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Acclaimed American composer, lyricist, arranger, and musical director.Born in Newark, New Jersey, Shaiman rose to prominence as a musical director and arranger for Saturday Night Live and Billy Crystal. He achieved mainstream success composing iconic film scores (When Harry Met Sally..., Sleepless in Seattle, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut) and award-winning Broadway musicals (Hairspray, Catch Me If You Can). A multi-Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony winner, he is a member of the exclusive EGOT club.

• Shaiman frequently collaborates with actor Billy Crystal, writing songs for his Academy Awards hosting gigs and films like City Slickers and Mr. Saturday Night.
• He is openly gay and has been with his partner, film and TV writer Scott Wittman (his frequent lyricist collaborator, e.g., Hairspray, Smash), since 1979.
• Despite his immense success, Shaiman has no formal musical training beyond piano lessons as a child.
• He achieved EGOT status relatively late, winning his Tony Award for Best Original Score for Hairspray in 2003, completing the quartet after earlier Emmy, Grammy, and Oscar wins.
• Shaiman and Wittman wrote the music for the NBC series Smash, exploring the behind-the-scenes drama of creating a Broadway musical.