LOS ANGELES (AP) — Broadway composer Albert Hague, who won a Tony for his work on "Redhead" and who played the part of cranky music teacher Benjamin Shorofsky in the "Fame" movie and television series, died Monday of cancer. He was 81.
Hague, who died at an Inglewood hospital, composed the music for many Broadway shows, including "The Fig Leaves Are Falling," "Plain and Fancy," Cafe Crown" and "Miss Moffat," which starred Bette Davis. He won his Tony in 1959.
He also wrote the music for the animated TV classic "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and appeared in a number of movies, including the Michael Jordan-Bugs Bunny comedy "Space Jam," in which he played a psychiatrist.
It was his long-running role as white-bearded, German-accented teacher Shorofsky that brought him to Los Angeles. He played the part for five years on TV.