Michel Legrand
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.
Known For | Sound |
---|---|
Most Rating | 1.946 |
Birthday | 1932-02-24 |
Place of Birth | Bécon-les-Bruyères, Paris, France |
Also Known As | Michel Jean Legrand, |
2021
Hommage à Michel Legrand et Jacques Demy au festival Sœurs Jumelles
0/0
Watch Now
Hommage à Michel Legrand et Jacques Demy au festival Sœurs Jumelles
1952
Her Last Christmas
0/0
A very ill little girl having expressed the wish to live until Christmas, the whole neighborhood agrees to anticipate the celebration.
Watch Now
Her Last Christmas
2022
Dans les pas de Jean-Paul Rappeneau
6/1
Watch Now
Dans les pas de Jean-Paul Rappeneau
1995
The World of Jacques Demy
6.5/13
Agnès Varda's documentary portrait of her late husband, Jacques Demy. A companion piece to her Jacquot de Nantes.
Watch Now
The World of Jacques Demy
1993
The Young Girls Turn 25
7.1/22
Agnes Varda's documentary of the celebrations arising from the 25th anniversary of her husband Jacques Demy's film The Young Girls of Rochefort.
Watch Now
The Young Girls Turn 25
2018
A Final Cut for Orson: 40 Years in the Making
6.8/10
A glimpse behind the scenes into the complicated process of recovering and completing Orson Welles' final film The Other Side of the Wind.
Watch Now
A Final Cut for Orson: 40 Years in the Making
2007
Callas Assoluta
6.5/4
This revealing documentary from director Philippe Kohly examines the storied life of renowned soprano Maria Callas, from her troubled childhood in New...
Watch Now
Callas Assoluta
1962
Cléo from 5 to 7
7.699/668
Agnès Varda eloquently captures Paris in the sixties with this real-time portrait of a singer set adrift in the city as she awaits test results of a b...
Watch Now
Cléo from 5 to 7
1966
L’or et le plomb
0/0
The story is based on Voltaire's tale "Le monde comme il va" ("The world as it is"). Sent by the genie who presides over the destiny of Persepolis (Pa...
Watch Now
L’or et le plomb
2024
Once Upon a Time Michel Legrand
0/0
Michel Legrand, jazz musician and composer extraordinaire, has left his mark on the history of cinema, including the films of Jacques Demy, especially...
Watch Now
Once Upon a Time Michel Legrand
2006
Frankie Laine: An American Dreamer
0/0
"Frankie Laine: An American Dreamer" is a feature-length documentary. In this entertaining look at the legendary singer's life, hosted by two-time Gra...
Watch Now
Frankie Laine: An American Dreamer
1972
A Time for Loving
4/2
The story of an apartment in Paris and the various people that occupy it over the years.
Watch Now
A Time for Loving
1964
Cinépanorama: Jacques Demy et Michel Legrand
0/0
Director Jacques Demy and composer Michel Legrand are interviewed about 'The Umbrellas of Cherbourg'
Watch Now
Cinépanorama: Jacques Demy et Michel Legrand
2011
Love Lasts Three Years
5.691/400
A heartbroken literary critic turns his despair into creativity following a bitter divorce, only to encounter an enchanting beauty who poses a major c...
Watch Now
Love Lasts Three Years
2008
The Beaches of Agnès
7.645/117
Filmmaking icon Agnès Varda, the award-winning director regarded by many as the grandmother of the French new wave, turns the camera on herself with t...
Watch Now
The Beaches of Agnès
1975
Ann-Margret Smith
0/0
Book-ending the year 1975 with two big budget TV Specials, Ann -Margret also earned her second Oscar nomination that year, for Tommy. In January, "An...
Watch Now
Ann-Margret Smith
2018
Michel Legrand, sans demi-mesure
9/3
This documentary recounts the life of the late composer Michel Legrand, known for his works on Les Parapluies de Cherbourg or Les Demoiselles De Roche...
Watch Now
Michel Legrand, sans demi-mesure
2018
La La La
7/3
When the silent cinema learned to speak, the audience was surprised not only by the voices of the actors and the sound effects, but also by a new elem...
Watch Now
La La La
1964
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
7.359/751
This simple romantic tragedy begins in 1957. Guy Foucher, a 20-year-old French auto mechanic, has fallen in love with 17-year-old Geneviève Emery, an...
Watch Now
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
2008
Once Upon a Time... The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
8/1
Television documentary about the making of Jacques Demy's 1964 film "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg".
Watch Now
Once Upon a Time... The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
2018
Françoise Dorléac, une promesse
6/1
A portray of French actress Françoise Dorléac
Watch Now