Sondheim was born into a Jewish family on March 22, 1930, in New York City. His parents were Herbert Sondheim and Etta Janet (“Foxy”; née Fox; 1897-1992).
His maternal grandparents, Joseph and Bessie, were Lithuanian Jews from Vilnius, while his paternal grandparents, Isaac and Rosa, were German Jews. His mother’s outfit designs were made by his father.
Where did Stephen Sondheim go to college and high school? Did Stephen Sondheim go to film school?
Sondheim went to the Fieldston School for Ethical Culture when he lived in New York City. He stayed at Camp Androscoggin for numerous summers.
In 1940, his mother paid for his tuition at New York Military Academy. He attended Bucks County, Pennsylvania’s prestigious Quaker preparatory school George School from 1942 to 1947, where he created his first musical, By George, in 1946.
Sondheim attended Williams College from 1946 to 1950. He got the Hubbard Hutchinson Prize, a two-year grant to study music, after graduating with honours (magna cum laude).
