Alan Menken
#27,672 Most Popular
About
Composer who wrote the scores for several beloved Disney films, including 1989's The Little Mermaid. He won two Academy Awards for Best Original Song and Best Original Score for Beauty and the Beast and Pocahontas. His original songs were redone for the 2023 live-action remake of The Little Mermaid.
Before Fame
His first major success was with the legendary musical Little Shop of Horrors, written with frequent collaborator Howard Ashman.
Trivia
His other notable works included A Christmas Carol from 2004, Enchanted from 2007, Tangled from 2010, and Mirror Mirror from 2012. His musical fame has helped him garner more than 90,000 followers on his alanmenken Instagram page.
Family Life
He was born into a Jewish family to Judith and Norman Menken, who was a dentist. He married Janis Roswick in 1972, with whom he fathered two daughters.
Associated With
His first major professional production was God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater from 1979. He based it on the Kurt Vonnegut Jr. novel of the same name.
