A Brooklynite, Bergman attended the High School of Music and Art, then studied psychology and English at NYU. She teamed up with lyricist Alan Bergman, whom she wed in 1958, and the pair began writing songs for stage shows, television productions, movies and for such popular singers as Frank Sinatra, Barbara Streisand, Neil Diamond and Maureen McGovern.

The Bergmans wrote the lyrics for such stage shows as "Something More" (1964), "Ballroom" (1978), adapted from their Emmy-winning work on the TV-movie "Queen of the Stardust Ballroom" (CBS, 1975), and "The Lady and the Clarinet" (1980). Their TV credits have included lyrics for the theme songs of "Bracken's World" (NBC), the memorable "Maude" (CBS), "Good Times" (CBS), "Alice" (CBS) and the short-lived "Brooklyn Bridge" (CBS).

Their lasting fame, however, has come from the memorable film songs. The Bergmans first gained popular attention with and won their first Oscar for the verbally complex words to "The Windmills of Your Mind" (composed by Michel Legrand for the 1968 film "The Thomas Crown Affair"). Over the next three decades, they have have garnered praise for such songs as "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" from "The Happy Ending" (1969) and "Theme from 'Summer of '42'/The Summer Knows" (1971), both written with Legrand. They received their second Oscar for the poignant lyrics to Marvin Hamlisch's lilting theme "The Way We Were" (1973). A third statuette was awarded the lyric writers for their work on "Yentl" (1983), with music by Legrand.