T. S. Eliot
(1888-1965) "I am an Anglo-Catholic in religion, a classicist in literature, and a royalist in politics." T.S. Eliot so defined, and even exaggerated, his own conservatism. The ideas of this stimulating writer were perhaps traditional, but the way in which he expressed them was extremely modern. Eliot was one of the first to reject conventional verse forms and language. His experiments with free expression contributed to his reputation as one of the most influential writers of his time. Thomas Stearns Eliot was born in St. Louis, Mo., on Sept. 26, 1888. His family had produced distinguished Americans since colonial days. He entered Harvard University in 1906, completed his course in three years, and earned a master's degree the next year. After a year at the Sorbonne in Paris, he returned to Harvard. Further study led him to Merton College, Oxford, and he decided to stay in England. He worked first as a teacher and then in a bank. Precise and moderate in his habits, he devoted his evenings to study and writing. He liked cats and wrote a book about them--'Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats', published in 1939. It was the basis for 'Cats', a spectacular musical comedy of the 1980s. In 1915 the verse magazine Poetry published Eliot's first notable piece, 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock'. This was followed by other short poems such as 'Portrait of a Lady'. 'The Waste Land', which appeared in 1922, is considered by many to be his most challenging work (see American Literature). In 1927 Eliot became a British subject and was confirmed in the Church of England. His essays ('For Lancelot Andrewes', 1928) and his poetry ('Four Quartets', 1943) increasingly reflected this association with a traditional culture. His first drama was 'The Rock' (1934), a pageant play. This was followed by 'Murder in the Cathedral' (1935), a play dealing with the assassination of Archbishop Thomas à Becket, who was later canonized (see Becket). 'The Family Reunion' appeared in 1939. 'The Cocktail Party', based upon the ancient Greek drama 'Alcestis' by Euripides, came out in 1950 and 'The Confidential Clerk' in 1953. The dialogue in his plays is written in a free, rhythmical verse pattern. Eliot won the Nobel prize for literature in 1948 and other major literary awards. The author was married twice. He died on Jan. 4, 1965, in London.

Andrew Llyod Webber
(1948-) British musical comedy writer, born in London; phenomenally successful composer known for lavish productions and scores reflecting a mixture of musical styles; attended Oxford University and Royal College of Music, where he wrote his first full-length dramatic production 'The Likes of Us', also his first collaboration with lyricist Tim Rice; with Rice wrote 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat' (first performed 1968 at a boys' school in London), 'Jesus Christ Superstar' (1971, first released as an album), and 'Evita' (1978); other shows include 'Cats' (1981), 'Phantom of the Opera' (1986), and 'Aspects of Love' (1989)

Valerie Eliot

Trevor Nunn

John Napier

Gillian Lynne

Tim Rice
(1944-) British lyricist. Best known as the lyricist for Andrew Lloyd Webber's immensely popular musicals 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat' (1968), 'Jesus Christ Superstar' (1970), and 'Evita' (1976), Tim Rice also wrote award-winning lyrics for the animated Disney films 'Aladdin' and 'The Lion King'. Although born and raised in Britain, he was considered a pioneer of American musical theater and credited with introducing rock opera to Broadway with 'Jesus Christ Superstar'. Timothy Miles Bindon Rice was born on Nov. 10, 1944, in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England, to Hugh Gordon and Joan Odette (Bawden) Rice. He attended Lancing College and the Sorbonne, at the University of Paris. He studied law in London from 1963 to 1966. Rice's first foray into popular music came as the lead singer for a pop group called the Aardvarks (1961-63), which was followed by stints as a management trainee, an assistant record producer, a writer, and a broadcaster for radio and television networks. In 1965 Rice published his first song, 'That's My Story'. That same year he met Andrew Lloyd Webber, and the two collaborated on a musical entitled 'The Likes of Us'. They worked together again in 1968 on 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat', a 20-minute piece based on the biblical character of Joseph. Rice became famous in 1970 when the rock opera 'Jesus Christ Superstar', his third collaboration with Webber, became a hit when presented as a double album. Extravagant productions of the show on Broadway and in London proved phenomenally successful despite an often unfavorable critical response and objections from the religious lobby to Rice's provocative lyrics. A 1973 film version was poorly received. Nevertheless, the popularity of the live production convinced Rice and Webber to rework 'Joseph'; expanded versions became hits in London in 1973 and on Broadway in 1981. In the late 1970s Rice and Webber collaborated on 'Evita', a rock opera about Evita Peron, wife of Argentinian dictator Juan Peron. Although both the play and album were successful in London and New York, Webber declined when Rice suggested that they work together on another musical. Webber went on to create 'Cats' while Rice wrote 'Blondel' (1983), a medieval romp that told the story of a minstrel who helped rescue King Richard the Lion-Hearted when he lost his throne to the Duke of Austria. 'Blondel' opened in London in 1983 but never played on Broadway. Rice wrote his next work, 'Chess', a musical about United States-Soviet relations set at a chess championship, with two former members of the Swedish rock group Abba. Chess (1984), the soundtrack album that was released before the play reached the stage, sold over one million copies and featured the hit singles 'One Night in Bangkok' and 'I Know Him So Well'. Although the show played for three years in London, it flopped in New York until a drastically revised off-Broadway version opened in 1992. In the early 1990s Rice changed his focus from theater to film. He wrote lyrics for the Disney animated films 'Aladdin' (1992) and 'The Lion King' (1994). His work on 'Aladdin' brought him three 1993 Grammy awards, including song of the year for his collaboration with composer Alan Menken on 'A Whole New World'. In addition to his work with Webber, Rice teamed up with other notable composers, including Marvin Hamlisch, John Barry, Paul McCartney, Vangelis, and Freddie Mercury, during his career. He also worked as a journalist, writing regular columns for British newspapers and for cricket magazines, which reflected his longtime interest in the sport. He took on the title Sir Timothy Rice when he was knighted in 1994.