Biography
Lionel Bart (1 August 1930 – 3 April 1999) was an English composer, lyricist and writer of musicals and pop songs. He was born in Stepney, London, and created the book, music and lyrics for the musical Oliver! (1960), an adaptation of Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist.
The stage production ran for over 2,600 performances in the West End and transferred to Broadway, where Bart won the Tony Award for Best Original Score in 1963. The 1968 film version, for which he supplied the music, won six Academy Awards including Best Picture. He also wrote the theme song for the James Bond film From Russia with Love (1963) and earlier musicals including Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be (1959).
