When it comes to songwriters who have left a significant mark on movie and theatrical musicals, few have made the impact of Irving Berlin. Collectively he wrote over 1,500 songs and dozens of musicals and films throughout his lifetime.

Berlin was born Israel Baline in Tyumen, Russia in 1888. His family fled the persecution of the Jewish community to New York City in the mid-1890s. During his teen years he worked as a street singer then moved on to being a singing waiter in Chinatown. He published his first song “Marie From Sunny Italy” in 1907 with Nick Nicholson writing the music. His name was misspelled on the sheet music as “I. Berlin” so he decided to change his name to Irving Berlin.

In a few years he became a lyricist for the music publisher Waterson & Snyder. His first major hit was the 1911 song “Alexander’s Ragtime Band,” which gained him the nickname King of Tin Pan Alley. Over the next few years he wrote dozens of songs. It was during this time that he began writing musicals, starting with the Broadway show Watch Your Step in 1914. He became a U.S. citizen in 1916, then while serving in the military during World War I he wrote the musical Yip! Yip! Yaphank! for an Army fundraiser.

Berlin had married Dorothy Goetz in 1912, but she died a few months later, leading him to write the emotional “When I Lost You.” In 1925 he fell in love with Ellin Mackay, but her father sent her away to Europe because he did not approve of the relationship. To deal with his feelings, Berlin wrote “What’ll I Do” and “Always.” When she came back to the U.S. they eloped and had four children.

In 1919 he founded the Irving Berlin Music Corporation, giving him full control of his copyrights. Some of his most impressive work came through the next 25 years. His best film work includes Puttin’ On the Ritz, Top Hat – the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers collaboration which featured “Cheek to Cheek,” and Follow the Fleet. His song “God Bless America” which was first sung by Kate Smith in 1938 became an unofficial anthem for the U.S.

Berlin struck gold with Holiday Inn in 1942, starring Bing Crosby, Astaire, and Marjorie Reynolds. The movie featured the iconic Christmas song, “White Christmas,” which won Berlin an Academy Award for Best Original Song.

He wrote the Broadway musical Annie Get Your Gun after WWII, based on the life of Annie Oakley, which was a huge success. The musical featured popular songs like “Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better” and “There’s No Business Like Show Business.”

After writing the 1962 musical Mr. President, he retired and withdrew from the public eye. Throughout his movie career he was nominated for nine Oscars, including his win for “White Christmas.” He received other accolades for his musical contributions. Berlin died in 1989 when he was 101 years old.