Stephen Sondheim

Birth Name: Stephen Joshua Sondheim

Date of Birth: March 22, 1930

Place of Birth: New York City, New York, U.S.

Date of Death: November 26, 2021

Place of Death: Roxbury, Connecticut, U.S.

Ethnicity: Ashkenazi Jewish

Stephen Sondheim was an American composer and lyricist. He was considered a leading figure of 20th century musical theatre. He won a Tony, an Academy Award, a Grammy, a Pulitzer Prize, a Laurence Olivier Award, and a Presidential Medal of Freedom. He was the composer and lyricist of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Pacific Overtures, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Merrily We Roll Along, Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, Assassins, and Passion; and wrote the lyrics for West Side Story and Gypsy; and film music.

Stephen was the son of Etta Janet “Foxy” (Fox) and Herbert S. Sondheim. His father was born in New York, of German Jewish descent. His mother was born in Massachusetts, to a German Jewish father and a Belarusian Jewish/Lithuanian Jewish mother. His father manufactured dresses designed by his mother. Stephen was raised on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and later on a farm near Doylestown, Pennsylvania. He attended New York Military Academy for a time.

He was married to digital technologist Jeffrey Romley, until his death.

Stephen’s paternal grandfather was Simon/Samuel Sondheim (the son of Isaac/Isidore Sondheim/Sondhimer and Rosa/Rosali/Rosaly Loewi/Loewe/Levy). Simon was born in New York City, New York, to German Jewish parents, his father from Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Hesse, and his mother from Bayern.

Stephen’s paternal grandmother was Bertha Gutenstein/Gultenstein (the daughter of Jacob Gutenstein and Minnie Uerberger/Heberger). Bertha was born in New York, or in Frankfurt, Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany, to German Jewish parents.

Stephen’s maternal grandfather was Joseph Mordechai Fox (the son of Moses/Moshe Fox and Molly Kominsky). Joseph was born in Belarus.

Stephen’s maternal grandmother was named Bessie/Beila Rosenberg (the daughter of Shmuel Rosenberg). Bessie was born in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Sources: Genealogy of Stephen Sondheim – https://www.geni.com

Stephen Sondheim on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org

Marriage record of Stephen’s parents – https://www.familysearch.org

Stephen’s father on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org