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1-17 of 17
- Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
Michel Legrand is a three-time Academy Award-winning French composer, conductor and pianist who composed over 200 film and television scores as well as recorded over a hundred albums of jazz, popular and classical music.
He was born on February 24, 1932, in Becon-les-Bruyeres, in the Paris suburbs, France. His father, Raymond Legrand, was a French composer and actor. His mother, Marcelle der Mikaelian, was descended from the Armenian bourgeousie. From 1942 - 1949 young Legrand studied piano at the Paris Conservatoire. There his teachers were Nadia Boulanger and Henri Challan among other renown musicians. He received numerous awards for his skills in composition and piano and mastered a dozen other instruments. In 1947 he attended a concert by Dizzy Gillespie and caught a jazz bug. He started working as a pianist for major French singers. He eventually collaborated with Dizzy Gillespie on several albums and film scores.
In 1954 Legrand became an overnight star after his album "I Love Paris" became a hit, it went on selling over 8 million copies. He followed the success with such albums as "Holiday in Rome" (1955) and "Michel Legrand Plays Cole Porter" (1957). In 1958 he was invited to play at Moscow Festival of Students and Youth. There, in Moscow, he met his future wife, a young French model with who he went on to have three children.
In the late 1950s and 1960s Legrand was caught up in the French New Wave. He scored seven films for jean-Luc Godard, he also made ten films with Jacques Demy, and became responsible for creating the genre of musical in the French Cinema. In 1963 Legrand did The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964), the first film musical that was entirely sung. For that film score he received three Oscar nominations. His beautiful, haunting melody, "I Will Wait For You", received nomination for Best Original Song.
In 1966 Legrand decided to take his chances in Hollywood, and moved to Los Angeles with his wife and three children. His friendship with Quincy Jones and Hank Mancini helped him a great deal, especially in meeting the lyricists Alan and Marilyn Bergman. In 1969 Legrand won his first Oscar for Best Music, Original Song for "The Windmills of Your Mind" and was also nominated for Best Music, Original score for a Motion Picture for The Thomas Crown Affair (1968). Eventually Legrand went on to become a star in the US, he received twelve nominations for Academy Awards, and won two more Oscars. He was also nominated for a Grammy 27 times and received 5 Grammys in the 1970s.
In the 1980s and 1990s Legrand continued giving live concerts with his own jazz trio. He also led his big band which he took on several international tours, accompanying such stars as Ray Charles , Diana Ross , Björk , and Stéphane Grappelli who celebrated his 85th birthday in 1992. He also recorded several classical albums, including an album with cross-genre hits entitled "Kiri Sings Michel Legrand" with the opera singer Kiri te Kanawa. During the 2000s Legrand has been working mainly in the studio, and also made several international tours.
In 2005 a compilation of Legrand's best known film soundtracks was released under the title "Le Cinema de Michel Legrand", featuring 90 songs composed in the course of his career.- William Esper was born on 2 August 1932 in Pennsylvania, USA. He was married to Suzanne Esper. He died on 26 January 2019 in New York City, New York, USA.
- Music Department
- Producer
- Writer
Ken Welch was born on 4 February 1926 in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. He was a producer and writer, known for Barbra Streisand and Other Musical Instruments (1973), The Magical World of Disney (1954) and The Carol Burnett Show (1967). He was married to Mitzie Welch. He died on 26 January 2019 in Encino, California, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Patrick Bricard was born on 26 April 1940 in Caen, France. He was an actor, known for L'île aux enfants (1974), Distracted (1970) and L'homme du "Picardie" (1968). He died on 26 January 2019 in Vernon, Eure, France.- Wagner Montes was born on 18 July 1954 in Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was an actor, known for Runnin' After Love (1978), A Pantera Nua (1979) and Aqui Agora (1991). He was married to Sônia Lima and Catia Pedrosa. He died on 26 January 2019 in Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Ludek Munzar was born on 20 March 1933 in Nová Vcelnice, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. He was an actor, known for Paleta lásky (1976), Dobrodruzství kriminalistiky (1989) and The Assassination (1964). He was married to Jana Hlavácová and Nad'a Munzarová. He died on 26 January 2019 in Praha, Czech Republic.- Writer
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Eli Asser was born on 22 November 1922 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands. He was a writer and actor, known for Citroentje met suiker (1972), 't Schaep met de 5 pooten (2006) and De Stichting Durmazon presenteerd: Dur mag zoveel niet. (1974). He was married to Eva Croiset. He died on 26 January 2019 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands.- Duane Benson was born on 5 August 1945 in Belmond, Iowa, USA. He was married to Melissa. He died on 26 January 2019 in Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
- Antonín Brtoun was born on 6 July 1933 in Olomouc, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. He was an actor, known for Akce Bororo (1973), Svedski aranzman (1989) and Zachvev strachu (1984). He died on 26 January 2019 in Prague, Czech Republic.
- Script and Continuity Department
- Actor
- Writer
Balázs Fakan was born on 6 November 1933 in Budapest, Hungary. He was an actor and writer, known for Die Csárdásfürstin (1971), Kakuk Marci (1973) and Akli Miklós (1986). He died on 26 January 2019 in Budapest, Hungary.- Peter James Noto was an actor, known for Monsters Crash the Pajama Party (1965). He died on 26 January 2019.
- Actress
- Music Department
Mülkiye Ecevit was an actress, known for Daha çekecek miyim (1958) and Kader Yolcusu (1961). She was married to Turhan Toper. She died on 26 January 2019 in Izmir, Turkey.- Giuseppe Zamberletti was born on 17 December 1933 in Varese, Lombardy, Italy. He died on 26 January 2019 in Varese, Lombardy, Italy.
- Jean Guillou was born on 18 April 1930 in Angers, Maine-et-Loire, France. He was a composer and actor, known for Mycènes, celui qui vient du futur (1972), The Days When I Do Not Exist (2002) and L'invité du dimanche (1968). He was married to Suzanne Guillou and Suzanne Varga-Guillou. He died on 26 January 2019 in Paris, France.
- Raymond Pradel was born on 24 August 1945 in Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium. He was an actor, known for Black Night (2005), Dédales (2003) and Le retour d'Arsène Lupin (1989). He died on 26 January 2019 in Brussels, Belgium.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Wilma Lipp was born on 20 April 1925 in Vienna, Austria. She was an actress, known for The Cardinal (1963), Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor (1953) and Der Rosenkavalier (1984). She was married to Rudolf Gamsjäger. She died on 26 January 2019 in Inning am Ammersee, Bavaria, Germany.- Sheila MacDougall was born on 5 April 1940 in New Brunswick, Canada. She was an actress, known for Golden Windows (2019). She died on 26 January 2019 in New Brunswick, Canada.