George Michael Cohan (1878-1942) was an actor, playwright, singer, dancer, and songwriter. After starting with his family as a vaudeville performer, his 1904 musical Little Johnny Jones started his career creating shows on Broadway. He was known for paying attention to the dramatic material between songs more than most other authors, and while other American composers adhered to models established by European operetta, Cohan’s use of vernacular language and working-class characters gave Broadway its first distinctively American musical shows. His life story was depicted in the 1942 musical film Yankee Doodle Dandy. He died a few months after the movie premiered.