Alan Irwin Menken was born on the 22nd July 1949. in New York City, USA, and is a musician, singer/songwriter, probably best recognized for composing songs for films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, including “The Little Mermaid” (1989), “Beauty And The Beast” (1991), “Aladdin” (1992), and “Tangled” (2010). His career has been active since the mid- 1970s.
So, have you ever wondered how rich Alan Menken is, as of early 2017? According to sources, it has been estimated that Alan’s net worth is over $10 million, accumulated through his successful involvement in the film industry.
Alan Menken Net Worth $10 Million
Alan Menken is the son of Norman Menken, who was a dentist and pianist, and Judith Menken, who was known for being an actress and dancer. Thus, he became interested in music as a small boy, when he began taking violin and piano lessons. By the age of nine, he was named Superior and Excellent for his own composition entitled “Bouree” at the New York Federation of Music Clubs Junior Composers Contest. He went to New Rochelle High School, and upon matriculation in 1967, Alan enrolled at New York University’s Steinhardt School, from which he graduated with a degree in Musicology in 1971.
Right after college, he went on to attend the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop, where he continued his education under mentor Lehman Engel, and began performing in local night clubs, and started producing not only songs, but also jingles. Thus, his career soon began, as he worked from 1974 to 1978 for a number of productions. In the following year came Alan’s big break, when he collaborated with with lyricist Howard Ashman on the Off-Broadway production “God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater”, which was a complete success, so they continued their collaboration on the 1982 play “Little Shop Of Horrors”, which added a considerable amount to his net worth and increased his popularity. At that time, he also worked on other titles such as “The Line” (1980), directed by Robert J. Siegel, and “Kicks: The Showgirl Musical” (1984), among others.
In 1986, Alan’s career reached a whole new level, when he accepted work for Walt Disney Animation Studios together with Ashman, and debuted on the film “Little Shop Of Horrors” in the same year. In 1989 he made an animated musical version of “The Little Mermaid”, which earned two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and two Grammy Awards, etc. His next project was “Beauty And The Beast” in 1991, which earned him two Oscars. When Ashman sadly passed away in 1991, Alan began a new collaboration with lyricist Tim Rice on a project which became Disney’s biggest animated hits – “Aladdin”. All steadily increased his net worth.
In the following year, he composed music with Stephen Schwartz for the next Disney film “Pocahontas”, thanks to which Alan won his seventh and eighth Oscars for the song “Colors Of The Wind”, as the best original song and the best musical or comedy score. His last project in the 1990s was the film “Hercules” (1997), on which he collaborated with David Zippel, increasing further his net worth.
In 2004, Alan worked on three films – “Home On The Range”, produced by Disney, “A Christmas Carol”, based on Charles Dickens’ classic, and “Noel”. Two years later, he composed music for “The Shaggy Dog”, starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Kristin Davis, followed by “Enchanted” (2007), on which he worked again with Schwartz.
His next big project was the Disney film “Tangled” released in 2010, and most recently, Alan worked on “Mirror Mirror” (2012) based on the fairy tale “Snow White”, starring Lily Collins, and Julia Roberts, “Sausage Party” (2016) and “Beauty And The Beast” (2017) with Emma Watson and Dan Stevens in lead roles. His net worth is certainly still rising.
To speak further of his career, Alan also composed songs for such film and TV titles as “Home Alone 2: Lost In New York” (1992), “Captain America: The First Avenger” (2011), and “Galavant” (2015-2016), among others, all of which increased his fortune. Moreover, he has also worked on Broadway, composing for the stage versions of “The Little Mermaid”, “Beauty And The Beast”, “Newsies”, and “Sister Act”, etc.
Thanks to his accomplishments, Alan Menken’s recognitions and awards continue to rise, so far including 11 Grammy Awards, eight Oscars, seven Golden Globe Awards, and a Tony Award, among others. He was named as one of the Disney Legends in 2002, and he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010.
Speaking about his personal life, Alan Menken has been married to Janis Roswick, a ballet dancer, since 1972; the couple has two daughters together and their current residence is in North Salem, New York.
