Andrew Lloyd Webber

Since the mid-1960s, Andrew Lloyd Webber has composed the following musicals: The Likes of Us, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, By Jeeves, Evita, Variations and Tell Me On A Sunday (later combined into Song & Dance), Cats, Starlight Express, The Phantom of the Opera, Aspects of Love, Sunset Boulevard, Whistle Down the Wind, The Beautiful Game, and The Woman in White. Furthermore, he composed the soundtracks for the films "The Odessa File" and "Gumshoe." He also penned the official anthems for the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona and the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano. His Requiem Mass includes the famous section Pie Jesu and was awarded a Grammy for Best Contemporary Classical Composition in 1986. In 2004, he produced the eponymous film adaptation of the musical The Phantom of the Opera, directed by Joel Schumacher, and in 2006, he brought a unique version of The Phantom to the stage in Las Vegas. In the same year, he launched the Emmy-winning BBC show How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?, the first musical casting show ever. He followed up on the success of his first BBC opera casting show with the similarly structured casting show Any Dream Will Do!, whose winner was cast in the lead role of a new West End production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. In 2008, Webber sought suitable cast members for the musical Oliver! in another reality show. This year, he will once again work for the BBC: In the show Over The Rainbow, he is searching for young talents to play Dorothy and Toto in a new version of The Wizard of Oz in London's West End. Webber has been honored with numerous awards, including seven Tony Awards, three Grammy Awards, seven Olivier Awards, a Golden Globe Award, an Oscar, two International Emmy Awards, the Praemium Imperiale, a Richard Rodgers Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre, and the Kennedy Center Honors. In 1992, he was knighted, and five years later, he was appointed a Life Peer.