Albert Hague - Cast Member of the Month

 

Albert Hague was born Albert Marcuse on October 13th 1920 making his star sign Libra. Librans have been described as balanced, diplomatic and harmonious. 

Albert was born in Berlin, Germany to a Jewish family. His Father Harry was a psychiatrist and musical prodigy and his Mother Mimi a chess champion.  He started playing piano at the age of 4 and at the age of 6 he started to write music.

Despite his Jewish heritage his family parents raised him Lutheran to try and escape Nazi persecution. In 1937, aged 17 he and his Mother fled from Germany to Rome to avoid Albert

being inducted into the Hitler youth movement. 

Whilst in Italy he studied at The Royal Conservatory and then in 1939 his Sister who was already living in Ohio got him a scholarship to the University of Cincinnati.  To avoid being conscripted into the German army he moved to America. He was penniless and unable to speak English, also he didn't have a legal immigration status so he was adopted by an eye surgeon who was connected to the University, Elliot B. Hague. Albert then assumed his adopted families surname.

While in school, Hague played both boogie-woogie music in nightclubs and classic piano concerts, including a performance with acclaimed Russian pianist and composer Sergei Rachmaninoff.  “You want to know about nervous?” Hague told Rieselman. “Let me tell you, playing piano for Rachmaninoff – that’s nervous.”

After graduating in 1942 Albert served in the United States military for two years. Then he embarked on a career as a composer.

In 1947, whilst scoring a musical "The Reluctant Lady" in Cleveland, he met Renee Orin. They were married in 1951 and had two 2 children, Andrew and Janet.  He and Renee would remain together until she died in August 2000.

In 1955 he celebrated his first Broadway success with the musical "Plain and Fancy" for which he wrote the song "Young and Foolish". Then in 1959 we wrote music for the show "Redhead" which starred Gwen Verdon, which won him 2 Tony awards.

Other musicals he composed were "Cafe Crown" and "The Fig Leaves are Falling". The latter would generate 2 songs for the second Season of "Fame": "Did I Ever Really Live" and "Light One Candle".

In 1966 he wrote the music for the animated TV movie "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" and is particularly well known for his song "You're A Mean One Mr Grinch". 

In 1979 his life took an unexpected turn when he won the role of Music teacher Benjamin Shorofsky for the Alan Parker Movie "Fame", while led to him staying for all 6 seasons on the TV Series.  At the time Albert stated "It makes life very simple because I'm really playing me!"

Albert appeared in 105 episodes across all the seasons of Fame.

Other small acting roles followed on shows like "Hotel", "Tales from the Darkside", "Beauty and the Beast", "Falcon Crest" and "Mr Belvedere. He also had a small role in the 1996 movie "Space Jam".

Of his acting career he said: "It was completely out of the blue. It was very meaningful both to Renee and myself. It was, economically, an enormous jackpot to us. And it made us move to the West Coast. We always lived in New York."

In 1985 Albert released an Album singing How The Grinch Stole Christmas and other children's songs. 

Albert and his wife Renee would at times perform together in a Cabaret act originally called "Hague and Hague", then later "His Hits and his Mrs" and "Still Young and Foolish." In 1998 an album was released titled "Still Young and Foolish" featuring albert and Renee in concert. 

He once said: "Success is if you get what you want. Happiness is if you want what you get." 

In 2001 Albert was diagnosed with cancer and he died on 12 November that year in hospital in Marina del Rey in California.