Michael Gore

Michael Gore is an American composer born on March 5, 1951, in Brooklyn, New York. The younger brother of singer Lesley Gore, he graduated from the Dwight-Englewood School in 1969 and later received that institution's Distinguished Alumni Award in 2004.

Gore's film work brought him significant recognition early in his career. In 1981, he and lyricist Dean Pitchford took home two Academy Awards for their contributions to the 1980 film Fame — one for Best Original Song for the title track and one for Best Original Score. He subsequently composed the theme and full score for the 1983 film Terms of Endearment, starring Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger. The theme from that film charted under his own name on the Adult Contemporary chart, and the single spent six weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching a peak position of number 84 in April 1984. His film credits extend further to include Pretty in Pink (1986), Broadcast News (1987, additional music), Don't Tell Her It's Me (1990), Defending Your Life (1991), The Butcher's Wife (1991), Mr. Wonderful (1993), Superstar (1999), and Camp (2003), the last of which featured two Gore songs with lyrics by Lynn Ahrens. He also composed for the television series Generations (1989–1991) and contributed the second-season theme for Central Park West (1996).

Gore's Broadway credit is Carrie: The Musical, a collaboration with Pitchford and his long-term partner Lawrence D. Cohen, based on Stephen King's first published novel from 1974. Directed by Terry Hands of the Royal Shakespeare Company, the original production became one of Broadway's most notorious commercial failures, drawing polarized critical responses. Despite audience enthusiasm and favorable comparisons to The Rocky Horror Show, investors withdrew their support and the show closed quickly. Over time it developed a cult following, and in the late 2000s Gore and the creative team undertook an extensive revision of the work. That revised version opened to critical acclaim in 2012 and subsequently became available as a licensed property for other productions.