Michel Legrand

Born: 1932-02-24

Michel Jean Legrand (24 February 1932 – 26 January 2019) was a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and jazz pianist. Legrand was a prolific composer, having written over 200 film and television scores, in addition to many songs. His scores for the films of French New Wave director Jacques Demy, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) and The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967), earned Legrand his first Academy Award nominations. Legrand won his first Oscar for the song "The Windmills of Your Mind" from The Thomas Crown Affair (1968). Legrand was born in Paris to his father, Raymond Legrand, who was himself a conductor and composer, and his mother, Marcelle Ter-Mikaëlian, who was the sister of conductor Jacques Hélian. Raymond and Marcelle were married in 1929. His maternal grandfather was Armenian. Legrand composed more than two hundred film and television scores. He won three Oscars and five Grammys. He studied music at the Conservatoire de Paris from age 11, working with, among others, Nadia Boulanger and graduated with top honors as both a composer and a pianist. He burst upon the international music scene at 22 when his album I Love Paris (album) became a surprise hit. He established his name in the United States by working with such jazz stars as Miles Davis and Stan Getz. His sister Christiane Legrand was a member of The Swingle Singers and his niece Victoria Legrand is a member of the dream pop band Beach House. Legrand composed music for Jacques Demy's films The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) and The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967), and appeared and performed in Agnès Varda's Cléo from 5 to 7 (1961). He also composed music for Joseph Losey's Eva (1962), The Thomas Crown Affair (1968) (which features "The Windmills of Your Mind"), Ice Station Zebra (1968), The Picasso Summer (1969), The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun (1970), The Go-Between (1971), Summer of '42 (1971), Clint Eastwood's Breezy (1973), The Three Musketeers (1973), Orson Welles's last-completed film F for Fake (1974) and would later compose the score for Welles's posthumously-released movie The Other Side of the Wind (2018). He also composed the score for Yentl (1983), as well as the film score for Louis Malle's film Atlantic City (1980). His instrumental version of the theme from Brian's Song charted 56th in 1972 on the Billboard's pop chart. Legrand died of sepsis, during the night of 25–26 January 2019, at the American Hospital of Paris in Neuilly-sur-Seine, where he had been hospitalized for two weeks for a pulmonary infection. His funeral was held in Paris at the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral on 1 February 2019. He was interred at the Père Lachaise Cemetery. He remained active until his death and had concerts scheduled to take place in the spring. In 1997, Legrand composed the score for the musical Le Passe-muraille, with a book by Didier Van Cauwelaert. It premiered on Broadway in 2002 as Amour and was translated into English by Jeremy Sams and was directed by James Lapine. This musical was his Broadway debut and he was nominated for a Tony Award in 2003 for Best Score. Later he recorded Legrand Affair with Melissa Errico, a 100-piece symphony orchestra that included songs with lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman. ... Source: Article "Michel Legrand" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.


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The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

as Jean (singing voice) (uncredited)
Released: 1964-02-19

This simple romantic tragedy begins in 1957. Guy Foucher, a 20-year-old French auto mechanic,...

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Cléo from 5 to 7

as Bob, the Pianist
Released: 1962-04-11

Agnès Varda eloquently captures Paris in the sixties with this real-time portrait of a singer...

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Love Lasts Three Years

as Michel Legrand
Released: 2011-12-10

A heartbroken literary critic turns his despair into creativity following a bitter divorce, only...

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The Beaches of Agnès

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2008-12-17

Filmmaking icon Agnès Varda, the award-winning director regarded by many as the grandmother of...

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The Young Girls Turn 25

as Self
Released: 1993-05-19

Agnes Varda's documentary of the celebrations arising from the 25th anniversary of her husband...

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The World of Jacques Demy

as Self
Released: 1995-09-22

Agnès Varda's documentary portrait of her late husband, Jacques Demy. A companion piece to her...

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Once Upon a Time Michel Legrand

as Self
Released: 2024-12-04

Michel Legrand, jazz musician and composer extraordinaire, has left his mark on the history of...

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A Final Cut for Orson: 40 Years in the Making

as Self - Composer
Released: 2018-09-01

A glimpse behind the scenes into the complicated process of recovering and completing Orson...

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Callas Assoluta

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2007-12-20

This revealing documentary from director Philippe Kohly examines the storied life of renowned...

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Once Upon a Time... The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

as Self
Released: 2008-05-18

Television documentary about the making of Jacques Demy's 1964 film "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg".

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Frankie Laine: An American Dreamer

as Self
Released: 2006-01-23

"Frankie Laine: An American Dreamer" is a feature-length documentary. In this entertaining look...

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La La La

as Self - Music Composer
Released: 2018-11-25

When the silent cinema learned to speak, the audience was surprised not only by the voices of...

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A Time for Loving

as Grondin
Released: 1972-04-01

The story of an apartment in Paris and the various people that occupy it over the years.

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Michel Legrand, sans demi-mesure

as Self
Released: 2018-12-25

This documentary recounts the life of the late composer Michel Legrand, known for his works on...

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Her Last Christmas

as Le chef d'orchestre (uncredited)
Released: 1952-12-12

A very ill little girl having expressed the wish to live until Christmas, the whole neighborhood...

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Françoise Dorléac, une promesse

as Self
Released: 2018-07-10

A portray of French actress Françoise Dorléac

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Dans les pas de Jean-Paul Rappeneau

as Self
Released: 2022-03-24

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L’or et le plomb

as Le musicien
Released: 1966-03-16

The story is based on Voltaire's tale "Le monde comme il va" ("The world as it is"). Sent by the...

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Cinépanorama: Jacques Demy et Michel Legrand

as Self
Released: 1964-01-01

Director Jacques Demy and composer Michel Legrand are interviewed about 'The Umbrellas of Cherbourg'

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Tony Awards

as Self - Nominee
First aired: 1956-04-01

The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award,...

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Cinépanorama

as Self
First aired: 1956-02-04

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Champs-Elysées

as Self - Main Guest
First aired: 1982-01-16

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Champs-Elysées

as Self
First aired: 1982-01-16

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Vivement dimanche

as Self
First aired: 1998-09-20

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Le Grand Échiquier

as Self - Guest
First aired: 1972-01-12

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Le Grand Échiquier

as Self
First aired: 1972-01-12

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Le Grand Échiquier

as Self - Main Guest
First aired: 1972-01-12

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ABC Afterschool Special

as uncredited
First aired: 1972-10-04

Dramatically presented situations, often controversial, of interest to children and teenagers....

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Spécial cinéma

as Self
First aired: 1974-09-25

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Les Rendez-vous du dimanche

as Self
First aired: 1975-01-12

A talk show presented by Michel Drucker

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30 millions d'amis

as Self
First aired: 1976-01-06

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Le monde est à vous

as Self
First aired: 1987-09-13

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Nulle part ailleurs

as Self
First aired: 1987-08-31

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Discorama

as Self
First aired: 1959-02-04

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The Oscars

as Self
First aired: 1953-03-19

An annual American awards ceremony honoring cinematic achievements in the film industry. The...

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Victoires de la musique

as Self (Variety/Instrumental Album of the Year)
First aired: 1985-11-23

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The Danny Kaye Show

as Self
First aired: 1963-09-25

The Danny Kaye Show is an American variety show hosted by Danny Kaye that aired on CBS from 1963...

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Il était une fois Champs-Élysées

as Self (archive footage)
First aired: 2022-12-21

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Un film et son époque

as Self
First aired: 2003-05-17

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