Albert Hague

Albert Hague (October 13, 1920 – November 12, 2001) was a German-American songwriter, composer, and actor.

Early life

Hague was born as Albert Marcuse to a Jewish family in Berlin, Germany. His father, Harry Marcuse, was a psychiatrist and a musical prodigy, and his mother, Mimi (née Heller), a chess champion.^[1] His family considered their Jewish heritage a liability and raised him as a Lutheran.^[2] Hague came to America in 1939 on scholarship to the University of Cincinnati. After graduating in 1942, he served in the United States Army during World War II. ^[3]

Career

Hague's Broadway Musicals include Plain and Fancy (1955),^[4] Redhead (1959),^[5] Cafe Crown (1964),^[6] and The Fig Leaves Are Falling (1969, with lyrics by Allan Sherman).^[7]

Famous songs he wrote include "Young and Foolish", "Look Who's in Love" and "Did I Ever Really Live?" He was the composer for the TV musical cartoon, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and some songs in the 2000 musical version.^[8] He also was an actor, most notably on the TV series Fame, where he played Benjamin Shorofsky, the music teacher. It was a part he originated in the film of the same name.^[9] Hague also played a small role in the movie Space Jam (1996), as the psychiatrist that the Professional Basketball players go to when they lose their "skill".^[10]

Hague and his wife Renee occasionally presented a cabaret act, titled, in 1998, "Still Young and Foolish".^[11] They played at Carnegie Hall, the Cinegrill in Los Angeles, and Eighty Eight's in Manhattan.^[12]

Hague was a member of The Lambs where he often taught musical theater to members.^[13]

Personal life and death

His wife, Renee Orin, an actress and singer, with whom he often collaborated, died, aged 73, in August 2000 from lymphoma.^[14] They had been married since 1951.^[2] They had two children. Albert Hague died at age 81 from cancer^[15] at a hospital in Marina del Rey, California in November 2001.^[2]

References

External links

• IBDb