Hal David Net Worth

What was Hal David's Net Worth?

Hal David was an American lyricist who had a net worth of $40 million. Hal David was best known for his prolific professional partnership with composer Burt Bacharach, which yielded such hit songs as "The Story of My Life," "What the World Needs Now is Love," "Alfie," and the Academy Award-winning "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head." The duo also wrote many hit songs for singer Dionne Warwick, including "I Say a Little Prayer" and "Do You Know the Way to San Jose."

Early Life and Education

Hal David was born on May 25, 1921, in New York City to Austrian Jewish immigrants Lina and Gedalier, who owned a delicatessen in the city. His older brother, Mack, became a lyricist like him. David was educated at Thomas Jefferson High School in Brooklyn, and for college, he attended New York University as a journalism major.

Career Beginnings

David began his music career in the 1940s as a lyricist for bandleaders Sammy Kaye and Guy Lombardo. In the early 1950s, he co-wrote the Christmas song "I Believe in Santa Claus" with Morty Nevins and also worked with Nevins on some songs for the film "Two Gals and a Guy."

Partnership with Burt Bacharach

David began his prolific partnership with composer Burt Bacharach in 1956. Working together at Famous Music Corporation in the Brill Building in Manhattan, the duo had early success with such songs as "I Cry More," "The Morning Mail," and "Peggy's in the Pantry." They also had a major hit with "The Story of My Life," a number-one recording for both country singer Marty Robbins and English singer Michael Holliday in 1958. David and Bacharach reached the peak of their popularity in the 1960s and '70s, creating hit songs for such artists as Dionne Warwick, Dusty Springfield, Gene Pitney, and Tom Jones. For Warwick, they wrote the hits "Anyone Who Had a Heart," "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me," "Walk on By," and "Do You Know the Way to San Jose," among others. The duo also had a major hit with "What the World Needs Now is Love," sung by Jackie DeShannon.

In 1964, David and Bacharach earned their first Grammy Award nomination, for Song of the Year for Jack Jones's recording of "Wives and Lovers." The next year, they earned their first Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song, for "What's New Pussycat?" from the film of the same name, sung by Tom Jones. David and Bacharach received two more consecutive Academy Award nominations, for "Alfie" from the film of the same name in 1966 and "The Look of Love" from "Casino Royale" in 1967. They also received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Instrumental Theme for "Casino Royale." David and Bacharach finally won the Academy Award for "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," from the 1969 film "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." Sung by B. J. Thomas, the song also topped the charts in the United States and Canada.

David and Bacharach branched out into television in 1966 with the hour-long television musical "On the Flip Side," starring Ricky Nelson and Joanie Sommers. In 1968, they expanded into the theater world with the musical "Promises, Promises," based on the Billy Wilder film "The Apartment" with a book by Neil Simon. The show earned seven Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical, and won David and Bacharach the Grammy Award for Best Score from an Original Cast Show Album. In the early 1970s, the duo had success with "(They Long to Be) Close to You," which was a number-one hit for the Carpenters, and "Long Ago Tomorrow," a Golden Globe-nominated song from the British film "The Raging Moon." Following their work on the flop 1973 film "Lost Horizon," during which they had a falling out and exchanged lawsuits, David and Bacharach ended their working relationship.

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Later Career

David continued to have a successful career after parting ways with Bacharach. In 1975, he collaborated with composer Albert Hammond on the song "To All the Girls I've Loved Before," which later became a hit for Julio Iglesias and Willie Nelson in 1984. Meanwhile, in 1977, he worked with Archie Jordan on "It Was Almost Like a Song," a hit for country singer Ronnie Milsap that marked David's final Grammy Award nomination. At the end of the 1970s, David worked with John Barry on the James Bond theme song "Moonraker," sung by Shirley Bassey.

(Photo by Stephen Lovekin/FilmMagic)

Personal Life

David was married twice. With his first wife, Anne, he had two children. His second wife was named Eunice. David lived for several years in the historic Mackay Estate Dairyman's Cottage in East Hills, Long Island, New York.

On September 1, 2012, David died from a stroke in Los Angeles. He was 91 years of age. David is buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills.

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