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Ira Gershwin Biography

• Birth Name: Israel Gershvin
• Birth Place: New York, NY
• Date of Birth / Zodiac Sign: December 06, Sagittarius
• Date of Death: 08/17/1983
• Profession: Lyricist; composer

Ira Gershwin Fast Facts:

• His nickname was Izzy; he grew up thinking his first name was Isidore and didn’t learn that it was Israel until he applied for a passport in 1928.
  
• Originally wrote under the pen name Arthur Francis.
  
• In 1932, won a Pulitzer Prize (shared with cowriters George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind) for his work on the musical comedy Of Thee I Sing.
  
• He and his brother George were inspired to write An American in Paris during a 1928 trip to Europe.
  
• Partnered with such songwriters as Jerome Kern, Harold Arlen and Kurt Weill after his brother’s death.
  
• His widow, Leonore, established the Ira Gershwin Literacy Center at University Settlement in New York’s Lower East Side; it provides English-language programs for non-native speakers.

Ira Gershwin Relationships:
• Arthur Gershwin – Brother
• Frances Gershwin Godowsky – Sister
• George Gershwin – Brother
• Leonore Strunsky Gershwin – Wife
• Morris Gershvin – Father
• Rose Gershvin – Mother

Ira Gershwin Awards:

• 1937 Oscar: Best Achievement in Music (Song) – Nominee
• 1944 Oscar: Best Achievement in Music (Song) – Nominee
• 1954 Oscar: Best Achievement in Music (Song) – Nominee
• College:
• Attended City College of New York, New York, NY; attended Columbia University, New York, NY