Adolph Green was born on December 2, 1914, in The Bronx, New York, to Hungarian Jewish immigrants. He attended City College of New York and worked as a runner on Wall Street during the Great Depression. In 1937, he met Leonard Bernstein at a summer camp, forming a lifelong friendship. The following year, he met Betty Comden, and together they formed a troupe called The Revuers, performing in Greenwich Village's Village Vanguard.

Green and Comden's collaboration with Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins on the musical "On the Town" in 1944 marked the beginning of their illustrious career. They wrote for Broadway musicals such as "Wonderful Town," "Bells Are Ringing," and "Applause," earning multiple Tony Awards. Their film work included classics like "Singin' in the Rain" and "The Band Wagon," with the former being voted one of the greatest American films.

Green's songwriting credits include popular songs like "New York, New York" and "Just in Time." He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1980 and the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 1981. He received the Kennedy Center Honor in 1991 alongside Comden. Green was married three times and had two children with his third wife, Phyllis Newman. He passed away on October 23, 2002, in New York City.