In 1980, Hague made his film acting debut in a role that seemed tailor-made, the gruff music teacher Shorofsky in Alan Parker's "Fame" and later won legions of fans reprising the part in the TV version, which softened the character a bit. Subsequently, he has bee cast as men of learning in such efforts as "Nightmares" (1983), the CBS TV-movies "Not Just Another Affair" (1982) and "Passions" (1984) and more recently the feature "Space Jam" (1996). Although a generation of theatergoers enjoyed his compositions, and baby boomers may know his score for the "Grinch" (if not the man behind it), others will always recall him in his signature role as the eccentric music teacher in "Fame".