Whether you know him by his full name or simply as ‘The Lord’, Andrew Lloyd Webber is one of the biggest names in Theatre Land!
With 13 smash hit musicals and a TV career under his belt, he’s no stranger to global success.
But how much do you really know about this legend of our time?
Here are 10 things you didn’t know about Lord Lloyd Webber – use them to impress your mates during that pre-show drink!
1. He had musical parents. The man behind Cats and Phantom had an accomplished musician for a mother and a father who was a (you guessed it!) composer. Looks like talent really does run in the family!
2. He was a childhood prodigy. While we were playing with toy cars and Barbies, Lloyd Webber was working on his music. At nine years old he had already composed a series of musicals and could play both the violin and organ. Anyone else feeling a little inadequate right now?
3. He married the original Christine Daaé. Sarah Brightman played the original soaring soprano in The Phantom of the Opera and won Lloyd Webber’s heart! They wed in 1984 but divorced just six years later.
4. He gets the pre-show nerves. It’s reported he was so nervous before the premiere of Phantom that he had to leave the theatre! Looks like The Lord’s only human after all…
5. His biggest regret involves Tim Rice. Lloyd Webber told The Telegraph in 2013 that his biggest regret was not having a long-term writing partner. Artistic differences pulled him apart from Tim Rice – but as we all know, the show must go on!
6. He’s a record holder. Lloyd Webber is the first and only composer to have a whopping six productions running in London’s West End at the same time! Who says men can’t multi-task?
7. He’s a proud father of five. Lloyd Webber’s brood includes Imogen and Nicholas with his first wife, and Alastair, William and Isabella with his third. The ultimate modern family!
8. He’s a Tory. Lloyd Webber was made a Conservative peer in 1997 and even let his tune ‘Take that look off your face’ to be used on a party promotional film in 2005!
9. He’s a charitable man. Hats off to Lloyd Webber for putting his fame and money to good use. He has worked with a range of charities including the Elton John AIDS Foundation, Nordoff Robbins, Prostate Cancer UK, and War Child. Plus, he’s got his very own foundation to support arts, culture and heritage in the UK too!
10. He’s blessed in the trouser department. Well, according to ex-wife Sarah Brightman anyway! She blurted out the risqué comment in an interview with Graham Norton and Lloyd Webber was so embarrassed on behalf of his son, he threatened her with legal action! Oopsy!
We’re always on the look-out for the next Lloyd Webber – but will anyone ever measure up?
