Sisters, a singing duo played by Nora Dunn and Jan Hooks, which earned him an Emmy nomination; he returned for an appearance on The Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special, having co-created Martin Short and Maya Rudolph's salute to musical sketch characters. He is the first recipient of the Film & TV Music Award for Best Score for a Comedy Feature Film. He wrote and sang the song "Yes" for his agent's film Finding Kraftland, and co-wrote (with partner Scott Wittman) songs for Neil Patrick Harris when Harris hosted the 63rd Tony Awards (2009) and the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards (2009), and was Emmy-nominated for musical directing and co-writing the 82nd Academy Awards (2010).

Shaiman co-produced and co-wrote cuts on Mariah Carey's 2010 Christmas album Merry Christmas II You. He and Wittman wrote original songs for the musical-based television show for NBC, Smash, which ran from 2012 to 2013, and served as executive producers. For their song "Let Me Be Your Star," Shaiman and co-lyricist Wittman were nominated for both an Emmy Award and a Grammy Award, and as executive producers they were nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series - Comedy or Musical.

Shaiman and Wittman were honored on April 28, 2014, by The New York Pops Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. The following year, Jennifer Hudson sang the Smash song "I Can't Let Go" at the 87th Academy Awards during the in memoriam tribute, featuring revised lyrics. The duo's Broadway musical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ran on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, after finishing a four-year run on London's West End at The Royal Drury Lane Theater. Shaiman was Tony-nominated for his orchestrations for their previous Broadway musical Catch Me If You Can. In 2021, they wrote a song titled "Save the City" for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in-universe Broadway production titled Rogers: The Musical featured in the first episode of Hawkeye, "Never Meet Your Heroes". It was released as a single on November 24, the day the episode became available on Disney+.

In February 2021, it was announced that Shaiman and Wittman were writing songs for a new musical adaptation of Some Like It Hot, which premiered on Broadway in 2022 with a book by Amber Ruffin and Matthew Lopez.

In March 2026, Shaiman accompanied Nathan Lane on piano for his performance of the song 'Laughing Matters' from the musical When Pigs Fly, marking Lane's final appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Activism In 2008, a controversy erupted nationwide when California Musical Theatre's then artistic director Scott Eckern resigned over the revelation of his personal donation of $1,000 to a political campaign to support California Proposition 8, an amendment which enshrined into the California Constitution that "only marriage between a man and a woman [was] recognized in California". After the amendment was passed, donor information became public. Shaiman and other Broadway artists who had previously worked with the director became critical and called for a boycott of the theatre by all gay artists and performers, ending in the director's resignation days later.

To protest the passage of California Proposition 8 in November 2008, Shaiman wrote a satiric mini-musical Prop 8 – The Musical. The three-minute video was distributed on the internet at FunnyOrDie.com, beginning on December 3, 2008. It was written and produced in just a few days. The cast includes Jack Black (who plays Jesus), Neil Patrick Harris, John C. Reilly, Allison Janney, Andy Richter, Maya Rudolph, Margaret Cho, and Rashida Jones. Shaiman plays the piano and appears briefly in the video. It received 1.2 million internet hits in its first day.

Personal life Shaiman is openly gay, and married Louis Mirabal, a retired lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy, on March 26, 2016. He lives in both Manhattan and upstate New York.

For 25 years he was in a relationship with Scott Wittman, his lyricist partner.

Shaiman's memoir, Never Mind the Happy: Showbiz Stories From a Sore Winner, was published in January 2026 and became an instant New York Times best seller.

Filmography (composer unless otherwise noted) Films Year Title Director Notes 1987 Broadcast News James L. Brooks actor 1988 Big Business Jim Abrahams Songs only Beaches Garry Marshall Music supervisor 1989 When Harry Met Sally... Rob Reiner 1990 Misery 1991 Scenes from a Mall Paul Mazursky City Slickers Ron Underwood The Addams Family Barry Sonnenfeld Hot Shots! Jim Abrahams Actor For the Boys Mark Rydell Songs only 1992 Sister Act Emile Ardolino Mr. Saturday Night Billy Crystal A Few Good Men Rob Reiner 1993 Sleepless in Seattle Nora Ephron Heart and Souls Ron Underwood Hocus Pocus Kenny Ortega Musical arrangement: Additional arrangements Life with Mikey James Lapine Addams Family Values Barry Sonnenfeld Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit Bill Duke 1994 City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold Paul Weiland North Rob Reiner Speechless Ron Underwood That's Entertainment! III Bud Friedgen and Michael J. Sheridan 1995 Stuart Saves His Family Harold Ramis Forget Paris Billy Crystal The American President Rob Reiner 1996 Bogus Norman Jewison Mother Albert Brooks The First Wives Club Hugh Wilson Ghosts of Mississippi Rob Reiner 1997 George of the Jungle Sam Weisman In & Out Frank Oz 1998 My Giant Michael Lehmann Simon Birch Mark Steven Johnson Patch Adams Tom Shadyac 1999 The Out-of-Towners Sam Weisman South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut Trey Parker First score for an animated film The Story of Us Rob Reiner With Eric Clapton Get Bruce Andrew J. Kuehn Appears as himself 2000 The Kid Jon Turteltaub 2001 Get Over It Tommy O'Haver Songs only One Night at McCool's Harald Zwart The Wedding Planner Adam Shankman What's The Worst That Could Happen? Sam Weisman 2003 Down with Love Peyton Reed Alex & Emma Rob Reiner The Cat in the Hat Bo Welch Songs only Marci X Richard Benjamin 2004 Team America: World Police Trey Parker Song only Score was rejected and replaced by Harry Gregson-Williams 2005 Rumor Has It... Rob Reiner 2007 Hairspray Adam Shankman The Bucket List Rob Reiner Bee Movie Simon J. Smith and Steve Hickner Song in end credits only 2010 Flipped Rob Reiner 2012 The Magic of Belle Isle Parental Guidance Andy Fickman 2014 And So It Goes Rob Reiner 2016 LBJ 2017 The Star Timothy Reckart 2018 Mary Poppins Returns Rob Marshall 2021 Tick, Tick... Boom! Lin-Manuel Miranda Cameo appearance2022 Bros Nicholas Stoller Hocus Pocus 2 Anne Fletcher Additional lyrics / song and vocal producer 2023 Albert Brooks: Defending My Life Rob Reiner

Television

Theatre

Broadway Peter Allen: Up in One (1979) Bette! Divine Madness (1980) André De Shields' Haarlem Nocturne (1984) Leader of the Pack (1985) An Evening with Harry Connick Jr. and Orchestra (1990) Patti LuPone on Broadway (1995) Hairspray (2002) The Odd Couple (2005) Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me (2006) Catch Me If You Can (2009) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2017) Some Like It Hot (2022) Smash (2025)

West End Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2013)

Off-Broadway Dementos - The Production Company Livin' Dolls - Manhattan Theatre Club Legends - Ahmanson Theatre The Sound of Muzak - Club 82 Trilogy of Terror - Club 57 Non Pasquale - Delacorte Theatre

Disney Parks Rogers: The Musical - Hyperion Theatre

Internet Prop 8 - The Musical (2008) (composer, lyricist, pianist) - 2009 "Webby" winner for Best Comedy: Short or Individual Episode Soundtrack of Our Lives: A Celebration for the Film and TV Music Community (2020) ("The End Titles" song)

Discography

Mariah Carey Merry Christmas II You

Bette Midler Thighs and Whispers Mud Will Be Flung Tonight Some People's Lives Experience the Divine Bette Bathhouse Betty It's the Girls!

Harry Connick Jr. We Are in Love

Peter Allen Making Every Moment Count

Original Broadway cast recordings Hairspray Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me Catch Me If You Can Charlie and the Chocolate Factory the Musical (West End musical) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory the Musical (Broadway musical) Some Like It Hot (Broadway musical)

Soundtracks The Addams Family Addams Family Values Beaches When Harry Met Sally... Heart and Souls For the Boys City Slickers A Few Good Men Sister Act Sleepless in Seattle Hocus Pocus North The American President The Out-of-Towners South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (with Trey Parker) Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics (with Matt Stone) The Story of Us Alex & Emma Rumor Has It... Hairspray The Bucket List Smash Season One Smash Season Two Bombshell Hairspray Live! The Star Mary Poppins Returns Hocus Pocus 2

Concert/cabaret work

Peter Allen Jack Black & Will Ferrell Kristin Chenoweth Rosemary Clooney Harry Connick Jr. Billy Crystal Christine Ebersole Ellen Foley Whoopi Goldberg Annie Golden The Harlettes The High-Heeled Women Lauryn Hill Jennifer Holliday Allison Janney Laura Kenyon Nathan Lane Ute Lemper Jenifer Lewis Darlene Love Patti LuPone Lypsinka Ann Magnuson Andrea Martin Lonette McKee Bette Midler Catherine O'Hara Sarah Jessica Parker Zora Rasmussen Ann Reinking Debbie Shapiro Gravitte Martin Short Barbra Streisand Donald Trump Tracey Ullman Luther Vandross Bruce Vilanch Steven Weber Raquel Welch Robin Williams

Accolades

For his work as a composer and lyricist for films, television, and theatre, Shaiman has received numerous accolades including two Emmy Awards, two Grammy Awards and a Tony Award as well as nominations for seven Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. He earned the Hollywood Film Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music and Film in 2002.