Biography
Philip LaZebnik (born 8 February 1953) is an American screenwriter, television writer and playwright. Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, he was raised in Columbia, Missouri, and graduated from Harvard University with a degree in classics. He briefly worked as a professional violinist with the Boston Ballet Orchestra, the Boston Pops and the Tanglewood Festival Orchestra before co-founding the Chicago Premiere Society theatre company with his brother.
LaZebnik wrote the book, music and lyrics for more than twenty stage musicals and plays. His screenwriting credits include the Disney animated features Pocahontas (1995) and Mulan (1998), and the DreamWorks film The Prince of Egypt (1998). He also contributed episodes to the television series Wings, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (teleplay for the 1994 episode 'Fascination').
He has served on the board of directors of the Writers Guild of America West (2001–02) and the Writers Branch Executive Committee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (2001–03). The screenplay for Mulan received the 1998 Annie Award for best animation screenplay.
