Jerry Herman Jerry Herman Jerry Herman ( born Gerald Herman on July 10 , 1933 in New York City ) is an American composer / lyricist of the Broadway musical theater . He composed the scores for the hit Broadway musicals Hello Dolly ! , Mame , and La Cage aux Folles . Early years Raised by musically-inclined parents , Herman learned to play piano at an early age , and the three frequently attended Broadway musicals . His summers were spent in the Berkshire Mountains at Stissing Lake Camp , which was run by his parents , both teachers . It was there that he first became involved in theatrical production , as director of Finian 's Rainbow and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn . University of Miami At the age of seventeen , Herman was introduced to Frank Loesser who , after hearing material he had written , urged him to continue composing . He left the Parsons School of Design to attend the University of Miami , which has one of the nation 's most avant garde theater departments. ( The university 's theater , the Jerry Herman Ring Theatre , is named for him . ) Broadway career After graduation from the University of Miami , Herman moved into musical theatre in New York City , producing the off-Broadway revue I Feel Wonderful , which was comprised of material he had written at the University of Miami . It opened at the Theatre de Lys in Greenwich Village on October 18 , 1954 and ran for forty-eight performances . It was his only show his mother was able to see ; shortly after it opened , she died of cancer at the age of forty-four , and Herman spent the next year in deep mourning , seriously depressed . In an attempt to break loose from his grief , Herman eventually collected enough original material to put together a revue called Nightcap in 1958 . Choreographed by friend Phyllis Newman , and with a cast that included Charles Nelson Reilly ( who later co-starred in Hello Dolly ! ) , it opened at a tiny New York City jazz club called the Showplace . Critical raves and glowing word-of-mouth kept the show running for two years . In 1960 , producer Gerard Oestreicher approached Herman after seeing a performance of his revue Parade , and asked if he would be interested in composing the score for a show about the founding of the state of Israel . The result was his first Broadway production , Milk and Honey , in 1961 . It received respectable reviews and ran for 543 performances . Hello Dolly In 1964 , producer David Merrick united Herman with Carol Channing for a project that was to become one of his most successful , Hello Dolly ! . The original production ran for 2 , 844 performances , the longest running musical for its time , and was later revived three times . Although facing stiff competition from Funny Girl , Hello , Dolly ! swept the Tony Awards that season , winning 10 , a record that remained unbroken for 37 years , until The Producers won 12 Tonys in 2001 . Mame In 1966 , Herman 's next musical was the smash hit Mame starring Angela Lansbury , which introduced many Herman `` standards '' , most particularly the ballad `` If He Walked Into My Life '' . Although not commercial successes , Dear World ( 1969 ) starring Angela Lansbury , Mack & Mabel ( 1974 ) starring Robert Preston and Bernadette Peters , and The Grand Tour ( 1979 ) starring Joel Grey are noted for their interesting concepts and their melodic , memorable scores . Herman once said that Mack & Mabel was his personal favorite . Both Dear World and Mack & Mabel have developed a cult following among Broadway aficionados . La Cage aux Folles In 1983 , Herman had his third mega-hit with La Cage aux Folles starring George Hearn and Gene Barry , which broke box-office records at the Palace Theatre and earned Herman yet another Tony Award for Best Musical . From its score came the gay anthem `` I Am What I Am '' . Many of Jerry Herman 's showtunes have become standards and are presented regularly on television , in film , on stage , and are recorded by many of the world 's most notable singers . His most famous composition , `` Hello , Dolly ! `` , is one of the most popular tunes ever to have originated in a Broadway musical , and was a # 1 hit in the United States for Louis Armstrong , knocking The Beatles off the charts in 1964 . A French recording by Petula Clark charted in the Top Ten in both Canada and France . Another famous Herman song , the ballad `` If He Walked into My Life '' from Mame , was recorded by Eydie Gormé , becoming a pop standard and winning a Grammy Award for Best Vocal Performance , Female in 1967 . Other well known Herman showtunes include `` Shalom '' , `` Before the Parade Passes By '' , `` Put On Your Sunday Clothes '' , `` It Only Takes a Moment '' , `` It 's Today ! `` , `` Open a New Window '' , `` We Need a Little Christmas '' , `` Mame '' , `` Bosom Buddies '' , `` I Wo n't Send Roses '' , `` Time Heals Everything '' , `` I Am What I Am '' , and `` The Best of Times '' . Honors Herman is the only composer/lyricist in history to have three musicals run more than 1500 performances on Broadway : Hello Dolly ! ( 2 , 844 ) , Mame ( 1 , 508 ) , and La Cage aux Folles ( 1 , 761 ) . His work is honored by a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame , at 7095 Hollywood Boulevard . Off-Broadway Revues I Feel Wonderful ( 1954 ) Nightcap ( 1958 ) Parade ( 1960 ) From A to Z ( 1960 ) Madame Aphrodite ( 1961 ) Showtune ( 2003 ) Broadway musicals Milk and Honey ( 1961 ) with Molly Picon Hello , Dolly ! 1964 - Original production with Carol Channing 1975 - 1st Broadway revival with Carol Channing 1978 - 2nd Broadway revival with Carol Channing 1995 - 3rd Broadway revival with Carol Channing Ben Franklin in Paris ( additional music ) ( 1964 ) Mame 1966 - Original production with Angela Lansbury 1983 - 1st Broadway revival with Angela Lansbury Dear World ( 1969 ) Mack & Mabel 1974 - Original production with Robert Preston and Bernadette Peters 1995 - Revised London production The Grand Tour ( 1979 ) A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine ( additional songs ) ( 1980 ) La Cage aux Folles 1983 - Original production with George Hearn and Gene Barry 2004 - 1st Broadway revival with Gary Beach and Daniel Davis Jerry 's Girls ( 1985 ) An Evening with Jerry Herman ( 1998 ) Films Hello , Dolly ! ( 1969 ) Mame ( 1974 ) Barney 's Great Adventure ( title song ) ( 1998 ) Television Mrs. Santa Claus ( 1996 ) Other shows Miss Spectacular ( 2003 ) recorded but unproduced Awards and nominations 1999 Theatre World Special Award ( An Evening with Jerry Herman ) ( winner ) 1984 Tony Award for Best Original Score ( La Cage aux Folles ) ( winner ) 1979 Tony Award for Best Original Score ( The Grand Tour ) ( nominee ) 1966 Tony Award for Best Composer and Lyricist ( Mame ) ( nominee ) 1964 Tony Award for Best Composer and Lyricist ( Hello , Dolly ! ) ( winner ) 1962 Tony Award for Best Composer ( Milk and Honey ) ( nominee ) Reference Showtune : A Memoir by Jerry Herman ( with Marilyn Stasio ) , published by Donald I. Fine Books , an imprint of Penguin Books , 1996 . External links Jerry Herman Official Web Site . University of Miami 's Jerry Herman Ring Theatre Official Web Site . Jerry Herman at the Internet Broadway Database . Jerry Herman Downstage Center audio interview at American Theatre Wing . Categories : 1933 births | Living people | American Theatre Hall of Fame inductees | American mu sical theatre composers | Gay musicians | HIV-positive people | Hollywood Walk of Fame | Jewish American musicians | LGBT musicians from the United States | Memoirists | People from New York City | Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees | University of Miami alumni | Zeta Beta Tau brothers In other languages : Deutsch 6278 Jerry Herman 