News on your favorite shows, specials & more!
Fred Ebb Headshot

Fred Ebb

Date of Death: September 11, 2004 (71)

Birth Place: USA

Get Fred Ebb Email Alerts

Be the first to get news, photos, videos & more.

BIO

As a writer, lyricist, composer and director, Fred Ebb made incalculable contributions to the New York theatrical community. Mr. Ebb is a Tony, Grammy, Emmy, Olivier and Kennedy Center Honors Lifetime Achievement Award winning recipient. Fred Ebb's first professional songwriting assignment came in 1953 when he and Phil Springer were hired by Columbia Records to write a song for Judy Garland called "Heartbroken." Mr. Ebb was introduced to composer John Kander in 1964 by music publisher Tommy Valando and became one of the most legendary songwriting teams in American history. The first successful collaboration was on the song "My Coloring Book," recorded by Barbra Streisand. Their second theatrical collaboration, Flora, the Red Menace, created a star out of Liza Minnelli in her Tony Award-winning Broadway debut. In 1966, their collaboration Cabaret, opened and received seven Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Score. A 1972 movie version of Cabaret starring Liza Minnelli was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and won eight awards and was nominated for nine Golden Globe Awards and won three including Best Picture, Musical or Comedy. The same year, the songwriting team wrote a number of songs for Minnelli's television special "Liza With a Z," which received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Single Program - Variety or Popular Music. In 1975, the two wrote the Broadway musical Chicago, directed by Bob Fosse and starring Gwen Verdon, Chita Rivera and Jerry Orbach. The musical was successfully revived 20 years later at City Center ENCORES! and subsequently transferred to Broadway where it is currently the longest running revival in Broadway history. In 1977, the team collaborated with Martin Scorsese on the movie New York, New York; the title song was introduced by Minnelli and later recorded by Frank Sinatra becoming the unofficial theme song of New York City. The Minnelli Broadway vehicle The Act also opened that year. After a four-year absence, Mr. Ebb and Mr. Kander returned with Woman of the Year (1981), The Rink (1984), Kiss of the Spiderwoman (1985) and Steel Pier (1997). They were honored by the Kennedy Center with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998. Miramax's 2002 feature film Chicago was nominated for 13 Academy Awards and won six, including Best Picture and was nominated for eight Golden Globe Awards and won three, including Best Picture, Musical or Comedy.


STAGE CREDITS

[Off-Off-Broadway]
Concert [Off-Off-Broadway], 1973
Performer

Productions

 
[West End, 2021]
Lyrics
 
[Broadway, 2015]
Lyrics
 
[West End, 2014]
Music and Lyrics
 
[Williamstown, MA (Regional), 2014]
Lyrics
 
[Broadway, 2014]
Music and Lyrics
 
[West End, 2006] [Replacement]
Lyrics[Replacement]
 
[Broadway, 1999]
Director
 
[Off-Broadway, 1967]
Additional Material

Writing

Lyricist
Bookwriter
Lyricist
Lyricist
Additional Material
Lyricist
Bookwriter
Lyricist
Lyricist
Lyricist
Lyricist
Lyricist
Bookwriter
Lyricist
Lyricist
Author
Lyricist
Bookwriter
Lyricist
Lyricist
Lyricist
Lyricist
Lyricist
Lyricist
Lyricist

Awards and Nominations

Drama Desk Awards - 2015 - Outstanding Lyrics

Fred Ebb, The Visit

Tony Awards - 2015 - Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

Fred Ebb, The Visit

Tony Awards - 2011 - Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

Fred Ebb, The Scottsboro Boys


winner
Drama Desk Awards - 2010 - Outstanding Lyrics

Fred Ebb, The Scottsboro Boys

Drama Desk Awards - 2010 - Outstanding Music

Fred Ebb, The Scottsboro Boys

Drama Desk Awards - 2007 - Outstanding Lyrics

Fred Ebb, Curtains


winner
Drama League Awards - 2007 - Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theatre

Fred Ebb

Tony Awards - 2007 - Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

Fred Ebb, Curtains


winner
Helen Hayes Awards - 1999 - The American Express Tribute

Fred Ebb

Tony Awards - 1997 - Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

Fred Ebb, Steel Pier


winner
New York Drama Critics Circle Awards - 1993 - Best Musical

Fred Ebb, Kiss of the Spider Woman


winner
Tony Awards - 1993 - Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

Fred Ebb, Kiss of the Spider Woman

Tony Awards - 1984 - Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

Fred Ebb, The Rink


winner
Tony Awards - 1981 - Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

Fred Ebb, Woman of the Year

Olivier Awards - 1979 - Musical of the Year

Fred Ebb, Chicago

Tony Awards - 1978 - Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

Fred Ebb, The Act

Tony Awards - 1976 - Best Book of a Musical

Fred Ebb , Chicago

Tony Awards - 1976 - Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

Fred Ebb, Chicago


winner
Drama Desk Awards - 1969 - Outstanding Lyrics

Fred Ebb, Zorba

Tony Awards - 1968 - Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

Fred Ebb, The Happy Time


winner
New York Drama Critics Circle Awards - 1967 - Best Musical

Fred Ebb, Cabaret


winner
Tony Awards - 1967 - Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

Fred Ebb, Cabaret

Videos

News


Tickets to CHICAGO at at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center on Sale Now

Single tickets for Baltimore’s 2025 engagement at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center, home of the historic Hippodrome Theatre, are on sale now. Learn how to purchase tickets!
Video: John Kander Joins CABARET Cast to Celebrate 58th Anniversary of Original Broadway Production

Last night, legendary Broadway composer John Kander and the cast of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club at the August Wilson Theatre celebrated the 58th anniversary of the original Broadway production. Check out the video here!
25 Great Audition Songs for Sopranos

Let us help you find some fresh audition material. These 25 soprano audition songs are a combination of greats and lesser knowns, so you can choose material that you love and knock that audition out of the park. Check out what made the list!
Gabrielle Stravelli, Klea Blackhurst, and Graham Rowat Join SING HAPPY: THE LYRICS OF FRED EBB

The Fred Ebb Foundation and Birdland Jazz Club announced additional performers for Sing Happy: The Lyrics of Fred Ebb, which will take place next week at Birdland Jazz Club.
Broadway Buying Guide: November 18, 2024- MAYBE HAPPY ENDING Arrives on Broadway

Looking for the best deals on Broadway shows? Welcome to our new weekly guide to the most popular shows listed on BroadwayWorld. Check out which shows are selling this week, November 18, 2024.
CHICAGO Celebrates 28th Anniversary and 11,000 Performances

On Thursday, November 14th, the Tony, Olivier, and Grammy Award-winning musical Chicago will celebrate its 28th year as a Broadway institution. Chicago also celebrates hitting 11,000 performances on Broadway.
Review: KAREN MASON AND ALL THAT JAZZ! Has Pizzazz at 54 Below

KAREN MASON AND ALL THAT JAZZ at 54 Below, with dates in Chicago this week, is a solid show by a musical pro and her long-time music director at the piano.
Broadway Buying Guide: November 11, 2024- Audra McDonald returns in GYPSY

Looking for the best deals on Broadway shows? Welcome to our new weekly guide to the most popular shows listed on BroadwayWorld. Check out which shows are selling this week, November 11, 2024.
CHICAGO Tour Comes To The Appell Center

CHICAGO—the first show in the Appell Center's Glatfelter Insurance Broadway Series— returns to the Appell Center For The Performing Arts on November 27.
Eva Noblezada, James Lapine and More Join York Theatre Company Gala Honoring Bernadette Peters And Ted Snowdon

The York Theatre Company announced additional performers for its gala honoring Bernadette Peters and Ted Snowdon on November 11 at The Edison Ballroom, promising a memorable evening of celebration.
Cheeyang Ng and Eric Sorrels Will Receive 20th Annual Fred Ebb Award

The Fred Ebb Foundation will present the twentieth annual Fred Ebb Award for aspiring musical theatre songwriters to the team of Cheeyang Ng & Eric Sorrels. Learn more about the award and the ceremony here!
Birdland Jazz Club and Birdland Theater Reveals November Programming

Birdland Jazz Club and Birdland Theater are open this November with a full slate of nightly performances. Learn more about the November 2024 lineup, featuring a diverse array of performances from renowned jazz musicians and emerging artists.
Dramatists Guild Foundation Reveals 2024-2025 Fellows Class

Dramatists Guild Foundation has revealed the 2024-2025 class of Fellows. The program propels the most promising creative talents to their full potential to help shape the future of theater. Learn more about the Fellows.
Photos: CHICAGO UK and Ireland Tour

All new production photos have been released for the UK and Ireland tour of the multi award-winning CHICAGO. Check out the photos here!
CHICAGO To Play Limited Engagement At BroadwaySF's Golden Gate Theatre

BroadwaySF, an ATG Entertainment company, welcomes the return of Broadway's record-breaking, Tony Award-winning musical smash, CHICAGO.
Review: EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN Revives Classics at Jazz at Lincoln Center

The Cabaret Convention's three multi-performer shows are done for this year. Concluding our recaps, here's the word on what we heard during the third night: EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN, presented on October 24th. So many songs, so many singers, jammed into three nights, is the cornucopia of the Cabaret Convention concerts.
Liza Minnelli Documentary to Receive Theatrical Release in 2025

Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story, the new documentary centering on the Broadway legend, has been acquired by Zeitgeist Films and Kino Lorber. The film is expected to have a theatrical run in 2025, first at New York's IFC Center and then nationwide.
New Album KAREN MASON AND ALL THAT JAZZ! Out Now

Karen Mason And All That Jazz! – the singular album from acclaimed Broadway star and concert artist KAREN MASON – is now available on CD and in digital and streaming formats. Listen here.
CABARET Comes to Theatre Rhinoceros Next Month

Theatre Rhinoceros, in its third year of residence in San Francisco’s historically gay Castro neighborhood as the nation’s longest-running LGBTQ+ theatre, will produce Kander & Ebb’s timeless masterpiece Cabaret … in a retail building-turned-blackbox with a footprint smaller than the average two-bedroom apartment.
Broadway In Birmingham To Present CHICAGO In November

THE ILLUSIONISTS: MAGIC OF THE HOLIDAYS will perform at the BJCC on December 3-4, showcasing a lineup of magicians and illusionists.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How many shows has Fred Ebb written?

Fred Ebb has written 34 shows including By Jupiter (Additional Material), Put It in Writing (Material), Morning Sun (Bookwriter), Flora, the Red Menace (Lyricist), Go Fly a Kite (Lyricist), Cabaret (Lyricist), The Happy Time (Lyricist), Zorba (Lyricist), 70, Girls, 70 (Bookwriter), An Evening with Fred Ebb and John Kander (Lyricist), Liza (Bookwriter), Chicago (Bookwriter), Shirley MacLaine (Bookwriter), 2 by 5 (Lyricist), The Act (Lyricist), The Madwoman of Central Park West (Lyricist), Woman of the Year (Lyricist), The Rink (Lyricist), Diamonds (Lyricist), How Lucky Can You Get? (Lyricist), And the World Goes 'Round (Lyricist), Kiss of the Spider Woman (Lyricist), Steel Pier (Lyricist), Over and Over (Lyricist), Fosse (Lyricist), Minnelli on Minnelli (Bookwriter), The Visit (Lyricist), Barbara Cook's Broadway! (Lyricist), Curtains (Lyricist), Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life (Lyricist), First You Dream: The Music of Kander & Ebb (Lyricist), The Scottsboro Boys (Lyricist), Come Fly Away (Lyricist), New York, New York (Lyrics).

What awards has Fred Ebb been nominated for?

Fred Ebb has been nominated for several awards throughout his career. Some of his notable nominations include Outstanding Lyrics at the Drama Desk Awards for "The Visit," Best Original Score at the Tony Awards for "The Visit" and "The Scottsboro Boys," Outstanding Music and Outstanding Lyrics at the Drama Desk Awards for "The Scottsboro Boys," Outstanding Lyrics at the Drama Desk Awards for "Curtains," Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theatre at the Drama League Awards, Best Original Score at the Tony Awards for "Curtains," The American Express Tribute at the Helen Hayes Awards, Best Original Score at the Tony Awards for "Steel Pier," Best Musical at the New York Drama Critics Circle Awards for "Kiss of the Spider Woman," Best Original Score at the Tony Awards for "Kiss of the Spider Woman," Best Original Score at the Tony Awards for "The Rink," Best Original Score at the Tony Awards for "Woman of the Year," Musical of the Year at the Olivier Awards for "Chicago," Best Original Score at the Tony Awards for "The Act," Best Book of a Musical at the Tony Awards for "Chicago," Best Original Score at the Tony Awards for "Chicago," Outstanding Lyrics at the Drama Desk Awards for "Zorba," Best Original Score at the Tony Awards for "The Happy Time," Best Musical at the New York Drama Critics Circle Awards for "Cabaret," and Best Original Score at the Tony Awards for "Cabaret."

What awards has Fred Ebb won?

Fred Ebb has won several awards throughout his career. He received the Outstanding Lyrics award at the Drama Desk Awards for his work on The Scottsboro Boys. He was also honored with the Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theatre award at the Drama League Awards. The Helen Hayes Awards presented him with The American Express Tribute. Ebb's musical Kiss of the Spider Woman won the Best Musical award at the New York Drama Critics Circle Awards, and he was also recognized with the Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre award at the Tony Awards for this production. Additionally, Ebb won the Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre award at the Tony Awards for Woman of the Year. He received the Outstanding Lyrics award at the Drama Desk Awards for Zorba. Lastly, Ebb's musical Cabaret won the Best Musical award at the New York Drama Critics Circle Awards, and he was honored with the Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre award at the Tony Awards for this production as well.

Get Fred Ebb Email Alerts

Be the first to get news, photos, videos & more.

Videos