Early life Born in
New Haven, Connecticut, United States, Newman was one of ten children, the youngest of seven boys, born to
Russian-Jewish immigrant parents. While the family had little money, the children's mother, Luba, was a strong woman who encouraged them to achieve. Newman migrated to Hollywood where, at the age of 16, he began conducting for impresario Earl Carroll. This was where he met his future wife, Beverly Carroll, an
Earl Carroll Vanities showgirl, and niece of the impresario. Newman had formal training in New York, and after moving to Los Angeles, he continued his studies with
Joseph Achron and
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. In the 1930s, Newman earned his stripes conducting national tours and working as the piano accompanist for
Mae West. She used to scold him for holding his hands too high in the pit saying, "I'm the show, Newman, not you." At the age of 18, he obtained a job playing piano on the Holland America ocean liner, the
S.S.Rotterdam, with his "Newman's Society Orchestra". This trip had great significance for him; he had always wanted to make another such trip to find his mother's home.
Career at 20th Century Fox After serving an apprenticeship conducting and orchestrating live shows, Newman joined
20th Century Fox as a rehearsal pianist under the guidance of his brother,
Alfred Newman, and by 1959, he had been promoted to musical director for Television there. This opened the doors to feature films. He was soon made vice president in charge of music for both television and features. This resulted in a promotion in 1982 to senior vice president of all music for Twentieth Century Fox Films. He wrote several classic TV themes for Fox, including
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis,
Adventures in Paradise, and
Daniel Boone. He also composed the 1979 and 1982 fanfares for Fox. Lionel Newman's tenure with Twentieth Century Fox spanned 46 years with over 200 films to his credit, including
How to Marry a Millionaire,
North to Alaska,
The Proud Ones,
Road House, and
Love Me Tender (
Elvis Presley's first picture). He was musical director for all of
Marilyn Monroe's films at Fox, in accordance with her request, including
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, ''
There's No Business Like Show Business, River of No Return, and Let's Make Love, with the exception of Bus Stop which was directed and conducted by his brother, Alfred Newman and There's No Business Like Show Business'' which was co-directed and co-conducted by Alfred Newman. In November 2013, the Twentieth Century Fox Music Department was dedicated as “The Lionel Newman Music Building,” and a bronze plaque of Lionel, listing his composition and conducting credits was unveiled. Speaking to guests about Lionel's impact on film and television music, who he was as a friend, mentor and boss, and who he was as a family man were Steven Spielberg, John Williams, Lionel's nephew, composer Randy Newman, and his grandson, Joey Newman. The dedication was attended by several hundred people, including his family beyond Randy and Joey.
Awards and nominations He received eleven
Academy Award nominations, and won an Oscar for
Hello Dolly! with
Lennie Hayton in 1969. He conducted the scores for
Cleopatra,
The Sand Pebbles,
The Agony and the Ecstasy,
The Long Hot Summer,
The Young Lions,
Alien, and
The Omen. He was the musical supervisor for
Star Wars,
The Empire Strikes Back,
Return of the Jedi,
Monsignor, and
The Fury. Although he did not consider himself a songwriter, he received a certificate of merit from
Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) for over one million network performances of his 1948 hit, "
Again", a pop standard that lived on long after its introduction in the film
Road House.
Work with other composers Newman's wit and humor were famous around the film capital.
Frank Sinatra, in his biography, called Newman one of the funniest men in Hollywood.
Jerry Goldsmith recalls in his biography how Newman used to call him "Gorgeous". Goldsmith also recounts that Newman nicknamed
John Williams "Little Dimitri", after
Dimitri Tiomkin. Newman was a perfectionist, always making "just one more take" if some little detail could be improved. He wanted the Twentieth Century Fox Orchestra to reach the level of a great symphony orchestra, and it did, especially when he conducted. He was instrumental in the careers of
John Williams,
Jerry Goldsmith,
Dominic Frontiere,
Pat Williams, and many more.
Personal life Newman was married to Beverly Carroll, who died October 21, 2010, and with whom he had three daughters.
Later life During the last few years of his tenure at Fox, Newman conducted major symphony orchestras in the United States, Canada, the UK, and New Zealand. Newman retired in 1985 and died on February 3, 1989, from
cardiac arrest. ==Filmography==