Martin Charnin was an American lyricists and theatre director who is best known for directing the original Broadway production of Annie and other productions. He wrote the lyrics of the songs featured the the play, and he helped write the story along with Charles Strouse and Thomas Meehan.
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He was born in Manhattan in 1934, and became a preformer in plays including West Side Story. He then became a lyricist and wrote the lyrics to multiple productions and directed some plays. He came up with Annie in 1972 and worked through it with Thomas Meehan and Charles Strouse until it premiered at the Goodspeed Opera house in Connecticut. It opened on Broadway in 1977 and instantly became a nationwide hit.
He went on to direct Annie multiple times, as well as multiple other plays. He died in 2019 at the age of 84.
Martin Charnin in 1977 with Andrea McArdle, the original Annie, and Sandy.