Sherman was an American songwriter who, with his brother Richard, wrote the cheerful, upbeat scores to several memorable family films—most notably "Mary Poppins." The Sherman brothers both composed such infectious, good-natured anthems as "A Spoonful of Sugar" and "Let's Go Fly a Kite."

Mr. Sherman entered World War II at an early age, 17. On April 12, 1945, he was shot in the knee, forcing him to walk with a cane for the rest of his life. During his recuperation in England, he became interested in British culture, something that would come in handy later in his career. Though their work is often associated with English life—thanks to "Mary Poppins" and "Chitty Chitty.."—the Shermans were the sons of New York City-dwelling Russian-Jewish immigrants. Their father, Al Sherman, was a well-known Tin Pan Alley songwriter. (His very Sherman-like titles included "Nine Little Miles From Ten-Ten-Tennessee"





His only other previous Broadway experience had been the Tony Award-nominated 1974 World War II-set work Over Here!, which ran for a year. It was a follow-up to the Sherman brothers' earlier WWII musical Victory Canteen.

The brothers won two Academy Awards for "Mary Poppins," and were nominated seven more times. They also had four Grammy Award nominations (winning twice) and 23 gold and platinum albums.

Source: Playbill.com