American screenwriter, librettist, and lyricist Alan Jay Lerner was the creator, along with Austrian composer Frederick Loewe, of some of the most durable and beloved works of the American musical theater in the twentieth century.

With a total of three Oscars® (one for the screenplay of An American in Paris in 1952, two for the lyrics and screenplay of Gigi in 1959) and four Tony Awards® (two for My Fair Lady in 1957, two for Gigi in 1974), as well as numerous nominations and other awards (including Golden Globes® for the book of The Little Prince and the song “If Ever I Would Leave You” from Camelot), Lerner shared his genius as liberally in Hollywood as on Broadway.

Although his greatest successes were achieved in collaboration with Loewe, he worked with a surprising number of other composers as well, Kurt Weill (Love Life 1948), Jerome Morross (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 1960), Burton Lane (Royal Wedding 1951, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever 1965), André Previn (Coco 1969), and Leonard Bernstein (1600 Pennsylvania Avenue 1976) among them.