Biography
Joseph Stein was an American playwright and librettist. Born in New York City on 30 May 1912 and raised in the Bronx, he graduated from the City College of New York and earned a master's degree in social work from Columbia University. He worked as a psychiatric social worker before turning to writing for radio and television in the mid-1940s, later collaborating on Broadway revues and musicals with Will Glickman.
Stein wrote the book for the stage musical Fiddler on the Roof (1964), which won him Tony Awards for Best Musical and Best Author of a Musical, as well as a New York Drama Critics Circle Award. He also wrote the screenplay for the 1971 film version. His other Broadway credits include the books for Plain and Fancy (1955), Zorba (1968) and Rags (1986). Stein died in New York on 24 October 2010.
