Albert Hague - Biography

Albert Hague (October 13, 1920 – November 12, 2001) was a German-born songwriter, composer, and actor.

Early life

Hague was born as Albert Marcuse to a Jewish family in Berlin, Germany. His father, Harry Marcuse, was a psychiatrist and a musical prodigy, and his mother, Mimi (née Heller), a chess champion. His family considered their Jewish heritage a liability and raised him as a Lutheran. Hague came to America in 1939 on scholarship to the University of Cincinnati. After graduating in 1942, he served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II.

Career

Hague's Broadway Musicals include Plain and Fancy (1955), Redhead (1959), and The Fig Leaves Are Falling (1969, with lyrics by Allan Sherman). Famous songs he wrote include "Young and Foolish", "Look Who's in Love" and "Did I Ever Really Live?" He was the composer for the TV musical cartoon, How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

He also was an actor, most notably on the TV series Fame, where he played Benjamin Shorofsky, the music teacher. It was a part he originated in the film of the same name. Albert Hague also played a small role in the movie Space Jam, as the psychiatrist that the Professional Basketball players go to when they lose their "skill".

Personal life and death

His wife, Renee Orin, a singer, with whom he often collaborated, died, aged 73, in 2000 from lymphoma. They had been married since 1951. They had two children.

Albert Hague died at age 81 from cancer at a hospital in Marina del Rey, California in 2001. A widower, he is survived by his two children.

External links

• Musical background
• IBDb
• NY Times obituary