Stephen Schwartz is an American composer, lyricist, and songwriter born in New York City on March 6, 1948.

He attended Mineola High School before pursuing his musical education at Carnegie Mellon University and the Juilliard School, a course of study that positioned him within the formal traditions of both dramatic composition and classical training. His work has extended across multiple disciplines, encompassing composition, lyric writing, screenwriting, and executive producing, reflecting a career that has moved between stage and screen with some consistency.

Among his notable works is The Prince of Egypt, the animated film for which his contributions as a songwriter brought him considerable recognition. That project stands as one of the more prominent examples of his output and points toward his sustained engagement with large-scale, narrative-driven musical work. His efforts were recognized with the Academy Award for Best Original Song, the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame — distinctions that mark specific, documented achievements across film and theater.

The through line in Schwartz's career is the intersection of music and storytelling, with his roles as composer and lyricist forming the consistent core of his professional identity. His work as a poet further underscores an attention to language that runs alongside his musical concerns, suggesting that the crafting of words, whether set to melody or standing apart from it, has been a persistent element of his practice.