Maureen McGovern

Maureen Therese McGovern, born July 27, 1949, in Youngstown, Ohio, is an American singer and Broadway actress whose career has spanned recording, film, television, and the stage. The daughter of James Terrence McGovern and Mary Rita (née Welsh), McGovern is of Irish ancestry. As a child she listened to her father's singing quartet rehearse at home and, by her own account, began singing at age three. She decided at eight that she wanted to become a professional singer, and her early influences included Barbra Streisand, Judy Collins, and Joni Mitchell.

After graduating from Boardman High School in 1967, McGovern worked as a secretary while performing part-time with a local folk group called Sweet Rain. Her career shifted dramatically in 1972 when Russ Regan, then head of 20th Century Records, heard a demo she had recorded and hired her to record "The Morning After," the theme from the disaster film The Poseidon Adventure. The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song and reached number one on the pop chart in 1973, selling over one million copies and earning a gold disc from the RIAA in August of that year. The following year, McGovern received a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist.

In 1974, McGovern recorded two additional film themes: "We May Never Love Like This Again" from The Towering Inferno, in which she also made a brief on-screen appearance performing the song, and "Wherever Love Takes Me" from the British film Gold. The former won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, while the latter received a nomination. In 1976 she recorded a cover of "The Continental," the first-ever Oscar winner for Best Original Song, which reached number 16 on the UK Singles Chart. That same year her contract with 20th Century Records ended, and her finances declined significantly, in part due to a management fee of forty percent and the ongoing cost of keeping her band on full salary. She relocated to Marina del Rey and took a secretarial job under the assumed name Glenda Schwartz. Her recording career revived toward the end of the decade when she recorded "Can You Read My Mind," the love theme from the 1978 film Superman, followed by "Different Worlds," the theme from the ABC sitcom Angie. The latter reached number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Adult Contemporary chart in 1979. In 1980, she made a brief comedic appearance as Sister Angelina, a singing nun, in the film Airplane!

McGovern made her Broadway debut in 1981, taking over the role of Mabel from Linda Ronstadt in a revival of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance. That same year she performed as Maria in The Sound of Music with the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, followed by South Pacific as Nellie Forbush in 1982. She returned to Broadway in 1982 to replace Karen Akers in Nine, appearing alongside Raul Julia. In 1985 she originated the role of Mary in the Off-Broadway production of Brownstone. Her Broadway credits also include Something Wonderful, The Threepenny Opera, and The King and I.

In 2005, McGovern originated the role of Marmee in the Broadway musical adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, appearing opposite Sutton Foster as Jo. The production received negative reviews and closed quickly, though McGovern reprised the role for the subsequent national tour, which proved more successful. Her performance earned her a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical.

Throughout the mid-1980s and into the 1990s, McGovern established herself as a nightclub and cabaret performer while returning to recording. Beginning in 1987, she released three albums for CBS: Another Woman in Love, State of the Heart, and Naughty Baby, the last of which was recorded live on November 20, 1988, at Clinton Recording Studios in New York City and features an early recording of the lost Gershwin song "A Corner of Heaven With You," written around 1917. Naughty Baby was released in 1989 to coincide with her Gershwin concert at Carnegie Hall. Later recordings include Baby I'm Yours (1992), Out of This World (1996, a collection of Harold Arlen songs), The Music Never Ends (1997, featuring songs by Alan and Marilyn Bergman), and The Pleasure of His Company (1998). The latter two albums each earned Grammy nominations. McGovern also voiced the character of Rachel in the animated film Joseph: King of Dreams.

In 2010, McGovern co-created with Philip Himberg a one-woman biographical musical titled Carry It On, which premiered at Geva Theatre Center between October 12 and November 14 of that year. She continued performing in concert as a headliner and as a guest with symphony orchestras, and released A Long and Winding Road on the PS Classics label, covering singer-songwriters of the 1960s including Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Lennon-McCartney, and Randy Newman. She performed material from that album at the Metropolitan Room in New York City and the Rrazz Room in San Francisco. McGovern also maintained a long association with the Muscular Dystrophy Association, appearing regularly on The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon through 2014.

In 2021, McGovern was diagnosed with posterior cortical atrophy, believed to be a form of Alzheimer's disease. She publicly announced the diagnosis the following year, stating she would no longer perform in concert but intended to continue working on musical projects for children and to advocate for musical therapy. As of 2022, she resides at a retirement community in Columbus, Ohio.