Herbert Kretzmer was born in South Africa, when he began a career in journalism writing the commentary for a weekly cinema newsreel. He came to live in London in 1954, and has since pursued twin careers as a newspaperman and songwriter. He was feature writer on the Daily Sketch, and a profile writer on the Sunday Despatch. He joined the Daily Express in 1960, and later became its drama critic, a post he held for 18 years, covering about 3,000 first nights.
From 1979-1987, he wrote television criticism for the Daily Mail, winning, in this capasity, two national press awards. As a lyric writer he wrote weekly songs for That Was The Week That Was and the later Ned Sherin television shows. He won an Ivor Novello Award for the Peter Sellers-Sophia Loren comedy song "Goodnes Gracious Me". Other award-winning songs include two written with, and for, Charles Aznavour: "Yesterday When I Was Young" and the chart topping "She". Mr Kretzmer wrote the book and lyrics for the West End musical Our Man Critchton, which starred Kenneth More and Millicent Martin; and the lyrics for the Anthony Newley musical film Can Heironymous Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness??
