Marc Shaiman

Marc Shaiman (born October 22, 1959) is an American composer, lyricist, arranger, and musical director whose work spans Broadway musicals, feature films, and television productions. Shaiman first entered the entertainment industry at age 16, contributing as a vocal arranger and performer on Saturday Night Live and collaborating with performers such as Bette Midler on her concert film Divine Madness. His longstanding partnership with lyricist Scott Wittman has produced several landmark Broadway shows, including the Tony Award-winning Hairspray (2002), which ran for over 2,600 performances and addressed racial integration themes through its score, and Catch Me If You Can (2011), adapted from Steven Spielberg's film. In film, Shaiman has composed scores for romantic comedies like Sleepless in Seattle (1993) and family musicals such as Mary Poppins Returns (2018), earning seven Academy Award nominations across his career, along with Grammy and Emmy wins for Hairspray. Other notable theater contributions include Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me and the forthcoming Some Like It Hot adaptation. Shaiman's oeuvre emphasizes melodic accessibility and narrative-driven songs, often blending pop, jazz, and show-tune elements.

Marc Shaiman was born on October 22, 1959, in Newark, New Jersey, to Claire Shaiman and William Robert Shaiman. He was raised in a Jewish family in the Scotch Plains-Fanwood area of New Jersey. As the youngest of four siblings—all of whose names begin with the letter "S"—Shaiman grew up on Winding Brook Way in Scotch Plains.