Marvin Laird obit

Marvin Laird Dies: Broadway, Film & Concert Musical Collaborator Of Bernadette Peters, Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli, Bette Midler And Many More Was 85

 

He was not on the list.

Marvin Laird, a prolific Broadway, film and TV composer, conductor and musical director who lent his talents to projects featuring such stars as Bernadette Peters, Joel Grey, Diana Ross, Cass Elliot, Dusty Springfield, Goldie Hawn, Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli and Robert DeNiro, died Monday, December 2, of natural causes in Redding, Conn., where he resided. He was 85.

“My beloved Marvin had impeccable style, a delicious sense of humor, and his generous spirit made everyone he worked with fall in love with him,” said Peters in a statement to Deadline. “I was a major beneficiary of Marvin’s genius and generosity of support and love.”

From Broadway, where he wrote dance arrangements for Breakfast at Tiffany’s in 1966, conducted Gypsy in 2003 with Peters in the starring role, and played keyboards for the 2017 Hello, Dolly! revival starring Midler, to television (composer for Dynasty, Quincy, M.E., and A Different Approach, among others), Laird was a busy musical collaborator from the 1960s through 2020, when he served as arranger, orchestrator, conductor and musical director for the TV special Bernadette Peters: A Special Concert.

Among his other Broadway credits are Annie Get Your Gun and Follies, and he conducted concerts for Peters, Grey, Ross, Elliot, Springfield and Hawn. He also wrote dance music for the films Hello, Dolly!, starring Streisand, and New York, New York, starring Minnelli and DeNiro. He composed the score for Ruthless! The Musical, the 1992 award-winning Off Broadway musical which continues to find new audiences nationally and internationally.

Born on October 26, 1939 in Kansas City, Kansas, Laird is survived by Joel Paley, his longtime partner in marriage and music; his brother and sister-in-law Larry Lee and Jeanne Laird; and nieces Lana Whittaker and Lynnette Norcross.

 

Composer

Anya Evans in Ruthless! The Musical (2019)

Ruthless! The Musical

7.3

Composer

2019

 

Dynasty (1981)

Dynasty

6.4

TV Series

Composer

1982–1985

12 episodes

 

ABC Weekend Specials (1977)

ABC Weekend Specials

7.7

TV Series

Composer

1984

1 episode

 

Genie Francis in Bare Essence (1983)

Bare Essence

7.1

TV Series

Composer

1983

6 episodes

 

Fred Grandy, Bernie Kopell, Ted Lange, Gavin MacLeod, and Lauren Tewes in The Love Boat (1977)

The Love Boat

6.3

TV Series

Composer

1982

1 episode

 

Jack Klugman in Quincy, M.E. (1976)

Quincy, M.E.

7.3

TV Series

Composer

1978–1981

7 episodes

 

The Baxters (1979)

The Baxters

5.5

TV Series

Composer

1979–1981

 

A Different Approach (1978)

A Different Approach

7.4

Short

Composer

1978

 

Bea Arthur in Maude (1972)

Maude

7.3

TV Series

Composer (special music)

1978

1 episode

 

After Hours: Singin', Swingin' and All That Jazz

TV Special

Composer

1977

 

The Shirley MacLaine Special: Where Do We Go from Here?

7.5

TV Special

Composer

1977

 

Gailard Sartain in Keep on Truckin' (1975)

Keep on Truckin'

5.7

TV Series

Composer

1975

4 episodes

 

Music Department

Bernadette Peters in Bernadette Peters: A Special Concert (2020)

Bernadette Peters: A Special Concert

TV Special

arranger/orchestrator

conductor

musical director

2020

 

Bernadette Peters in Concert (1998)

Bernadette Peters in Concert

8.8

TV Special

conductor

1998

 

Liza Minnelli Live from Radio City Music Hall (1992)

Liza Minnelli Live from Radio City Music Hall

8.6

TV Special

music supervisor

1992

 

The Baxters (1979)

The Baxters

5.5

TV Series

composer: theme music

1979

1 episode

 

Li'l Abner in the Dogpatch Today

TV Movie

music coordinator

1978

 

NBC Salutes the 25th Anniversary of the Wonderful World of Disney

2.3

TV Movie

choral director

1978

 

Happy Birthday, Bob (1978)

Happy Birthday, Bob

7.4

TV Special

writer: special musical material

1978

 

Bea Arthur in Maude (1972)

Maude

7.3

TV Series

special musical material

1978

1 episode

 

Debbie Allen, Ellen Foley, and Mimi Kennedy in 3 Girls 3 (1977)

3 Girls 3

6.6

TV Series

musical director

special musical material

theme by

1977

4 episodes

 

Telly Savalas in Telly... Who Loves Ya, Baby? (1976)

Telly... Who Loves Ya, Baby?

6.9

TV Special

musical director

1976

 

Cher (1975)

Cher

7.5

TV Series

conductor

musical coordinator

1975

2 episodes

 

Don't Call Me Mama Anymore (1973)

Don't Call Me Mama Anymore

8.8

TV Special

musical director

1973

 

NBC Follies (1973)

NBC Follies

TV Series

music coordinator

1973

1 episode

 

Diana Ross, Cindy Birdsong, Melvin Franklin, Eddie Kendricks, Otis Williams, Mary Wilson, Dennis Edwards, and Paul Williams in G.I.T. on Broadway (1969)

G.I.T. on Broadway

8.4

TV Special

music coordinator

1969

 

Robert Morse and E.J. Peaker in That's Life (1968)

That's Life

8.3

TV Series

dance music arranged by

1968

3 episodes

 

Additional Crew

The Goldie Hawn Special (1978)

The Goldie Hawn Special

6.9

TV Special

dance music arranger

1978

 

Telly Savalas in Telly... Who Loves Ya, Baby? (1976)

Telly... Who Loves Ya, Baby?

6.9

TV Special

creative consultant

1976

 

Walter Matthau and Barbra Streisand in Hello, Dolly! (1969)

Hello, Dolly!

7.0

dance arrangements

1969