The Sunderland fan has won multiple Oscars, Golden Globes, Grammys and Tony Awards during his long career...

Sir Tim Rice has detailed why he supports Sunderland despite being born in Buckinghamshire.

Over his career, Rice has won multiple Oscars, Golden Globes, Grammys and Tony Awards. In 1994, he was knighted for his contributions to music and theatre, solidifying his legacy as one of the greatest lyricists of all time.

Rice is best known for his collaborations with composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and his contributions to some of the most iconic musicals in history. Born on November 10, 1944, in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, Rice initially pursued a career in law before shifting to the entertainment industry and is also famous for his work with Elton John.

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As of 2020, Rice's net worth was £155million, according to The Sunday Times Rich List. However, despite fame and fortune, the lyricist counts Sunderland as his football team despite being born in the south and having no initial connection to Wearside. Speaking in a recent social media post, though, Rice explained his Sunderland connection.

“I'm a great supporter of Sunderland football club, even though I'm a softie southerner,” the 80-year-old said in his TikTok account. “And a lot of people ask me why, because it seems strange that, as I don't have any emotional connections, or I didn't have any emotional connections with the northeast, why I should support Sunderland.

“But I just like the name. When I was about seven or eight at school, all the kids had a team they liked, often a local team like Luton Town or Watford, or sometimes a North London team like Arsenal or Spurs. Teams that you could actually get to most weeks, in fact. And I looked down the list of teams in the first division, the old first division, and I thought, I don't want a team that everybody else has got.

“So I went for Sunderland because it sounded, it's a nice word, it sounded very romantic, conjured up in images of beautiful beaches and oceans and wonderful weather. And although Sunderland is not like that, I've got to know Sunderland over the years, the town or city of Sunderland, I should say now. And it's great. I like it a lot. And the theatre, the theatre in Sunderland, the Empire, is fantastic.

“One of the best theatres in the country. And I asked specifically if I could include Sunderland on my 2025 tour of My Life in Musicals, I Know Him So Well. And the producer said fine. And I then discovered it was the biggest theatre on the tour. So it's got over 2000 seats.

“And I've seen some of my own shows in that theatre. It's a great theatre. I'm looking forward to the show. So I hope that there are a few worthy citizens of Sunderland who know how much I love the town and the football club,” he concluded.

What are Sir Tim Rice’s most famous works?

In the late 1960s, he teamed up with Lloyd Webber, and together they created Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (1968), followed by Jesus Christ Superstar (1970) and Evita (1976). These groundbreaking musicals cemented their place in theatre history, with Evita featuring the hit song Don’t Cry for Me Argentina.

After parting ways with Lloyd Webber, Rice worked with Disney, penning lyrics for The Lion King (1994) and Aladdin (1992), earning him Academy Awards for A Whole New World and Can You Feel the Love Tonight. He also collaborated with Elton John on The Lion King and with Alan Menken on Beauty and the Beast (1991).

Rice later co-wrote Chess (1984) with Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson of ABBA and continued working on various musical projects, including Aida (1998) and From Here to Eternity (2013).

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