Andrew Lloyd Webber
b. 1948
American
Biography
Andrew Lloyd Webber has composed the scores of some of the world’s most famous musicals, from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (1969) to Bad Cinderella (2023). Lloyd Webber has had shows running continually in the West End for 50 years and on Broadway for 43.
When Sunset Boulevard joined School of Rock, CATS, and The Phantom of the Opera he equalled Rodgers & Hammerstein’s record of four shows running simultaneously on Broadway. He is one of the select group of artists with EGOT status, having received Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards.
Lloyd Webber owns six London theatres including the iconic London Palladium and Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Reopened in July 2021, the latter was completely restored and renovated at a cost of over £60 million. It was one of the biggest projects ever undertaken by a private theatre owner in recent times. His mantra is that every penny of profit made from his theatres is ploughed back into the buildings.
Lloyd Webber is passionate about the importance of musical education and diversity in the arts. Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation provides 30 performing arts scholarships every year for talented students with financial need and supports a range of projects such as the Music In Secondary School Trust and commissioning research into diversity in theatre.
Andrew Lloyd Webber has composed anthems for the 1978 World Cup in Argentina and for two Olympic ceremonies, including “Amigos Para Siempre”, the official song of the 1992 summer games in Barcelona. He wrote “Let Us Love In Peace” for the aftermath of the attacks on The World Trade Centre, wrote and performed “Sing” with Gary Barlow at Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond in 2012, and curated musical theatre performances for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee concert in June 2022. In May 2023, a new anthem composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber was performed at the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III.
Andrew Lloyd Webber was knighted in 1992 and created an honorary life peer in 1997.