An American lyricist, who became prominent in musical theatre. He was born in Manhattan, New York, in the United States. He had many collaborations with the composer, John Kander. He earned a master's degree in English language from Columbia University and a bachelor's degree in English literature from New York University. He participated in writing plays and lyrics for musical songs, including the musical “Baker’s Dozen” in 1951. He collaborated on writing songs with Norman Martin and worked with composer Paul Klein in the early 1950s. He won the 1998 Laurence Olivier Theater Award for "Chicago."