Mark Saltzman facts for kids

Mark Saltzman is an American writer who creates stories for movies, plays, musicals, and TV shows. He worked for many years on the famous children's show Sesame Street. He has won seven Emmy Awards for his excellent writing for children's programs.

Mark Saltzman's Career in TV and Film

Mark Saltzman studied at Cornell University. He started his career by writing shows for small theaters in New York City. He helped write a popular musical show called A, My Name is Alice.

While working on A, My Name Is Alice, he met Alaina Reed. She was also going to be on Sesame Street as the character Olivia. This connection led Mark Saltzman to join Sesame Street in 1984. He worked there for 15 years.

During his time at Sesame Street, he created the Muppet character Plácido Flamingo. He also wrote the words for more than 50 songs, including "Caribbean Amphibian" and "I've Got a New Way to Walk." He even created a character called The Sublime Miss M, who was inspired by a famous singer. Mark Saltzman has won seven Emmy Awards for his work.

He also wrote for other TV and film projects. For CBS, he wrote Mrs. Santa Claus, a holiday musical movie starring Angela Lansbury. He also wrote the movies The Adventures of Milo and Otis and Three Ninjas Kick Back.

His TV movie, The Red Sneakers, was directed by and starred Gregory Hines. It was shown on Showtime in 2004 and was nominated for a Writers Guild Award. Mark also wrote the movie Third Man Out for the here! network.

In 2007, Mark Saltzman was a writer and producer for the Disney Channel show "Johnny and the Sprites." This show was nominated for an Emmy Award. He has also written screenplays for big movie studios like Sony, Universal Studios, and Disney.

Mark Saltzman's Theater Work

Mark Saltzman has written several plays and musicals for the stage. His musical play The Tin Pan Alley Rag tells a story about a meeting between two famous musicians, Scott Joplin and Irving Berlin, in 1915. This play was very successful and was nominated for five awards. It was performed in many theaters across the United States.

Another musical he wrote is Romeo and Bernadette. His comedy play Mr. Shaw Goes to Hollywood is based on the true story of writer George Bernard Shaw's visit to Hollywood in 1933. His play Clutter first opened in 2004. In 2002, he helped adapt the classic musical Show Boat for a special performance.

In 2009, his play "Setup and Punch" premiered in Los Angeles.

His play Rocket City premiered in 2008. This play is based on the true story of Wernher von Braun and his work on the U.S. missile program in Huntsville, Alabama.

Mark Saltzman's Connections and Activities

Mark Saltzman has been a mentor for many years at the Blank Theatre Company's Young Playwrights’ Festival in Los Angeles. This festival helps young writers develop their skills. He is also the president of the Arnold Glassman Fund, which gives money to support film and theater projects. He studied English and Theater at Cornell University.

Mark Saltzman's Personal Life

Mark Saltzman's partner was Arnold "Arnie" Glassman, a film editor. They were together for 20 years before Arnold passed away in 2003. Mark Saltzman has shared that when he wrote the characters Bert and Ernie for Sesame Street, he based their playful and loving friendship on his own relationship with Arnold.

Mark Saltzman lives in Los Angeles today.