(born February 24 , 1932 in Paris ) is a French musical composer, arranger, conductor and pianist.
Legrand has composed over 200 film and television scores, several musicals, and made well over a hundred albums. He has won three Oscars (out of 13 nominations), five Grammy s, and has been nominated for an Emmy . He was 22 when his first album, ''I Love Paris'', became one of the best-selling instrumental albums ever released. He is a virtuoso jazz and classical pianist, and an accomplished arranger and conductor who performs with orchestras all over the world.
In the early 1950s, Legrand was one of the first Europeans to work with legendary jazz innovators Dizzy Gillespie , Miles Davis , John Coltrane , Stan Getz and Bill Evans .
During various periods of creative work, Legrand became a conductor for orchestras in St. Petersburg , Vancouver , Montreal , Atlanta and Denver . He recorded over 100 albums with international musical stars (spanning the genres of jazz, variety and even classical). He worked with such musicians as Frank Sinatra , Sarah Vaughan , Jack Jones , Regine Velasquez , Ella Fitzgerald , Perry Como , Lena Horne , Tereza Kesovija , Dame Kiri Te Kanawa , James Ingram , Johnny Mathis and Barbra Streisand .
His sister, Christiane Legrand, was a member of The Swingle Singers .
Legrand is known principally as a composer of innovative music for films, composing film scores (about 200 to date) for directors Jean-Luc Godard , Richard Brooks , Claude Lelouch , Clint Eastwood and many others. After his songs appeared in Jacques Demy 's films '' The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg '' and '' The Young Girls Of Rochefort '', Legrand became famous worldwide. ''Les Parapluies de Cherbourg'' was a sung-through musical where all the dialogue was set to music, a revolutionary concept for that time.
Hollywood soon became interested in Legrand after ''Les Parapluies de Cherbourg'', bombarding him with requests to compose music for films. Having begun to collaborate with Hollywood, Legrand continued to work there for many years. Currently, he divides his time between America and France.
- ''Beau fixe'' (short) (1953)
- ''Lovers Net'' (''Les amants du Tage'') (1954)
- ''Charmants garçons'' (1958)
- ''Le Triporteur'' (1958)
- ''L'Amérique insolite'' (1958)
- ''Lola'' (1960)
- ''Terrain vague'' (co-composer) (1960)
- '' A Woman Is A Woman '' (''Une femme est une femme'') (1960)
- ''The French Game'' (''Le cœur battant'') (1960)
- ''Les Portes claquent'' (1960)
- '' Cléo From 5 To 7 '' (''Cléo de 5 à 7'') (1961)
- ''The 7 Capital Sins'' ('' Les Sept Péchés Capitaux '') (co-composer) (1961)
- ''The Winner'' (''Un cœur gros comme ça'') (1961)
- ''Retour a New York'' (1962)
- ''Comme un poisson dans l'eau'' (1962)
- ''Eva'' (1962)
- ''Une grosse tete'' (1962)
- '' My Life To Live '' (''Vivre sa Vie: Film en Douze Tableaux'') (1962)
- ''Bay of Angels'' (''La baie des anges'') (1962)
- ''L'Amerique lunaire'' (1962)
- ''Histoire d'un petit garcon devenu grand'' (1962)
- ''Le joli mai'' (1962)
- ''Illuminations'' (1963)
- ''Le grand escroc'' (1963)
- ''L'Empire de la nuit'' (1963)
- ''Love Is A Ball'' (1963)
- ''The Umbrellas of Cherbourg'' ('' Les Parapluies De Cherbourg '') (1964)
- ''A Ravishing Idiot'' (Une ravissante idiote) (1964)
- ''Band of Outsiders'' ('' Bande à Part '') (1964)
- ''Fascinante amazonie'' (1964)
- ''Les amoureux du France'' (1964)
- ''La Douceur du village'' (1964)
- '' A Matter Of Resistance '' ('' La Vie De Château '') (1965)
- ''Quand passent les faisans'' (1965)
- '' Tender Scoundrel '' ('' Tendre Voyou '') (1965)
- ''Monnaie de singe'' (1965)
- ''The Young Girls of Rochefort'' ('' Les Demoiselles De Rochefort '') (1966)
- '' Who Are You, Polly Magoo? '' (''Qui êtes-vous, Polly Maggoo?'') (1966)
- ''The Plastic Dome of Norma Jean'' (1966)
- ''L'an 2000'' (1966)
- ''Gold and Lead'' (''L'or et le plomb'') (1966)
- ''A Matter of Innocence'' (also known as ''Pretty Polly'') (1967)
- ''L'homme a la Buick'' (1967)
- ''How to Save a Marriage — And Ruin Your Life'' (1967)
- '' Sweet November '' (1968)
- '' The Thomas Crown Affair '' (1968)
- ''The Swimming Pool'' (''La piscine'') (1968)
- ''Play Dirty'' (1968)
- ''Ice Station Zebra'' (1968)
- ''Castle Keep'' (1969)
- '' The Happy Ending '' (1969)
- ''Picasso Summer'' (1969)
- ''Pieces of Dreams'' (1969)
- '' The Go-Between '' (1970)
- ''The Magic Garden of Stanley Sweetheart'' (1970)
- '' Wuthering Heights '' (1970)
- '' The Swashbuckler '' ('' Les Mariés De L'an II '') (1970)
- ''Donkey Skin'' ('' Peau D'Âne '') (1970)
- ''The Lady in the Car With Glasses And a Gun'' (''La dame dans l'auto avec des lunettes et un fusil'') (1970)
- ''Un peu de soleil dans l'eau froide'' (1970)
- ''Le Mans'' (1970)
- '' Summer Of '42 '' (1971)
- ''La vieille Fille'' (1971)
- ''A Time for Loving'' (Also: ''Paris Was Made For Lovers'') (1971)
- '' Lady Sings The Blues '' (1972)
- ''Portnoy's Complaint'' (1972)
- ''Les feux de la Chandeleur'' (1972)
- ''The Impossible Object'' (1972)
- ''One Is a Lonely Number'' (1972)
- '' A Doll's House '' (1973)
- ''The Nelson Affair'' (Also: ''A Bequest to the Nation'') (1973)
- ''The Outside Man'' (''Un homme est mort'') (1973)
- ''The Hostages'' (''Le gang des otages'') (1973)
- ''Forty Carats'' (1973)
- ''Cops and Robbers'' (1973)
- '' Breezy '' (1973)
- ''The Three Musketeers'' (1973)
- ''Our Time'' (1974)
- ''The Four Musketeers'' (1974)
- ''The Most Important Event Since Man Walked on the Moon'' (''L'Evenement le plus important depuis que l'homme marche sur la lune'') (1974)
- ''The Savage'' (Le sauvage) (1975)
- ''Gulliver's Travels'' (1975)
- '' F For Fake '' (1975)
- ''Sheila Levine is Dead — and Living in New York'' (1975)
- ''Gable and Lombard'' (1976)
- '' Ode To Billy Joe '' (1976)
- ''Le voyage de noces'' (1976)
- ''The Smurfs and the Magic Flute'' (La flute a six schtroumpfs) (1976)
- '' The Other Side Of Midnight '' (1977)
- ''Routes to the South'' (''Les routes du sud'') (1978)
- ''Mon premier amour'' (1978)
- ''Lady Oscar'' (1978)
- ''The Fabulous Adventures of Baron Munchhausen'' (1979)
- '' Atlantic City '' (1980)
- ''The Hunter'' (1980)
- ''The Mountain Men'' (1980)
- '' Les Uns Et Les Autres '' (also known as ''Bolero'') (1980)
- ''Hinotori'' (co-composer) (1980)
- ''Falling in Love Again'' (1981)
- ''What Makes David Run?'' (''Qu'est-ce qui fait courir David?'') (1981)
- ''La cadeau'' (1981)
- ''Your Ticket Is No Longer Valid'' (1982)
- ''La revanche des humanoides'' (1982)
- ''Best Friends'' (1982)
- ''The Gift'' (1982)
- '' Yentl '' (1983)
- '' Never Say Never Again '' (1983)
- '' A Love In Germany '' (''Un amour en Allemagne'') (1983)
- ''Secret Places'' (1984)
- ''Micki and Maude'' (1984)
- ''Love Songs'' (''Paroles et musique'') (1984)
- ''Palace'' (1985)
- '' Partir Revenir '' (1985)
- '' Train To Hell '' ('' Train D'enfer '') (1985)
- ''Parking'' (1985)
- ''Crossings'' (1986)
- ''Sins'' (1986)
- ''Casanova'' (1987)
- ''Social Club'' (''Club de recontres'') (1987)
- ''Spirale'' (1987)
- ''Switching Channels'' (1988)
- '' Three Seats For The 26th '' ('' Trois Places Pour Le 26 '') (1988)
- ''Five Days in June'' (''Cinq jours en juin'') (1989)
- ''Escape from Paradise'' (''Fuga dal Paradiso'') (1990)
- '' Dingo '' (1991)
- ''Gaspard et Robinson'' (1991)
- ''The Burning Shore'' (1991)
- ''The Pickle'' (1993)
- ''Ready to Wear'' ('' Prêt-à-Porter '') (1994)
- ''Les enfants de lumiere'' (1995)
- ''L'Americain se détend'' (1958)
- ''Michel's Mixed Up Musical Bird'' (1968)
- ''Aaron's Magic Village'' (1997)
- '' Brian's Song '' (1970)
- ''The Adventures of Don Quixote'' (1973)
- ''It's Good To Be Alive'' (1974)
- ''Cage Without a Key'' (1975)
- ''A Woman Named Golda'' (1982)
- ''The Jesse Owens Story'' (1984)
- ''Promises to Keep'' (1985)
- ''As Summers Die'' (1986)
- ''Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less'' (1990)
- ''La Montagna dei Diamanti'' (1991)
- ''The Ring'' (1995)
The world premiere of the new musical ''Marguerite'' from Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg , the creators of '' Les Misérables '' and '' Miss Saigon ,'' will include music by Michel Legrand and lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer .
''Marguerite,'' is set during World War II in occupied Paris, and was inspired by the romantic novel '' La Dame Aux Camellias '' by Alexandre Dumas . It will premiere in early 2008 at the Haymarket Theatre , London and will be directed by Jonathan Kent . "New Musical From ‘Les Miz’ Team", ''The New York Times'', 10 July 2007 "People Thought We Were Mad", ''The Guardian'' (London), 10 July 2007
Legrand has won three Oscars (out of 13 nominations), five Grammy s, and has been nominated for an Emmy . The following are some of the awards and nominations with which Legrand's works have been honored:
- Music Score , substantially original: ''The Umbrellas of Cherbourg'' (1965)
- Original score for a motion picture, not a musical: ''The Thomas Crown Affair'' (1968)
- Score of a musical picture, original or adaptation: ''The Young Girls of Rochefort'' (1968)
- Original dramatic score: ''Summer of '42'' (1971)
- Original song score or adaptation score: ''Yentl'' (1983)
- Original song:
- --- "I Will Wait for You" from ''The Umbrellas of Cherbourg'' (1965)
- --- " The Windmills Of Your Mind " from ''The Thomas Crown Affair'' (1968)
- --- " What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life? " from '' The Happy Ending '' (1969)
- --- "Pieces of Dreams" from ''Pieces of Dreams'' (1970)
- --- "How do You Keep the Music Playing?" from ''Best Friends'' (1982)
- --- "Papa, Can You Hear Me?" and "The Way He Makes Me Feel" both from ''Yentl'' (1983)
- Original Score:
- --- ''The Thomas Crown Affair'' (1968)
- --- ''The Happy Ending'' (1969)
- --- ''Wuthering Heights'' (1970)
- --- ''Le Mans'' (1971)
- --- ''Summer of '42'' (1971)
- --- ''Lady Sings the Blues'' (1972)
- --- ''Breezy'' (1973)
- --- ''Yentl'' (1983)
- Original Song:
- --- " The Windmills Of Your Mind " from ''The Thomas Crown Affair'' (1968)
- --- "What are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" from ''The Happy Ending'' (1969)
- --- "Pieces of Dreams" from ''Pieces of Dreams'' (1970)
- --- "Breezy's Song" from ''Breezy'' (1973)
- --- "Yesterday's Dreams" from ''Falling in love again'' (1980)
- --- "The Way He Makes Me Feel" from ''Yentl'' (1983)
- Best arrangement accompanying vocalist: ''Happy Ending'' (Sarah Vaughn) (1972)
- Song of the year: "The Summer Knows" from ''Summer of '42'' (1972)
- Best instrumental composition: "Brian's Song" {Link without Title} (1972)
- Best original score written for a motion picture or television special: ''The Three Musketeers'' (1974)
- Best instrumental composition: "Images" (1982)
- Best jazz performance by a Big Band: "Images" (1982)
- Best original score album: ''Yentl'' (1983)
- Best instrumental arrangement accompanying vocals: ''Yentl'' (Barbra Streisand) (1983)
- Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Limited Series or a Special (Dramatic Underscore): "A Woman Called Golda" {Link without Title} (1982)
- Song score, original or adaptation: ''Yentl'' (1983)
- Original song: "The Way He Makes Me Feel" from ''Yentl'' (1983)
- Original score, comedy: ''Best Friends'' (1982)
- Original song, drama: "The Way He Makes Me Feel" from ''Yentl'' (1983)
- Original song score/adaptation/compilation, drama: ''Yentl'' (1983)
- Best Original Music Score: ''Dingo'' (1991)
- Best musical: ''Le Passe-Muraille''
- Henry Mancini Award for ''Le Passe-Muraille''
- Outstanding contribution to world cinema (2002)
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