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Alan and Marilyn Bergman
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Alan and Marilyn Bergman
Alan Bergman (September 11, 1925 – July 17, 2025) and Marilyn Keith Bergman (née Katz; November 10, 1928 – January 8, 2022) were an American songwriting duo. Married from 1958 until Marilyn's death, together they wrote music and lyrics for numerous celebrated television, film, and stage productions. The Bergmans enjoyed a successful career, honored with four Emmys, three Oscars, and two Grammys (including Song of the Year). They are in the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Alan Bergman was born on September 11, 1925, in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, the son of Ruth (Margulies), a homemaker and community volunteer, and Samuel Bergman, who worked in children's clothing sales. He studied at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and earned his master's degree in music at UCLA.
Marilyn Bergman was born on November 10, 1928, also, in Crown Heights, coincidentally at the same hospital (Brooklyn Jewish Hospital and Medical Center) where Alan had been born three years earlier, and was the daughter of Edith (Arkin) and Albert A. Katz. Both Alan and Marilyn were from Jewish families. Marilyn studied music at The High School of Music & Art in New York before studying psychology and English at New York University.
Despite the geographical proximity of their upbringing in New York, the Bergmans did not meet until they had both moved to Los Angeles in the late 1950s. The Bergmans married in 1958 and had a daughter, Julie Bergman Sender, who works as an independent film producer.
Marilyn Bergman died from respiratory failure on January 8, 2022, at the age of 93. Alan Bergman died of natural causes at his home in Los Angeles, on July 17, 2025, at the age of 99.
Alan Bergman worked as a television director and songwriter at Philadelphia's WCAU-TV in the early 1950s. Johnny Mercer encouraged Alan to move to Los Angeles and become a professional songwriter. Marilyn had moved to California and was friends with songwriter Bob Russell and his wife, Anna, and later described "drifting into songwriting really by accident because I had a fall and broke my shoulder and couldn't play piano so I started writing lyrics". Marilyn also felt that she lacked the discipline or talent required to become a concert pianist. The Bergmans had both become collaborators with composer Lew Spence and only met when Spence suggested they all work together.
With Spence, the Bergmans wrote the lyrics for the title tracks for Dean Martin's 1958 album Sleep Warm and Frank Sinatra's 1960 album Nice 'n' Easy. In 1961, the Bergmans wrote their first title song for a motion picture, for The Right Approach, composed by Spence. In 1964, the Bergmans wrote lyrics to their first Broadway musical, Something More! to music by Sammy Fain.
The Bergmans wrote lyrics for "In the Heat of the Night" with music by Quincy Jones for the 1967 film of the same name, which has been described as their "breakthrough". The couple had later work with Jones on Michael Jackson's soundtrack album for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), for which they wrote the lyrics for "Someone In the Dark", and the 2007 Ennio Morricone tribute album We All Love Ennio Morricone for which they wrote lyrics to "I Knew I Loved You", which was sung by Celine Dion.
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Alan and Marilyn Bergman
Alan Bergman (September 11, 1925 – July 17, 2025) and Marilyn Keith Bergman (née Katz; November 10, 1928 – January 8, 2022) were an American songwriting duo. Married from 1958 until Marilyn's death, together they wrote music and lyrics for numerous celebrated television, film, and stage productions. The Bergmans enjoyed a successful career, honored with four Emmys, three Oscars, and two Grammys (including Song of the Year). They are in the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Alan Bergman was born on September 11, 1925, in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, the son of Ruth (Margulies), a homemaker and community volunteer, and Samuel Bergman, who worked in children's clothing sales. He studied at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and earned his master's degree in music at UCLA.
Marilyn Bergman was born on November 10, 1928, also, in Crown Heights, coincidentally at the same hospital (Brooklyn Jewish Hospital and Medical Center) where Alan had been born three years earlier, and was the daughter of Edith (Arkin) and Albert A. Katz. Both Alan and Marilyn were from Jewish families. Marilyn studied music at The High School of Music & Art in New York before studying psychology and English at New York University.
Despite the geographical proximity of their upbringing in New York, the Bergmans did not meet until they had both moved to Los Angeles in the late 1950s. The Bergmans married in 1958 and had a daughter, Julie Bergman Sender, who works as an independent film producer.
Marilyn Bergman died from respiratory failure on January 8, 2022, at the age of 93. Alan Bergman died of natural causes at his home in Los Angeles, on July 17, 2025, at the age of 99.
Alan Bergman worked as a television director and songwriter at Philadelphia's WCAU-TV in the early 1950s. Johnny Mercer encouraged Alan to move to Los Angeles and become a professional songwriter. Marilyn had moved to California and was friends with songwriter Bob Russell and his wife, Anna, and later described "drifting into songwriting really by accident because I had a fall and broke my shoulder and couldn't play piano so I started writing lyrics". Marilyn also felt that she lacked the discipline or talent required to become a concert pianist. The Bergmans had both become collaborators with composer Lew Spence and only met when Spence suggested they all work together.
With Spence, the Bergmans wrote the lyrics for the title tracks for Dean Martin's 1958 album Sleep Warm and Frank Sinatra's 1960 album Nice 'n' Easy. In 1961, the Bergmans wrote their first title song for a motion picture, for The Right Approach, composed by Spence. In 1964, the Bergmans wrote lyrics to their first Broadway musical, Something More! to music by Sammy Fain.
The Bergmans wrote lyrics for "In the Heat of the Night" with music by Quincy Jones for the 1967 film of the same name, which has been described as their "breakthrough". The couple had later work with Jones on Michael Jackson's soundtrack album for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), for which they wrote the lyrics for "Someone In the Dark", and the 2007 Ennio Morricone tribute album We All Love Ennio Morricone for which they wrote lyrics to "I Knew I Loved You", which was sung by Celine Dion.
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