Tim Rice
2008/9 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Writers and critics
| Tim Rice | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Timothy Miles Bindon Rice |
| Born | November 10, 1944 |
| Origin |  Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England |
| Genre(s) | Musical Theatre, Film, Television |
| Occupation(s) | Lyricist |
Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice (born November 10, 1944) is an English Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Tony Award and Grammy Award winning lyricist, author, radio presenter and television gameshow panelist.
Career
Rice was born in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England, and was educated at Aldwickbury school, St Albans School and Lancing College. He is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita, and his work for The Walt Disney Company with Alan Menken and Sir Elton John. He also collaborated with Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson of ABBA on Chess and with Rick Wakeman on the concept albums 1984 and Cost of Living.
He was a co-founder of the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles and served as an editor from 1977 to 1996. He has also been a frequent guest panelist for many years on the radio panel games Just a Minute and Trivia Test Match. Rice often jokes that he is most recognised in America for his appearance in the film About a Boy. The film includes several clips from a (real) edition of the game show Countdown on which he was the guest adjudicator. His other interests include cricket (he was President of the Marylebone Cricket Club in 2002) and maths. He wrote the foreword to the book Why do buses come in threes? by Rob Eastaway and Jeremy Wyndham, and featured prominently in Tony Hawks' One Hit Wonderland, where he co-wrote the song which gave Hawks a top twenty hit in Albania.
Rice was interviewed by Dom Joly in the cult British sketch show Trigger Happy TV. Whilst discussing Rice's autobiography somewhere near Kensington Church Street in London, Joly feigns a severe migraine, prompting Rice to ask "Are you OK? - you're not about to die are you?" Joly attempts to continue the interview but after some moments he wanders off declaring, "I'm sorry I can't do this anymore, it's not my scene" - leaving Rice to ponder, "is that normal?"
He released his autobiography Oh What a Circus - The Autobiography of Tim Rice in 1998, which covered his childhood and early adult life until the opening of the original London production of Evita in 1978. A sequel covering his life since then is in production.
Personal life
Rice married Jane McIntosh, who retains the title Lady Rice, in 1974, but the marriage broke up in the late-1980s after the British tabloid newspapers revealed that he'd been conducting an affair with actress/singer Elaine Paige. It has been suggested that one of Rice's most famous songs, I Know Him So Well was based on this situation. Rice is a Sunderland A.F.C. supporter, and was awarded a honorary doctorate of letters by the University of Sunderland at a ceremony at the Stadium of Light in November 2006 Rice is also a supporter of the Conservative Party. His daughter, Eva Rice, is the author of the novel "The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets," which was a finalist for the British book award Best Read of the Year.
Theatrical productions
Rice wrote the lyrics for the following productions:
- 1966: The Likes of Us - music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Not produced until 2005
- 1968: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat - music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Expanded in 1973.
- 1971: Jesus Christ Superstar - music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Followed 1970 concept album.
- 1978: Evita - music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Followed 1976 concept album.
- 1983: Blondel - music by Stephen Oliver. Revived in 2006.
- 1986: Chess - music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. Followed 1984 concept album.
- 1986: Cricket - music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Mini-show written in celebration of Queen Elizabeth II's 60th Birthday.
- 1992: Tycoon - music by Michel Berger. Rice adapted the original French lyrics to Starmania by Luc Plamondon.
- 1994: Beauty and the Beast - music by Alan Menken. Rice contributed to new songs in addition to the original entries by Howard Ashman.
- 1996: Heathcliff - music by John Farrar. Followed 1995 concept album.
- 1997: King David - music by Menken.
- 1997: The Lion King - music by Elton John. Additional contributions by Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Julie Taymor and Hans Zimmer. Followed the 1994 film.
- 2000: Aida - music by Elton John. Followed 1999 "All-Star" album.
Film and television work
In addition to adaptations of his theatrical productions, Rice has worked on several original film and television projects:
- 1992: Aladdin - music by Alan Menken. Completed work begun by Howard Ashman.
- 1994: The Lion King - music by Elton John, score by Hans Zimmer.
- 2000: The Road to El Dorado - music by Elton John, score by Hans Zimmer.
Trivia
- Rice was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1999.
- In 2002, he was named a Disney Legend.
- His daughter, Eva Rice, is a best-selling author.
- He supports Sunderland AFC.
Contributions
- Rice wrote the lyrics to two best-selling albums of the year: First for Jesus Christ Superstar in 1970 and then for The Lion King in 1994.
- Rice wrote the lyrics to The Golden Boy and The Fallen Priest both taken from Freddie Mercury's solo album Barcelona (album)
- Rice wrote the lyrics to the 1981 concept album 1984 composed by Rick Wakeman and inspired by the George Orwell novel of the same title.