Harold Prince American theater producer and director Date of Birth: 30.01.1928 Country: USA

1. Biography of Harold Prince
2. Early Career
3. The Turning Point
4. Later Career and Awards
5. Personal Life and Legacy

Biography of Harold Prince

Harold Smith Prince was born in 1928 in New York City, to Milton A. Prince, a stockbroker, and his wife Blanche Stern. At the age of 16, he enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania and graduated at the age of 19. He then spent two years serving in the army in Germany.

Early Career

Prince's career in theater began as an assistant director, working under the renowned director and producer George Abbott. Together with Abbott, Harold worked on the production of 'The Pajama Game', which won the 'Tony Award' for Best Musical in 1955. He started directing his own projects in 1962, starting with 'A Family Affair'. By that time, he had already worked on at least fifteen Broadway productions.

The Turning Point

However, his early ventures as a director and producer were not successful. Prince had almost given up on a career in theater when he finally achieved success with the musical 'Cabaret'. From that point on, Harold's career took off. Starting in 1970, he collaborated with Stephen Sondheim, with whom he had previously worked on 'West Side Story'. This partnership resulted in many successful productions, including 'Company' (1970), 'Follies' (1971), 'A Little Night Music' (1973), 'Pacific Overtures' (1976), and 'Sweeney Todd' (1979).

Later Career and Awards

In 1983, Prince directed 'Turandot' for the Vienna State Opera. However, not all of his works were successful. Productions like 'Roza' and 'Grind', created in the mid to late 1980s, received mixed reviews. Throughout his career, Harold Prince received over 20 Tony Awards. Some of the productions that won this prestigious theater award include 'Company', 'Follies', 'A Little Night Music', 'The Great God Brown', 'Candide', and 'Evita'. In 2006, he was honored with a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement. In 2000, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts.

Personal Life and Legacy

Harold Prince is currently the President of the National Institute for Musical Theatre. In addition to his work in theater, he has also directed and produced films and TV shows, including adaptations of his theater productions. In 1962, Prince married Judith Chaplin, the daughter of musician Saul Chaplin. They have two children who also work in the arts.