Andrew Lloyd Webber's Biography

Composer and theatre producer, Andrew Lloyd Webber was born in London on 22 March 1948 and is the elder brother of cellist Julian Lloyd Webber.

Lloyd Webber studied at Magdalen College Oxford and the Royal College of Music.

Crucial in Andrew Lloyd Webber's career was his collaboration with Tim Rice. Discovered by David Land and paid an estimated £20 a week, Lloyd-Webber composed the music, whilst Tim Rice wrote the lyrics.

Their first success was Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in 1968, and it was soon followed by Jesus Christ Superstar, and then Evita.

In 1977 Andrew Lloyd Webber founded The Really Useful Group, which is involved in theatre ownership and management, theatrical production, film, television, video and concert productions, merchandising, records and music publishing.

Lloyd Webber continued to have hits after his working partnership with Rice had ended, including Cats, Starlight Express, The Phantom of the Opera, and Sunset Boulevard.

Lloyd Webber owns several London theatres including the Palace and the London Palladium.

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

Andrew Lloyd Webber has been married three times - first to Sarah Hugill, then to Sarah Brightman and latterly Madeline Gurdon.

Lloyd Webber was a judge in the BBC's How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria.

Following the success of How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria, on 1 April 2007 the BBC launched Any Dream Will Do, with Andrew Lloyd Webber at the helm, looking for a Joseph.

In The Sunday Times Rich List in 2007, Andrew Lloyd-Webber's wealth was estimated at £750m.

In December 2007, the BBC reported that Andrew Lloyd Webber will act in Hollyoaks early in 2008.

In March 2008, Andrew Lloyd Webber was back on the TV screens himself as a judge on BBC1's I'd Do Anything, looking for a Nancy and an Oliver for the musical Oliver Twist.

The other judges on I'll Do Anything, presented by Graham Norton, are Sir Cameron Mackintosh, Denise Van Outen, and Barry Humphries.

In May 2008, Andrew Lloyd Webber was awarded a prize for outstanding achievement in music at the Classical Brits.

In October 2008 it was announced that Andrew Lloyd Webber would be at the centre of the UK's 2009 Eurovision entry.

Lord Lloyd Webber will compose the UK's song and will search for the Eurovision performer on a BBC TV show, Your Country Needs You, hosted by Graham Norton.

On 25 October 2009, the BBC reported that Andrew Lloyd Webber had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

In November 2009, Andrew Lloyd Webber's official website revealed that although he had a successful operation, Lloyd Webber had been re-admitted to hospital after developing a post-operative chronic infection.

In January 2010 Andrew Lloyd Webber told the Mail that he had been given the all-clear after being treated for prostate cancer.

In February 2010, the BBC announced that Andrew Lloyd Webber and a panel of experts comprising of Charlotte Church, Sheila Hancock and John Partridge would help the nation to decide on the best Dorothy for a new stage production of The Wizard of Oz, in BBC One's Over The Rainbow.

On 24 February 2010, the BBC reported that Andrew Lloyd Webber had renewed his record contract with Universal, having already worked with them for 40 years.

In March 2010 Andrew Lloyd Webber's production Love Never Dies, a sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, opened in London's West End to mixed reviews.

In October 2010 it was announced that Andrew Lloyd Webber was selling four West End theatres: the Palace, Her Majesty's, Cambridge and New London theatres.

In July 2012, ITV started broadcasting Superstar, in which Lloyd Webber searches for someone to play Jesus Christ.

In February 2014, it was revealed that Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical, Stephen Ward, would close at the end of March after a West End run of less than four months.

In 2016, Andrew Lloyd Webber's School of Rock came to London's West End from Broadway and gained excellent reviews.

In February 2023, it was revealed that the coronation service of King Charles would include a composition by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

In March 2023, Andrew's son Nicholas Lloyd Webber died, aged 43.