Stephen Lawrence Schwartz, born on March 6, 1948, in New York City, is an acclaimed American composer and lyricist known for his significant contributions to musical theatre and film. He studied piano and composition at the Juilliard School of Music during high school and graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 1968 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama. Schwartz's career in musical theatre began in the early 1970s, with his first major success being the musical "Godspell" in 1971, for which he wrote the music and lyrics, earning two Grammy Awards. He followed this with "Pippin" in 1972 and "The Magic Show" in 1974, achieving the rare feat of having three musicals running on Broadway simultaneously.

Schwartz's prolific career includes writing the music and lyrics for "Wicked," which opened in 2003 and became a global phenomenon. He also collaborated with Alan Menken on songs for Disney films such as "Pocahontas" (1995) and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (1996), and wrote songs for "The Prince of Egypt" (1998), winning multiple Academy Awards and a Grammy. His work extends to opera and choral compositions, such as "Séance on a Wet Afternoon" and "Testimony."

Throughout his career, Schwartz has received numerous accolades, including three Academy Awards, three Grammy Awards, and a Golden Globe Award. Despite multiple Tony Award nominations, he notably received the Isabelle Stevenson Award in 2015 for his humanitarian efforts. He is married to Carole Piasecki, with whom he has two children, and continues to influence the world of musical theatre as an artistic director and mentor.