Broadway Lyricist & Playwright Herbert Martin Passes Away

Herbert Martin, born in Stamford in 1926, passed away peacefully at The Actor's Home in NJ, on September 27, 2019. He was predeceased by his parents Sydney and Molly Martin, and his sister, Louise Martin Harris and her husband Lewis. He is survived by his brother William Martin of Florida as well as his niece Susan Harris Spalthoff; nephew, Robert Harris; grandnephew, Brett Harris; and second cousins Barbara Aronica-Buck and Robert Martin Cohen.

Herbie graduated from Stamford (CT) High School and the University of Connecticut . After graduation, he lived on the Upper East Side of NYC, where he began a colorful career as a playwright and lyricist. He also worked in various summer stock theaters and as a music teacher in NYC public schools.

He collaborated with Mickey Leonard on two Broadway shows, The Yearling and How to Be A Jewish Mother, and with Duke Ellington on a never-produced musical set in South Africa called Saturday Laughter (later renamed Renaissance Man).

While success on Broadway eluded him, three songs from his collaboration with Leonard on The Yearling - I'm All Smiles, Why Did I Choose You? and The Kind of Man A Woman Needs - first made famous by Barbra Streisand - have become standards in both pop and jazz repertoires.

Burial will be private. Please consider making a memorial contribution to The Actor's Home in Englewood, NJ https://actorsfundhome.org/ or ARI of Connecticut https://www.arict.org/