Charles Strouse

Overview

Charles Strouse was born on June 7, 1928 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. He was a composer and actor, known for Bonnie and Clyde (1967), Annie (1982) and Deadpool 2 (2018). He was married to Barbara Siman. He died on May 15, 2025 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.

He was working as a rehearsal pianist for a Harold Arlen-Johnny Mercer show called "Saratoga". The stage manager, Edward V. Padula, had heard one of Strouse's "Green Mansions" songs. Padula needed a composer for an idea he had for a musical about teenagers. It became "Bye Bye Birdie". Strouse not only composed the music, he played piano for the auditions.
Won three Tony Awards: in 1961, for music of Best Musical winner "Bye, Bye Birdie"; in 1970, for music of Best Musical winner "Applause"; and in 1977, as Best Score, his music with Martin Charnin's lyrics for "Annie". He was also Tony-nominated four other times: in 1965, for music of Best Musical nominee "Golden Boy"; in 1981, as Best Score, his music with David Rogers' lyrics, for "Charlie and Algernon"; in 1987, as Best Score, his music with Stephen Schwartz' lyrics for "Rags"; and in 1992, as Best Score (Musical), his music with Richard Maltby Jr.'s lyrics for "Nick and Nora".
Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1985.
In the early 1950s, he was asked to write songs for weekly revues at an Adirondacks summer camp, Green Mansions. He wrote and orchestrated his songs, and copied all the vocal and instrumental parts.
He studied at the Eastman School of Music. He was a student of Aaron Copland at the Tanglewood Music Center (Massachusetts) and of the legendary Nadia Boulanger in Paris. After returning from France, he wrote serious compositions. To make ends meet, he played piano for singers in nightclubs.

I never said to myself, "How will I ever top this?". That never even occurred to me. I mean, I like things to be a success, but the main thing is to keep working.

Suggest an edit or add missing content