Alan Menken Biography
Alan Menken (July 22: Cancer) is an American Grammy award-winning composer, music director, and producer. Menken is famous and critically acclaimed for his musical in the novel God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater. The Disney Legend first developed an interest in music and piano at a young age.
Who is Alan Menken?
- Full Name: Alan Irwin Menken
- Age/ Birthday: 74 years/ 22 July
- Job: Composer, music director, movie producer
- Wife/ Partner: Janis Roswick
- Parents: Norman Menken (father) and Judith Menken (mother)
- Net Worth: $100 million
- Height Measurements: 168 m
Mae Muller Parents, Songs, Dad, Partner, Better Days, Net Worth, Boyfriend, Family, Age
Michael Todd Sermons, Pastor, Relationship Goals, Church, Books, Wife, Net Worth
Alan Menken Age, Family, and Parents
He was born on July 22, 1949, in Manhattan USA. Alan Menken is 74 years of age as of 2023 and will turn 75 come July 22, 2024. He celebrates his birthday on July 22 and is a member of the zodiac/ star sign Cancer.
Norman Menken (father) and Judith Menken (mother) born their son Irwin Menken and bred him in New York City USA. Menken’s family belongs to the Jewish ethnicity. His father worked as a boogie-woogie piano-playing dentist whereas his mother worked as a dancer, actress, and playwright.
Menken spent most of his young years in New York City alongside his two siblings; Leah Menken and Faye Menken.
Alan Menken Education
Menken pursued a college degree in Musicology between 1968 and 1971 from New York University’s Steinhardt School. Additionally, he is an alumnus of New Rochelle High School. He also went to Broadcast Music, Inc (BMI) Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop.
Menken served as a musical director, ballet and modern dance accompanist, vocal coach, jingle writer, songwriter, and arranger.
Alan Menken Movies-Musicals
Alan’s father was a piano-playing dentist and his mother was an actress/ dancer which created a foundation to venture into the entertainment industry. Thus he started concentrating on music at quite a young age. He started writing songs before joining college while aspiring to be an American singer/ songwriter/ author/ artist Bob Dylan.
While starting his journey into the film business, Alan wrote for the shows Evil Queen of the Galaxy (1980) and Atina. However, both shows were never produced. Besides acting, he helped compose music for the movie The Line (1980).
Menken’s breakthrough as a composer came through when he partnered with Engel to compose music for the novel God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater. The musical premiered at the WPA Theater and later the O-Broadway Entermedia Theater. He shared BMI works like Apartment House (lyric by Muriel Robinson), Harry the Rat, Midnight, Conversations with Pierre, and Messiah on Mott Street between 1974 and 1978.
Alan played the piano and songs which were potential musicals in the Broadway at the Ballroom series. During his time at Broadcast Music, Inc Alan helped create The Present Tense, New York’s Back in Town, and Big Apple Country. Additionally, he helped create the musicals Real Life Funnies (1981), Diamonds (1984), and Personals (1985).
Menken also worked with Howard Ashman on the musical Babe and Play writer/ lyricist Tom Eyen in Kicks: The Showgirl Musical. Menken also partnered with Ashman to write the musical based on the horror-comedy lm The Little Shop of Horrors. Moreover, the musical Little Shop of Horrors is the highest-grossing O-Broadway show ever.
He also worked with David Spencer in the 1987 musical The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz which was produced in Montreal in 2015. Furthermore, the duo worked together on Weird Romance. Menken worked with Ashman to write an animated musical for The Little Mermaid which was a huge success that created the rise of the Disney Renaissance.
Alan Menken Awards
The duo won an Oscar award in the category Best Song for the song Under the Sea. Alan is a highly decorated composer/ singer/ songwriter according to the awards he holds. He has eight Academy Awards, 11 Grammy Awards, 1 Tony Award, 1 Daytime Emmy Award, 7 Golden Globe Awards, 1 Drama Desk Award, 3 Outer Critics Awards, and The Oscar Hammerstein Award.
Additionally, Alan won an Oscar award for Best Score in 1989. However, Ashan passed on while the duo was working on the musical Aladdin. Nevertheless, Alan had to work alongside fellow lyricist/ author Tim Rice to finish the project.
Aladdin won an Oscar award in the category Best Song for A Whole New World. Additionally, Alan won an Oscar for Best Score. Alan also worked with Stephen Schwartz in the Oscar-award-winning musical Pocahontas.
He also worked with David Joel Zippel in the 1997 musical Hercules. Menken has also composed music for the films Life with Mikey, Noel (2004), Mirror Mirror, Home on the Range, The Shaggy Dog, Enchanted, and Tangled. He also partnered with the songwriting duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul in composing songs for the live-action version of Aladdin.
Alan is currently working on songs for the live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid, songs for Disenchanted, the remake of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Spellbound, and an Aladdin sequel. Menken composed music for the musical Beauty and the Beast which showed on Broadway between 1994 and 2007. He also partnered with Tim Rice on the musical King David which played at the New Amsterdam Theatre on Broadway.
Some of his credits on Broadway include Little Shop of Horrors (2003-2004), The Little Mermaid (2008-2009), Sister Act (2011), and Leap of Faith (2012). He also helped write songs in the TV series Sesame Street, Polly, Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue, A Christmas
Carol (2004), The Neighbors (2013), Galavant (2015 – 2016), Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure, The Little Mermaid Live!, and Central Park (2020).
Alan Menken Wife
Alan is presently enjoying his married life alongside his loyal wife Janis Roswick. The couple got hitched in November 1972 in an invite-only intimate wedding ceremony. The beautiful couple is the proud parents of two children; Anna Rose and Nora Lily.
Menken’s family lives in North Salem, New York.
Alan Menken Net Worth and Height
Alan Menken’s Net Worth is around a stupendous US$100 Million in 2024. He has accumulated most of his wealth and riches from his career as a musician, composer, music director, and producer. This is per our reliable sources at Celebrity Net Worth.
Alan measures 5’ 6”/ 1.68 m in height. Moreover, his hair color is Grey and his eye color is Dark Brown.
People Also Ask
- is Alan Menken still alive?
Yes, Menken is 74 years of age in 2023 and will turn 75 come July 22, 2024.