- In full:
- Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice
- On the Web:
- PBS - Great Performances - Tim Rice on Chess for Theater Talk (Nov. 04, 2026)
Tim Rice
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Who is Tim Rice?
Tim Rice, born on November 10, 1944, is an English lyricist celebrated for his contributions to stage and film musicals. He frequently worked with Andrew Lloyd Webber; together, they created Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita.
During the 1980s, Rice collaborated with Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus of ABBA on Chess, which produced the hits "I Know Him So Well" and "One Night in Bangkok." In the 1990s, he worked on animated films, including Disney’s Aladdin with Alan Menken, winning an Academy Award and two Grammys for "A Whole New World." With Elton John, he wrote songs for The Lion King, notably the Oscar-winning "Can You Feel the Love Tonight".
Knighted in 1994, Rice was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1999 and received a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 2008.
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What is a lyricist and what does Tim Rice do?
A lyricist is a person who writes the lyrics for songs.
Tim Rice is an English lyricist known for co-authoring successful stage and film musicals. He often worked with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he created Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Evita. During the 1990s, Rice worked on animated films such as Disney's Aladdin and The Lion King, the latter with Elton John.
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Which famous musicals feature lyrics written by Tim Rice?
Tim Rice is an English lyricist known for his collaborations on successful musicals. With Andrew Lloyd Webber, Rice created Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (1968), the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar (1971), and Evita (1978).
Rice also worked with Stephen Oliver on Blondel (1983), and with ABBA's Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus on Chess (1984). In the 1990s, he contributed to Disney's Aladdin (1992) with Alan Menken, and The Lion King (1994) with Elton John. He and Elton John also teamed up for The Road to El Dorado (2000). In 2011, Rice and Lloyd Webber wrote new songs for The Wizard of Oz.
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With which well-known composers has Tim Rice collaborated?
Tim Rice has worked with several well-known composers on successful musicals for stage and film. His most frequent collaborator has been Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he created Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Evita.
Rice also collaborated with:
* Stephen Oliver, on the stage production Blondel
* Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, of ABBA, on the musical Chess
* Alan Menken, on Disney’s Aladdin
* Elton John, on The Lion King and Aida
* Lloyd Webber again for the musical The Wizard of Oz3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Which awards and honors has Tim Rice received for his work?
Tim Rice has received several prestigious awards and honors for his work as a lyricist. In 1994, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. Rice was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1999 and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2008.
Rice has also won several awards for his work on stage and film musicals. His accolades include an Academy Award and two Grammy Awards for the song "A Whole New World" from Disney's Aladdin (1992), written with Alan Menken. He also won an Oscar for "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from The Lion King (1994), in collaboration with Elton John. Rice also received a Creative Arts Emmy Award for co-producing the live telecast of Jesus Christ Superstar in 2018, which led to him joining the small group of entertainers who have won an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony). For the cast show album of Evita, Rice won his first Grammy Award.
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How has Tim Rice influenced musical theater and popular music?
Tim Rice is an English lyricist known for his significant influence on musical theatre and popular music through his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber and others. Together, Rice and Lloyd Webber created Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, which gained worldwide popularity. They followed this with the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar, which blended classical forms with rock music and achieved international acclaim. Their collaboration also produced Evita, which featured the hit song "Don't Cry for Me Argentina".
Rice also collaborated with Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus of ABBA on the musical Chess, which produced the pop hits "I Know Him So Well" and "One Night in Bangkok." In the 1990s, he worked with Alan Menken at Disney on Aladdin, which won an Academy Award for "A Whole New World," and with Elton John on The Lion King, which won an Oscar for "Can You Feel the Love Tonight".
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Tim Rice (born November 10, 1944, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England) is an English lyricist who coauthored some of the most successful stage and film musicals of the 20th century. He often collaborated with Andrew Lloyd Webber, and their notable works included Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita.
Partnership with Lloyd Webber
After singing briefly with the pop group the Aardvarks during his late teens, Rice temporarily sidelined his passion for music to go to law school. In 1965, however, while still on track toward the legal profession, he was introduced to Andrew Lloyd Webber, a young composer in need of a lyricist, and the two began what would become a long-term musical partnership. Although their first stage musical, The Likes of Us (1965), went unperformed for 40 years, Rice decided to abandon his legal aspirations to pursue his musical interests. He went to work in the music industry—first as an administrative trainee and then as an executive assistant—while continuing his collaboration with Lloyd Webber. The biblically inspired oratorio Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (1968) was their next production. Composed originally for a school chorus at the request of a family friend of Lloyd Webber, the work met with unexpected success and later, as an expanded stage show, became a smash hit in the United Kingdom and, eventually, across the globe.
Rice subsequently left his position as a music-industry professional to focus on his creative work with Lloyd Webber. Their innovative yet controversial rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar was released as a concept album in 1970 and was staged the following year. It met with resounding international acclaim and enjoyed long runs both in London and in New York City on Broadway; a film version appeared in 1973. Rice’s last major collaboration with Lloyd Webber during the 20th century was the Tony Award-winning musical Evita, released on record in 1976 before making its London stage debut in 1978. With a story based on the life of former Argentine first lady Eva Perón, the show produced the international hit song “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina.” For the cast show album, Rice won the first of several Grammy Awards. A 1996 film adaptation featured a new Rice–Lloyd Webber song, “You Must Love Me,” performed by pop star Madonna. It won an Academy Award for best original song.
Later career: Chess, Disney, and Elton John
During the 1980s Rice collaborated with composer Stephen Oliver on the stage production Blondel (1983) and with Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, both veterans of the pop group ABBA, on the musical Chess (1984, first staged in 1986). The latter show yielded the pop hits “I Know Him So Well” and “One Night in Bangkok.” In the 1990s he worked primarily on animated feature films, including Disney’s Aladdin (1992), with composer Alan Menken; their song “A Whole New World” won an Academy Award as well as two Grammys. Rice had continued success with The Lion King (1994), collaborating with singer-songwriter Elton John on various songs, notably the Oscar-winning “Can You Feel the Love Tonight.” The two men also worked on the 2019 CGI “live-action” version of that movie and on The Road to El Dorado (2000). Rice’s other film credits included Beauty and the Beast (2017).
Other EGOT winners include Tim Rice’s collaborators Andrew Lloyd Webber, Alan Menken, and Elton John.
Rice continued to work in the theater, and he reteamed with John on the stage adaptation of The Lion King (1997) as well as a revival of Aida (2000). For the musical The Wizard of Oz (2011), which was based on the 1939 film starring Judy Garland, Rice reunited with Lloyd Webber to write several new songs; it was their first major collaboration in more than three decades. Rice’s later credits included the musical From Here to Eternity (2013), which was adapted from the novel by James Jones. In 2018 Rice coproduced a live telecast of Jesus Christ Superstar, and he won a Creative Arts Emmy Award when it was named best live variety special. With the honor, Rice joined the small group of entertainers who have won an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony).
Rice was knighted by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II in 1994. In 1999 he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2008.