Steve Lawrence
Steve Lawrence | |
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Occupation(s) |
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Years active | 1953–2019 |
Spouse(s) | |
Website | steveandeydie |
Steve Lawrence (born Sidney Liebowitz; July 8, 1935 – March 7, 2024) was an American singer, comedian, and actor. He was best known as a member of the pop duo Steve and Eydie with his wife Eydie Gormé, and for his performance as Maury Sline, the manager and friend of the main characters in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers. Steve and Eydie first appeared together as regulars on Tonight Starring Steve Allen in 1954 and continued performing as a duo until Gormé's retirement in 2009.[1][2][3]
Early life
Lawrence was born on July 8, 1935, as Sidney Liebowitz
Career
In 1952, at the age of 16, Lawrence signed a contract with
In the late 1950s, Lawrence was drafted into the U.S. Army and served as the official vocal soloist with the United States Army Band "Pershing's Own" in Washington, D.C.[7]
Lawrence had success by means of the musical hit parades in the late 1950s and early 1960s with hits, including "
He was also an actor, appearing in guest roles on television shows in every decade since the 1950s. After getting his start with Steve Allen's late night show, he was seen on The Danny Kaye Show; The Judy Garland Show; The Julie Andrews Hour; Night Gallery; The Flip Wilson Show; Police Story; Murder, She Wrote; Diagnosis: Murder; and CSI.[9] Lawrence and Gormé starred in the 1958 summer replacement series The Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gormé Show.[10] Lawrence made many appearances on The Carol Burnett Show (1967–1978), with and without Eydie. The Steve Lawrence Show, with supporting actor Charles Nelson Reilly, ran for 13 weeks in 1965, a variety show that was one of the later television shows to air in black and white.[2] Lawrence also served as a panelist on What's My Line? (1950–67).[11]
In 1964, Lawrence starred in the Broadway musical What Makes Sammy Run?, which centered on an ambitious young man clawing his way to the top in Hollywood.[12] It ran for 540 performances at the 54th Street Theater.[13]
Lawrence and Gormé appeared together in the Broadway musical
Lawrence starred as Gary McBride in the 1972 film Stand Up and Be Counted. In 1980, he was introduced to a new generation of fans with his portrayal of Maury Sline in The Blues Brothers, and reprised the role in the 1998 sequel Blues Brothers 2000.[3] Lawrence's other films include The Lonely Guy (1984) and The Yards (2000).[16] In 1984, Lawrence and comedian Don Rickles hosted ABC's Foul-Ups, Bleeps & Blunders.[17][18] In 1985, Lawrence and Gormé played Tweedledee (Gormé) and Tweedledum (Lawrence) in Irwin Allen's film adaptation of Alice in Wonderland.[19]
Lawrence played Mark McCormick's father, Sonny Daye, in two episodes of
Personal life and death
Lawrence and Gormé were married on December 29, 1957 at the El Rancho Vegas[2] in Las Vegas, Nevada.[1] They had two sons; David Nessim Lawrence (b. 1960) is an ASCAP Award-winning composer, who wrote the score for High School Musical, and Michael Robert Lawrence (1962–1986), who died suddenly from ventricular fibrillation resulting from an undiagnosed heart condition at the age of 23.[21] Michael was an assistant editor for a television show at the time of his death and was apparently healthy despite a previous diagnosis of slight arrhythmia.[22]
Gormé and Lawrence were in Atlanta, Georgia at the time of Michael's death, having performed at the Fox Theater the night before. Upon learning of the death, family friend Frank Sinatra sent his private plane to fly the couple to New York to meet David, who was attending school at the time. Following their son's death, Gormé and Lawrence took a year off before touring again.[21]
Eydie Gormé died on August 10, 2013, at age 84, following an undisclosed illness.[23]
In June 2019, following public speculation about his health, Lawrence announced that he was in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease and that treatment to slow its progression had so far been successful.[24] Lawrence died from complications due to Alzheimer's disease in Los Angeles, on March 7, 2024, at the age of 88.[25][3]
Awards
Lawrence received nominations for a
With Gormé, he was nominated for two
The duo also won a Las Vegas Entertainment Award for Musical Variety Act of the Year four times,[3] three of them consecutively. They were honored with a lifetime achievement award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame,[29] and in 1995 were the recipients of an Ella Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Singers,[1][30] a non-profit organization that helps professional singers with counseling and financial assistance.
In popular culture
Lawrence was portrayed by Mike Myers in the popular Saturday Night Live sketch "The Sinatra Group", with Victoria Jackson portraying his wife Eydie Gormé.[31]
Discography
References
- ^ a b c d Lynn, Esther. "Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme". Las Vegas Online Entertainment Guide.
- ^ a b c d "Interview With Singers Steve Lawrence, Eydie Gorme". CNN. Larry King Live. October 17, 2003. Archived from the original on July 13, 2006.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Sweeting, Adam (March 10, 2024). "Steve Lawrence obituary: American singer and actor best known for being half of the popular duo Steve and Eydie". The Guardian. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
- ISBN 978-1-8522-7832-8.
- ^ "Hollywood Star Walk: Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
- ISBN 978-1-6159-2220-8.
- ^ "The 1950s and 1960s". usarmyband.com. The US Army Band. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
- ISBN 978-0-2142-0512-5.
- ^ Hall, Margaret (March 7, 2024). "Steve Lawrence of Steve and Eydie Dies at 88". Playbill.
- ^ Gates, Anita (August 12, 2013). "Eydie Gorme, Voice of Sophisticated Pop, Dies at 84". The New York Times. p. B7. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
- ^ Berman, Marc (March 7, 2024). "Steve Lawrence Dead: The Steve And Eydie Singer And Actor Was 88". Forbes.
- ^ "What Makes Sammy Run?". Playbill Vault. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
- ^ "What Makes Sammy Run?". Playbill. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
- ISBN 978-0-8791-0023-0.
Harnick shook his head sadly and said, 'The trouble with washing garbage is that when you're done, it's still garbage.' This was the story of Golden Rainbow, as we shall see.
- ISBN 978-0-19-062041-7.
- ^ "Steve Lawrence, singer and half of popular stage duo Steve & Eydie, dies at 88". NPR. Associated Press. March 7, 2024.
- ^ Ervolino, Bill. "An appreciation: Don Rickles, the insult comic with a heart". The Record. Bergen, New Jersey. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
- ^ Barnes, Mike; Byrge, Duane (April 6, 2017). "Legendary Comic Don Rickles Dies at 90". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
- ISBN 978-0-19-988732-3.
- ^ Tallerico, Brian (January 9, 2014). "A-List Actors on the Small Screen: From "True Detective" to "The Spoils of Babylon" to "House of Lies"". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
- ^ a b Ahmed, Saeed (August 11, 2013). "Singer Eydie Gorme dies at 84". CNN. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ "The 23-year-old son of entertainers Steve Lawrence and Eydie... – UPI Archives". UPI. March 6, 1986.
- ^ Thomas, Bob (August 11, 2013). "Nightclub, TV singer Eydie Gorme dies at 84". NBC News.
- ^ Ramirez, Christina Dugan (June 11, 2019). "Steve Lawrence Has Been Diagnosed with Alzheimer's: 'What I Feel Is Gratitude, Love, and Hope'". People. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
- ^ Kennedy, Mark (March 7, 2024). "Steve Lawrence, singer, entertainer and half of popular stage duo Steve & Eydie, dies at 88". AP News. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
- ^ "Steve Lawrence". Television Academy. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
- ISBN 978-1-62513-171-3.
- ^ "A Lifetime Together!". The Morning Call. October 27, 1995.
- ^ "Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award". The Songwriters Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on October 14, 2008. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
- ^ "Steve & Eydie's Awards and Honors". The Official Steve and Eydie Web Site!. Archived from the original on March 2, 2000. Retrieved April 9, 2003.
- ^ "My Favorite 'Saturday Night Live' Sketch". Rolling Stone. March 16, 2017.
External links
- Steve Lawrence at IMDb
- Steve Lawrence at the Internet Broadway Database
- Radio interview with Steve Lawrence "Big Band Files w/Doug Miles" WSLR
- Steve Lawrence discography at Discogs
- Steve Lawrence Discography – All Countries – 45cat Steve Lawrence 45rpm catalogue