- Born
- Died
- Gary Graffman was born on October 14, 1928 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. He was married to Naomi Helfman. He died on December 27, 2025 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.
- SpouseNaomi Helfman(1952 - June 17, 2019) (her death)
- In 1979, he suffered an injury to his right hand.
- His father, a violinist, gave him a small fiddle, but he began piano lessons, though a return to the violin was planned. However, young Graffman's affinity for the piano soon became evident.
- By the age of seven, he found himself entering the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia as a student where he would study for 10 years.
- His parents are Russian immigrants.
- Probably Graffman's best known recorded performance was for the soundtrack of the 1979 Woody Allen movie Manhattan in which he played Gershwin's Rhapsody In Blue, accompanied by the New York Philharmonic. Portions of the Philharmonic/Graffman version have been featured countless times in TV and movies over the last quarter century.
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