Al Stillman (né Albert Irving Silverman; 26 June 1901 Manhattan, New York[1] – 17 February 1979 Manhattan, New York)[2] was an American lyricist.
Al Stillman | |
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Birth name | Albert Irving Silverman |
Born | New York City, U.S.A. | June 26, 1901
Died | February 17, 1979 New York City, U.S.A. | (aged 77)
Occupation(s) | Lyricist |
Al Stillman was born as Albert Irving Silverman to Jewish parents[3] Herman Silverman and Gertrude Rubin (maiden). He adopted the name "Albert Stillman" as a professional pseudonym. He chose the name, reportedly, because it was the recognizable surname of a well-known New York banking family[citation needed]. He was Jewish.[4] He attended New York University. After graduation, he contributed to Franklin P. Adams' newspaper column, and in 1933 became a staff writer at Radio City Music Hall, a position he held for almost 40 years.
Al Stillman collaborated with a number of composers: Fred Ahlert, Robert Allen, Percy Faith, George Gershwin, Ernesto Lecuona, Paul McGrane, Kay Swift, and Arthur Schwartz. Many of his collaborations with Allen were major hits in the 1950s for The Four Lads; the Stillman/Allen team also wrote hit songs for Perry Como and Johnny Mathis.
Al Stillman was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1982.
Stillman, on September 29, 1939, married Pauline Reinfmann (née Patia Reinfmann aka Kaufman; 1906–1990) in Fort Lee, New Jersey.[7] She was born in Russia and became a U.S. naturalized citizen March 22, 1943, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Pauline's sister, Anna "Billie" Swan (née Anna Kaufman; 1905–1992), married, on August 7, 1925, in Manhattan to Einar Aaron Swan (1903–1940), an arranger and composer.