Lionel Newman facts for kids

Lionel Newman (born January 4, 1916 – died February 3, 1989) was an American musician. He was a talented conductor, pianist, and composer for movies and TV shows. He won an Academy Award (also known as an Oscar!) for the music in the movie Hello Dolly! in 1969, sharing the award with Lennie Hayton.

Lionel came from a very musical family. His brothers, Alfred Newman and Emil Newman, were also famous composers. His nephews, including Randy Newman, David Newman, and Thomas Newman, followed in their footsteps. Even his grandson, Joey Newman, is a composer! The Newman family has received a total of 92 Academy Award nominations for music, making them the most nominated family in Oscar history.

Biography

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Lionel Newman was born in New Haven, Connecticut, USA. He was one of ten children, and the youngest of seven boys. His parents were immigrants from Russia. Even though his family didn't have much money, his mother, Luba, strongly encouraged all her children to do well.

When Lionel was 16, he moved to Hollywood. There, he started conducting for a famous showman named Earl Carroll. This is where he met his future wife, Beverly Carroll, who was a dancer in Earl Carroll's shows. Lionel had studied music in New York. After moving to Los Angeles, he continued his studies with well-known teachers like Joseph Achron and Mario Castelnuvel-Tedesco.

In the 1930s, Lionel gained experience by conducting national tours. He also worked as a piano player for the famous actress Mae West. She used to playfully tell him off for holding his hands too high while playing, saying, "I'm the show, Newman, not you!"

At 18, he got a job playing piano on a big ocean liner called the S.S. Rotterdam. He played with his own group, "Newman's Society Orchestra." This trip was very important to him because he had always wanted to visit his mother's home country.

Working at 20th Century Fox

After gaining lots of experience conducting and arranging music for live shows, Lionel Newman joined 20th Century Fox. He started as a rehearsal pianist, learning from his older brother, Alfred Newman. By 1959, he was promoted to Musical Director for Television at the studio. This new role soon led him to work on feature films.

He quickly became the vice president in charge of music for both TV and movies. In 1982, he was promoted again to senior vice president of all music for Twentieth Century Fox Films. Lionel wrote the music for several classic TV shows from Fox, such as The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, Adventures in Paradise, and Daniel Boone. He also composed the famous fanfares (short musical pieces) for Fox in 1979 and 1982.

Lionel Newman worked at Twentieth Century Fox for 46 years! He was involved in over 200 films. Some of these include How to Marry a Millionaire, North To Alaska, and Love Me Tender, which was Elvis Presley's very first movie. He was also the musical director for almost all of Marilyn Monroe's films at Fox, because she specifically asked for him. These movies included Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and There's No Business Like Show Business.

In November 2013, the music building at Twentieth Century Fox was named “The Lionel Newman Music Building” in his honor. A special bronze plaque with his name and achievements was put up. Famous people like Steven Spielberg and John Williams spoke at the dedication, sharing stories about Lionel's impact on music and his kind personality.

Awards and Achievements

Lionel Newman was nominated for eleven Academy Awards during his career. He won his Oscar for Hello Dolly! in 1969, sharing it with Lennie Hayton.

He conducted the music for many other famous movies, such as Cleopatra, The Sand Pebbles, Alien, and The Omen. He was also the music supervisor for the original Star Wars trilogy: Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi.

Even though he didn't think of himself as a songwriter, he received a special award from Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI). This was for his 1948 hit song, "Again". This song was featured in the movie Road House and became a popular classic, played over a million times on networks.

Working with Other Composers

Lionel Newman was known for his quick wit and great sense of humor in Hollywood. The famous singer Frank Sinatra even called Newman one of the funniest men he knew. Composer Jerry Goldsmith remembered that Newman used to call him "Gorgeous." Goldsmith also shared that Newman gave John Williams the nickname "Little Dimitri," after another composer named Dimitri Tiomkin.

Newman was a perfectionist. He would often ask for "just one more take" if he thought something could be made even better. He wanted the Twentieth Century Fox Orchestra to be as good as a major symphony orchestra, and it truly was, especially when he was conducting. He played a big part in helping the careers of many other talented composers, including John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, and Pat Williams.

Family Life

Lionel Newman was married to Beverly Carroll, who passed away in 2010. They had three daughters together. Their daughter Carroll Newman is a TV producer, and she is married to actor Gary Frank. They have a daughter named Jessica.

Another daughter, Deborah Newman Sharpe, has three children: Sarah, Jennifer, and Jeremy. Lionel's third daughter, Jenifer Newman, was a professional ballet dancer. She has one son, Joey Newman, who is also a film and TV composer and conductor. Joey is married to Jerelyn Newman, and they have three daughters: Ella, Ava, and Leah.

Later Years

In his last few years at Fox, Lionel Newman conducted major symphony orchestras in the United States, Canada, the UK, and New Zealand. He retired in 1985. Lionel Newman passed away on February 3, 1989, from a cardiac arrest (a heart attack).

Awards and nominations