George M. Cohan (1878-1942)Born the son of circuit traveling vaudevillians, it's no wonder that by the age of nine Cohan was already appearing with his parents on stage. By the age of 11 he was writing songs and lyrics for the act and not long after, at the age of 16, he sold his first song to Witmark Music Publishing.At the age of 20, Cohan was in complete control of his parents act, not only was he managing 'The Four Cohans' (his sister also joined the act) but he was writing both the songs and the sketches, and he was also selling original songs and sketches to other acts. In 1899, he married, and his wife, Ethel became the 'fifth' Cohan to join the act.In his early twenties, Cohan's attention was turned to Broadway and after two musical failures, 'The Governor's Son' and 'Running for Office', his first hit came in 1904 with 'Little Johnny Jones'. In this Broadway musical, Cohan played the role of a jockey and the songs 'The Yankee Doodle Boy' and 'Give My Regards to Broadway' became huge hits.During his lifetime, this multi-talented, producer, director, and almost always the star,wrote over 40 plays, collaborated with others on over 40 plays, and made over 1000 appearances as an actor.Cohan wrote many popular songs including "I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy", "Grand Old Flag", "Give my regards to Broadway" and "Over There", the popular war song, and perhaps the one he is the most famous for.When George M. Cohen died at the age of 64, President Roosevelt stated, "A beloved figure is lost to our national life".