Andrew Gold mother was singer Marni Nixon, who provided the singing voice for numerous actresses, notably Natalie Wood in "West Side Story", Deborah Kerr in "The King and I", and Audrey Hepburn in "My Fair Lady"; his father was Ernest Gold, an Austrian-born composer who won an Academy Award for his score for the movie "Exodus". He had two younger sisters. Gold began writing songs at the age of 13. Abroad in England for school, the 16-year-old Gold scored his first recording contract on the strength of a selection of demos he submitted to Polydor Records' London office. That contract resulted in
My Fair Lady a hit London production, a popular film version, and many revivals. "My Fair Lady" has been called "the perfect musical". It is Edwardian London, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. The protagonist, Eliza Doolittle, is a Cockney with a thick, unintelligible accent. Professor Henry Higgins invites Colonel Pickering to stay as his houseguest. Soon after, Eliza Doolittle comes to Professor Higgins's house, seeking elocution lessons. Professor Higgins wagers Colonel Pickering, that in six months he will turn Eliza into a lady by teaching her to speak properly. Eliza is indentured into the Higgins household as a resident elocution student. After