Irving Berlin Birthday: December 31, 1969 Birth Place: Mogilyov, Russia [now in Belarus] Height: 0' 0"
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Biography
Irving Berlin was one of the most important songwriters in the USA. He was self-taught, but almost everything he wrote was a success. His breakthrough was during WWI with the song "Alexander's Ragtime Band" and one of the battle songs written for his all-soldier show Yip, Yip, Yaphank in 1917: "We're on our way to France". During the twenties he wrote music for Tin Pan Alley and Broadway, and after the rise of the film musical he also wrote for Hollywood. His songs were sung by Fred Astaire, Al Jolson, Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, Dick Powell, Alice Faye and many others. During WWII he wrote "Any Bonds Today" for the government and wrote the songs for another all-soldier show, "This is the Army". In the early 60s he retired.
When Berlin married Ellin Mackay, the Comstock Lode heiress, the bride's father wrote her out of his will for marrying a Jew. Berlin then assigned the copyright of his popular song, "Always", to her, which yielded very handsome royalties as the years went by. And true to the sentiments of the song, Berlin devoted himself to his lovely wife for the rest of her long life.
Sang "Oh How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning" in _This Is the Army (1943)_ .
Songwriter.
Could not read music.
Only played on the set of black keys. He had a special piano built with pedals that could change the set from F sharp into other keys.
First met lifelong best friend Fred Astaire on the set of _Top Hat (1935)_ .
Interred at Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, New York, USA.
Sent a letter to major radio stations requesting that they not play Elvis Presley's version of "White Christmas" because it had been drastically revamped.
During the filming of his singing his composition "Oh How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning" in This Is the Army (1943), one of the backstage crew was heard to have whispered to another crew worker, "If the guy who wrote this song could hear this guy singing it, he'd roll over in his grave!".
Was denied a Kennedy Center Honor. By the time he was considered for one, he was too ill to fulfill the requirement that an honoree must attend the award ceremony.
Although Berlin wrote what is arguably the most popular secular Christmas song ever written, "White Christmas," Christmas was always a bittersweet time for the Berlin family. Irving and Eileen Berlin's only son, Irving, Jr., died at only a few weeks old, of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, on Christmas Day, 1928. Every year, on Christmas Day, the Berlins would lay a Christmas wreath on his grave, a tradition their heirs carry on today.
Despite the fact that he was one of America's most prolific songwriters, Berlin suffered frequent attacks of writer's block, which could last anywhere from several days to several months.
Wrote his first ballad hit, "When I Lost You," in his grief over the death of his first wife, Dorothy Goetz. She had died of typhoid, contracted on her honeymoon, just four months after their marriage in 1912.
One of the few classic pop songwriters of his era to serve as both composer and lyricist of his songs. Cole Porter and Johnny Mercer were among the others who shared this rare talent.
Brother-in-law of E. Ray Goetz.
Stepson-in-law of Anna Case.
In 1963, won a Special Tony Award "for his distinguished contribution to the musical theatre for these many years."
Father of Mary Ellen Barrett.
First artist to actually present himself with an Oscar when he won for song "White Christmas" from _Holiday Inn (1942)_
Was portrayed by 'Keith Allen' in _De-Lovley (2004)_ .
Irving Berlin
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