Biography

Lorenz Hart

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Lorenz Hart was born in Harlem in New York City and attended Columbia University. He met Richard Rodgers in 1918, who was to write the music for songs, musicals, and films with him for the next 25 years. They produced such stage hits as 'Pal Joey," "On Your Toes," "The Boys From Syracuse." and "Jumbo, all of which were made into movies. They also wrote songs for such film musicals as "The Hot Heiress," "Love Me Tonight," which starred Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald, and "Mississippi," which starred Bing Crosby. Hart also supplied the English lyrics for a film version of "The Merry Widow" with music by Franz Lehar. Although their show "I'd Rather Be Right was never filmed, the song "Off the Record," which was sung by George M. Cohan on Broadway, was performed by James Cagney playing Cohan in 1942's Yankee Doodle Dandy. Hart's alcoholism, short stature, and repressed guilt about his homosexuality led to problems in his reliability in his collaboration with Rodgers. In 1943, Rodgers began a collaboration with Oscar Hammerstein II with the musical Oklahoma. Hart died of pneumonia shortly after Oklahoma's premiere.
- IMDb mini biography by: John T. Aquino

Hart was a good friend of actors Monty Woolley and Clifton Webb in the 1920's. Unlike his friends, he is remembered as a closeted homosexual who was deeply conflicted and ashamed about his sexuality.
American lyricist who wrote the words to "My Funny Valentine," "Lover," "Isn't It Romantic," "Blue Moon" and other immortal pop-music standards. Also remembered for his collaboration with the composer Richard Rodgers.
Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame of 1970.
Portrayed by Mickey Rooney in Words and Music (1948) and Ethan Hawke in Blue Moon (2025).
Born in Harlem, New York, to Jewish immigrants of German background. His father was a promoter.

[from a letter to Ira Gershwin] It is a pleasure to live at a time when light amusement in this country is at last losing its brutally cretin aspect. Such delicacies as your jingles prove that songs can be both popular and intelligent.

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