Ned Washington


Ned Washington was an American lyricist born in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Life and career

Washington was nominated for eleven Academy Awards from 1940 to 1962. He won the Best Original Song award twice: in 1940 for "When [You Wish Upon a Star]" in Pinocchio and in 1952 for "High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin')" in High Noon.
Washington had his roots in vaudeville as a master of ceremonies. Having started his songwriting career with Earl Carroll's Vanities on Broadway in the late 1920s, he joined the ASCAP in 1930. In 1934, he was signed by MGM and relocated to Hollywood, eventually writing full scores for feature films. During the 1940s, he worked for a number of studios, including Paramount, Warner Brothers, Disney, and Republic.
During these tenures, he collaborated with many of the great composers of the era, including Hoagy Carmichael, Victor Young, Max Steiner, and Dimitri Tiomkin.
With Leigh Harline, he contributed most of the melodic songs that distinguished the Pinocchio soundtrack, including "When You Wish Upon a Star".
He also served as a director of the ASCAP from 1957 until 1976, the year he died of a heart ailment.
Washington is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame. His grave is located in Culver City's Holy Cross Cemetery. He was posthumously honored as a Disney Legend, in 2001.

Songs

Some of Washington's songwriting credits include: