Robert Horn is a playwright, screenwriter and producer. He is best known on the stage for his Tony Award-winning book for the Broadway musical adaptation of ''

Tootsie ''Tootsie'' is a 1982 American satirical romantic comedy-drama film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Dustin Hoffman. Its supporting cast includes Pollack, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman, Bill Murray, Charles Durning, George Ga ...

'', as well as '' 13'', Disney Theatrical's ''

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

'', and the upcoming Broadway musical ''Shucked''. For film and television, he is best known as the screenwriter for Netflix's '' 13: the Musical'' and the

Disney Channel Original Movies Many television films have been produced for Disney Channel, an American family-oriented basic cable channel and former premium television channel since its launch on April 18, 1983. Until October 1997, films were released under the banner name ...

Teen Beach Movie ''Teen Beach Movie'' is a Disney Channel Original Movie that premiered on July 19, 2013, on Disney Channel, starring Ross Lynch and Maia Mitchell. Directed by Jeffrey Hornaday, ''Teen Beach Movie'' was filmed in Puerto Rico. It was the only Disney ...

'', '' Teen Beach 2'', ''

Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure ''Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure'' is a 2011 American direct-to-video musical romantic comedy film and ''High School Musical'' spin-off starring Ashley Tisdale. The film looks at Sharpay Evans' life after graduation, trying to obtain a role in a Br ...

'', and ''

The Suite Life Movie ''The Suite Life Movie'' is a 2011 American science fiction comedy-drama television film directed by Sean McNamara, written by Michael Saltzman, and starring Dylan and Cole Sprouse, Brenda Song, Debby Ryan, Matthew Timmons, John Ducey, Matt ...

''.

Life and career

Horn, a New York native, studied theater at

New York University Tisch School of the Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, Tisch is a training ground for artists, scholars of the ar ...

and New York's

Circle in the Square Theatre School Circle in the Square Theatre School is a non-profit, tax exempt drama school associated with Circle in the Square Theatre; it is the only accredited conservatory attached to a Broadway theatre. It offers two 2-year full-time programs: a Profession ...

. Soon after, Horn moved to Los Angeles to pursue a writing career in film and television. His first major job was as a writer/producer on the television series ''

Designing Women ''Designing Women'' is an American television sitcom created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason that aired on CBS from September 29, 1986, to May 24, 1993, producing seven seasons and 163 episodes. It was a joint production of Bloodworth/Thomason ...

'', followed by Fox series ''

Living Single ''Living Single'' is an American television sitcom created by Yvette Lee Bowser that aired for five seasons on the Fox network from August 22, 1993, to January 1, 1998. The show centered on the lives of six friends who shared personal and profes ...

'' and CBS comedy ''High Society''. After moving to Los Angeles, Horn was signed to an overall production deal with

Warner Brothers Studios Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

, where he developed, wrote, and executive produced dozens of network pilots and series. He then signed a script deal at Sony Studios, followed by an overall pilot deal at ABC studios. Along with Bob Boyett, Horn created and wrote the FX series ''Partners''. Horn wrote pilots for ''Car Wash'' (developed with

Will Packer Will Packer (born April 11, 1974) is an American film producer who founded Will Packer Productions, and Will Packer Media. Packer has produced or executive produced a wide range of movies that have grossed more than $1 billion worldwide at the ...

), ''Jenni'' starring

Jenni Rivera Dolores Janney "Jenni" Rivera Saavedra (July 2, 1969 – December 9, 2012) was an American singer known for her work within the Regional Mexican music genre, specifically in the styles of Banda, Mariachi and Norteño. In life and death, sev ...

, ''Sunnyland'' starring

Jennifer Hudson Jennifer Kate Hudson (born September 12, 1981), also known by her nickname J.Hud, is an American singer, actress, and talk show host. Throughout her career, she has received various accolades for her works in recorded music, film, televisio ...

, ''Left of Center'' (developed with

Gail Berman Gail Berman (born August 17, 1956) is an American producer and television executive. She is co-owner and founding partner of The Jackal Group, a production entity formed in partnership with Fox Networks Group. The Jackal Group develops and produ ...

), ''Taxi 22'' starring

James Gandolfini James Joseph Gandolfini Jr. (; September 18, 1961 – June 19, 2013) was an American actor. For his role as Tony Soprano, the Italian-American Mafia crime boss in HBO's television series ''The Sopranos'', he won three Emmy Awards, five Scree ...

, and '' 13: the Musical'' on Netflix. For

Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...

, Horn wrote ''

'' as well as TV musicals '' Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure'' and the record-breaking ''

'' and '' Teen Beach 2,'' the former pulling in the third highest viewership ever for the channel, on the heels of ''High School Musical 2'' and ''Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie.'' Horn also wrote '' Wild Life'' for Walt Disney Feature Animations and ''

Good Advice ''Good Advice'' is a 2001 comedy film starring Charlie Sheen, Angie Harmon, and Denise Richards. The film also features Jon Lovitz and Rosanna Arquette as a married couple in supporting roles. Plot Ryan Turner is a hotshot broker living an u ...

'' featuring Charlie Sheen. Special projects include ''The RuPaul Christmas Special'' on BBC, Bette Midler's

Divine Intervention Tour The Divine Intervention Tour was the tenth concert tour by American singer, songwriter, actress, comedian, and film producer Bette Midler. The tour started on May 8, 2015 in Hollywood, Florida, and concluded on July 19, 2015 in London, England. ...

, and a digital musical series co-written with

Jason Robert Brown Jason Robert Brown (born June 20, 1970) is an American musical theatre composer, lyricist, and playwright. Brown's music sensibility fuses pop-rock stylings with theatrical lyrics. He is the recipient of three Tony Awards for his work on ''Parad ...

for Sony's digital Crackle network. Horn's writing for the theater stage includes ''Dame Edna, Back with a Vengeance'', '' 13'', Disney's ''Hercules'', The Broadway musical ''

Shucked ''Shucked'' is a 2022 musical with music and lyrics by Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, and a book by Robert Horn. The Broadway production began previews at the Nederlander Theatre on March 8, 2023, before opening on April 4. The show received ...

'', and the musical version of ''

''. Horn's work on ''Tootsie'' received widespread acclaim upon the musical's pre-Broadway premiere in Chicago – '' Vanity Fair'' says "the humor of ''Tootsie'' arises from writer Robert Horn’s bull’s-eye deployment of zingers – and the cast’s infallible delivery of them." The ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' says that "''Tootsie'' is a very funny show, mostly due to Horn’s book."

Awards

References

External links

Internet Broadway database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Horn, Robert American male dramatists and playwrights American television writers Living people Tony Award winners Year of birth missing (living people)