Billy Goldenberg facts for kids

William Leon Goldenberg (born February 10, 1936 – died August 3, 2020) was an American composer and songwriter. He was famous for creating music for TV shows and movies.

Growing Up

Billy Goldenberg was born in Brooklyn, New York, on February 10, 1936. Music was a big part of his family. His mom taught him to play the violin and viola. He played these instruments in music groups. His dad was a percussionist (someone who plays drums and other rhythm instruments) for orchestras. Billy started playing piano and singing Broadway songs when he was just five years old!

He really wanted to work in music. But his dad lost his job in the 1950s. This made Billy think twice about a music career. So, instead of going to a music school like Juilliard, he studied physics and math at Columbia College.

Starting His Music Career

After college, Billy first worked as a computer programmer. But he didn't like it and quit. He then found work as a pianist and arranger. An arranger helps decide which instruments play what parts in a song.

He got a big break writing music for a Broadway show. It was for comedy sketches by famous performers Mike Nichols and Elaine May. This helped him get noticed in the music world.

Music for TV and Movies

In the mid-1960s, Billy Goldenberg met the famous director Steven Spielberg. This meeting happened at Universal Studios. Billy started composing music for Spielberg's TV shows. These included The Name Of The Game and Night Gallery. He also wrote music for Spielberg's 1971 TV movie, Duel.

Billy wrote music for many other movies too. Some of these were the Elvis Presley film Change of Habit (1969) and The Last of Sheila (1973). He also created music for popular TV shows like The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Columbo. He even wrote the famous theme song for the first two episodes of Kojak.

Working with Woody Allen

Billy also wrote music for two movies by director Woody Allen. These were Play It Again, Sam (1972) and Up the Sandbox (1972). People really liked his music for these films. His score for Up the Sandbox was called "the real pulse of the movie." He wrote a song for that movie called "If I Close My Eyes."

Awards and Later Work

Billy Goldenberg won several awards for his music. He earned an Emmy Award for his music in the TV movie Queen of the Stardust Ballroom (1975). He won three more Emmy Awards for The Lives of Benjamin Franklin (1974). This miniseries told the story of Martin Luther King Jr..

He composed music for many other TV movies. These included Fear No Evil (1969) and Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (1973). He also scored miniseries like The Gangster Chronicles (1981) and Around the World in 80 Days (1989). Billy Goldenberg continued to create music until 2017.

See also

In Spanish: Billy Goldenberg para niños