Ten facts about... Andrew Lloyd Webber

1. Andrew Lloyd Webber was born on 22 March 1948 in London. His father was the director of the London College of Music, his mother was a piano teacher and his younger brother, Julian, is a renowned cellist. 

2. Andrew was playing the piano and violin at three and began writing his own music and playing the French Horn at six.

3. He composed his first musical at the age of 19. It was called Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (heard of it anyone?). He then wrote wrote Jesus Christ Superstar at the age of 20. Both musicals have been performed all over the world ever since. (Having enjoyed a sell-out arena tour in the UK, Jesus Christ Superstar is soon to tour Australia before re-visiting the UK and Joseph continues to tour the UK).

4. Other musicals Andrew has written include... The Likes of Us, By Jeeves, Evita, Variations and Tell Me On A Sunday, Cats, Starlight Express, The Phantom of the Opera, Aspects of Love, Sunset Boulevard, Whistle Down the Wind, The Beautiful Game (now called The Boys in the Photograph), The Woman in White and Love Never Dies.

5. He also composed the film scores of Gumshoe, The Odessa File and a setting of the Latin Requiem Mass.

6. Andrew is also a producer. His producing credits include Daisy Pulls It Off, Lend me A Tenor, Shirley Valentine, La Bête, the ground-breaking Bollywood musical, A R Rahman's Bombay Dreams, The Sound of Music and The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium, and the films of The Phantom of the Opera and the acclaimed Australian production of Love Never Dies.

7. In more recent years Andrew turned to television, creating musical theatre casting programmes How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?, Any Dream Will Do, I'd Do Anything and Over The Rainbow, all for the BBC and not forgetting Superstar for ITV.

8. Andrew has won countless awards including seven Tonys, three Grammys (including Best Contemporary Classical Composition for Requiem), seven Oliviers, a Golden Globe, an Oscar, two International Emmys, the Praemium Imperiale, the Richard Rodgers Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre and the Kennedy Center Honor.

9. He currently owns six London theatres: Adelphi Theatre, Cambridge Theatre, Her Majesty's Theatre, London Palladium, New London Theatre and the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.

10. He was knighted in 1992 and created an honorary life peer in 1997.

Andrew Lloyd Webber: 40 Musical Years will air on ITV tomorrow (31st March) at 6.30 pm.

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