MARC SHAIMAN is an award-winning lyricist, composer, orchestrator and performer, who has successfully created music and lyrics for TV, films, recordings, and theater since entering show business at the age of 16 in 1976.
Shaiman has been OSCAR® nominated seven times (for “Mary Poppins Returns,” “Sleepless In Seattle,” “Patch Adams,” “The First Wives Club,” “The American President,” and “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut”).
He has received three TONY® Award nominations (winning one for co-writing the score to “Hairspray” with co-lyricist Scott Wittman), eight GRAMMY® Award nominations (winning two for The Original Cast Recordings of “Hairspray” and “Some Like It Hot”), thirteen EMMY® Award nominations (winning two, for his work on Billy Crystal’s Academy Award hosting and for co-writing - with Wittman and Pasek & Paul - "Which Of The Pickwick Triplets Did It?" for "Only Murders In The Building"), two Golden Globe nominations (for the song “The Star” (co-written with Mariah Carey) and his score for “Mary Poppins Returns”), and two BAFTA nominations (for “Sleepless In Seattle” and “Mary Poppins Returns”).
Shaiman’s other film work includes “Beaches,” “When Harry Met Sally,” “Misery,” “City Slickers,” “The Addams Family,” “Addams Family Values,” “A Few Good Men,” “Sister Act” (1 & 2), “George of the Jungle,” “In and Out,” “Hocus Pocus” (1 & 2), “The Bucket List,” “Parental Guidance,” and “Bros.” He served as an Executive Producer of the successful film adaptation of his Broadway musical “Hairspray.”
The original musicals he has co-written for Broadway and The West End are Hairspray (Tony and Olivier Award winner for Best Musical), the Tony-nominated Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me, the Tony-winning Catch Me If You Can, the Olivier Award-winning Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, and most recently, the Tony and Grammy Award-winning Some Like It Hot. The most award-winning musical of its season. Previews are about to begin on the Broadway version of Smash, the television show for which Marc & Scott were nominated for two Emmy Awards.
Other Broadway credits are composing incidental music for revivals of The Odd Couple (with Nathan Lane & Matthew Broderick) and Plaza Suite (starring Sarah Jessica Parker & Matthew Broderick). Broadway concert credits are Peter Allen: Up In One, Bette Midler’s Divine Madness, Ellie Greenwich’s Leader Of The Pack, and Patti LuPone On Broadway.
Shaiman has co-produced and arranged award-winning recordings for music icons such as Bette Midler, Harry Connick Jr., and Mariah Carey, including the Grammy-winning recordings “The Wind Beneath My Wings” and “From A Distance.”
His television ventures include “The Sweeney Sisters” on SNL, countless award and talk show appearances with Billy Crystal, Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Lane, and Martin Short, Jenifer Lewis’ “Jackie’s Back,” the Emmy-winning “SNL 40th,” the aforementioned “Smash” and “Rogers: The Musical” for “Marvel’s Hawkeye.”, the Rob Reiner-directed HBO documentary “Albert Brooks: Defending My Life,” “The Kennedy Center Honors,” where he arranged and performed in tribute to his friend Billy Crystal, and the aforementioned song “Which Of The Pickwick Triplets Did It,” which Steve Martin performed on “Only Murders In The Building.” But his most cherished achievement for television is his collaboration with Bette Midler for her Emmy-winning appearance as Johnny Carson’s final guest on The Tonight Show.
Other performers with whom he has collaborated in concert, cabaret, film, and television include Jack Black, Will Ferrell, Kristin Chenoweth, Eric Clapton, Christine Ebersole, Kathy Griffin, Allison Janney, Jennifer Holliday, Jennifer Hudson, Diane Keaton, Steve Martin, John Mayer, Audra McDonald, Barbra Streisand, Queen Latifah, and Robin Williams, Eddie Murphy, and... Robert De Niro! At the legendary after-party for “SNL 40th,” he jammed with Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney, and Prince and completely lost his mind.
In 2014, Shaiman & Wittman were celebrated by the New York Pops with a spectacular concert at Carnegie Hall. Marc was recently honored with the Ambassador Award by the Society of Composers and Lyricists in December 2018, the Icon Award at the Guild of Music Supervisors Awards in February 2019, and an Outstanding Career Achievement Award from The Hollywood Music in Media Awards.
