Michael Gore (born March 5, 1951) is an American composer. He is the younger brother of singer-songwriter Lesley Gore.

Biography

A 1969 graduate of the

Dwight-Englewood School The Dwight-Englewood School (D-E) is an independent coeducational college-preparatory day school, located in Englewood, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. The school teaches students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade in three ...

, Gore received the school's Distinguished Alumni Award in 2004. Gore, along with lyricist

Dean Pitchford Dean Pitchford (born July 29, 1951) is an American songwriter, screenwriter, director, actor, and novelist. His work has earned him an Oscar and a Golden Globe Award, as well as nominations for three additional Oscars, two more Golden Globes, ei ...

, won the Oscar in 1981 for

Best Original Song This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

for " Fame", from the film of the same title. He also won the award that year for Best Original Score. Gore, alongside his long-term partner Lawrence D. Cohen, later collaborated with Pitchford on '' Carrie: The Musical,'' a show based on Stephen King's first published novel from 1974. The show, as directed by

Terry Hands Terence David Hands (9 January 1941 – 4 February 2020) was an English theatre director. He founded the Liverpool Everyman Theatre and ran the Royal Shakespeare Company for thirteen years during one of the company's most successful periods; h ...

of the Royal Shakespeare Company, became one of

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

's most infamous flops, receiving polarized reviews from theater critics. Despite reactive audiences and positive comparisons to

The Rocky Horror Show ''The Rocky Horror Show'' is a Musical theatre, musical with music, lyrics and book by Richard O'Brien. A humorous tribute to the Science fiction film, science fiction and Horror film, horror B movies of the 1930s through to the early 1960s, the ...

, investors swiftly pulled their resources from the production. The show would become an underground cult classic and, in the late 2000s, Gore and the creative team heavily revised it for a 2012 revival. The revival, which is more in-line with the creative team's original vision of the work, opened to critical acclaim and became a licensed property available for purchase. Two of his songs, with lyrics by

Lynn Ahrens Lynn Ahrens (born October 1, 1948) is an American writer and lyricist for the musical theatre, television and film. She has collaborated with Stephen Flaherty for many years. She won the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, and Outer Critics Circle ...

, were featured in the 2003 movie ''

Camp Camp may refer to: Outdoor accommodation and recreation * Campsite or campground, a recreational outdoor sleeping and eating site * a temporary settlement for nomads * Camp, a term used in New England, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick to descri ...

''. He also composed the theme and score for the 1983 hit film ''

Terms of Endearment ''Terms of Endearment'' is a 1983 American family comedy-drama film directed, written, and produced by James L. Brooks, adapted from Larry McMurtry's 1975 novel of the same name. It stars Debra Winger, Shirley MacLaine, Jack Nicholson, Dann ...

'', starring Shirley MacLaine and

Debra Winger Debra Lynn Wingerhttps://www.pressreader.com/usa/closer-weekly/20200511/282084868951188https://www.discountmags.com/magazine/closer-weekly-may-11-2020-digital/in-this-issue/99961 (born May 16, 1955)https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Inter ...

, notching a

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

on the

Adult Contemporary chart The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by sta ...

under his own name with the "Theme" from this film. The single for "Terms of Endearment" spent six weeks on the '' Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at number 84 in April 1984.

Songs

Filmography

*'' Fame'' (1980) *''

'' (1983) *''

Pretty in Pink ''Pretty in Pink'' is a 1986 American teen romantic comedy-drama film about love and social cliques in American high schools in the 1980s. A cult classic, it is commonly identified as a "Brat Pack" film. It was directed by Howard Deutch, produc ...

'' (1986) *'' Broadcast News'' (additional music) (1987) *'' Generations'' (1989–1991) *'' Don't Tell Her It's Me'' (1990) *''

Defending Your Life ''Defending Your Life'' is a 1991 American romantic comedy- fantasy film about a man who finds himself on trial in the afterlife, where proceedings examine his lifelong fears, to determine whether he'll be (yet again) reincarnated on Earth. W ...

'' (1991) *''

The Butcher's Wife ''The Butcher's Wife'' is a 1991 American romantic comedy film, directed by Terry Hughes and starring Demi Moore and Jeff Daniels. The film concerns a clairvoyant woman (Moore) thinks that she's met her future husband, whom she has seen in her ...

'' (1991) *'' Mr. Wonderful'' (1993) *''

Central Park West Eighth Avenue is a major north–south avenue on the west side of Manhattan in New York City, carrying northbound traffic below 59th Street. It is one of the original avenues of the Commissioners' Plan of 1811 to run the length of Manhattan, ...

'' (2nd season theme) (1996) *''

Superstar A superstar is someone who has great popular appeal and is widely known, prominent, or successful in their field. Celebrities referred to as "superstars" may include individuals who work as actors, musicians, athletes, and other media-based profe ...

'' (1999) *''

'' (2003) songs

References

External links

* 1951 births 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews American film score composers American male film score composers American male songwriters American musical theatre composers Best Original Music Score Academy Award winners Best Original Song Academy Award-winning songwriters Dwight-Englewood School alumni Golden Globe Award-winning musicians Jewish American film score composers Jewish American musicians Jewish American songwriters Living people Male musical theatre composers Musicians from Brooklyn Songwriters from New York (state) {{US-composer-20thC-stub