Michel Legrand

Born:February 24, 1932

Place of Birth:Bécon-les-Bruyères, Paris, France

Died:January 26, 2019

Known For:Sound

Biography

Michel Jean Legrand, a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and jazz pianist, left an indelible mark on the world of music and cinema. Born in Paris to a family deeply rooted in music, Legrand's talent and passion for music were evident from a young age. His father, Raymond Legrand, a conductor and composer, and his mother, Marcelle Ter-Mikaëlian, instilled in him a love for music that would shape his illustrious career.

Studying at the prestigious Conservatoire de Paris from a young age, Legrand honed his craft under the guidance of renowned mentors like Nadia Boulanger. His exceptional talent as both a composer and pianist was recognized early on, setting the stage for a remarkable journey in the world of music.

Legrand's groundbreaking album, "I Love Paris," catapulted him onto the international music scene at the young age of 22. His collaboration with jazz legends such as Miles Davis and Stan Getz further solidified his reputation as a versatile and innovative musician.

His collaboration with French New Wave director Jacques Demy resulted in iconic film scores for movies like "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" and "The Young Girls of Rochefort." Legrand's ability to capture the essence of a film through his music earned him critical acclaim and multiple accolades, including three Oscars and five Grammys throughout his career.

Beyond his work in film, Legrand's musical prowess extended to the stage, where he composed scores for Broadway productions like "Amour." His Broadway debut showcased his versatility as a composer, earning him a Tony Award nomination for Best Score in 2003.

Throughout his life, Legrand remained dedicated to his craft, continuing to perform and compose music until his passing in January 2019. His legacy lives on through his timeless compositions, which continue to inspire and captivate audiences around the world.

Michel Legrand's impact on the world of music and cinema is immeasurable, solidifying his place as a visionary composer whose melodies will echo through the annals of time. His contributions to the art of film scoring and jazz music have left an enduring legacy that will be celebrated for generations to come.

Images

Filmography

Acting

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

Jean (singing voice) (uncredited)

1964

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 employee in her widowed mother's chic but financially embattled umbrella shop. On the evening before Guy is to leave for a two-year tour of combat in Algeria, he and Geneviève make love. She becomes pregnant and must choose between waiting for Guy's return or accepting an offer of marriage from a wealthy diamond merchant.

Cléo from 5 to 7

Bob, the Pianist

1962

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 biopsy. A chronicle of the minutes of one woman’s life, Cléo from 5 to 7 is a spirited mix of vivid vérité and melodrama, featuring a score by Michel Legrand and cameos by Jean-Luc Godard and Anna Karina.

Production

Never Say Never Again

Original Music Composer

1983

James Bond returns as the secret agent 007 to battle the evil organization SPECTRE. Bond must defeat Largo, who has stolen two atomic warheads for nuclear blackmail. But Bond has an ally in Largo's girlfriend, the willowy Domino, who falls for Bond and seeks revenge.

The Thomas Crown Affair

Conductor

1968

Young businessman Thomas Crown is bored and decides to plan a robbery and assigns a professional agent with the right information to the job. However, Crown is soon betrayed yet cannot blow his cover because he’s in love.

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

Songs

1964

The Three Musketeers

Original Music Composer

1973

The young D'Artagnan arrives in Paris with dreams of becoming a King's musketeer. He meets and quarrels with three men, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, each of whom challenges him to a duel. D'Artagnan finds out they are musketeers and is invited to join them in their efforts to oppose Cardinal Richelieu, who wishes to increase his already considerable power over the King. D'Artagnan must also juggle affairs with the charming Constance Bonancieux and the passionate Lady De Winter, a secret agent for the Cardinal.

Cléo from 5 to 7

Songs

1962

Donkey Skin

Songs

1970

A fairy godmother helps a princess disguise herself so she won't have to marry her father.

The Young Girls of Rochefort

Music Director

1967

Delphine and Solange are two sisters living in Rochefort. Delphine is a dancing teacher and Solange composes and teaches the piano. Maxence is a poet and a painter. He is doing his military service. Simon owns a music shop, he left Paris one month ago to come back where he fell in love 10 years ago. They are looking for love, looking for each other, without being aware that their ideal partner is very close...

The Swimming Pool

Original Music Composer

1969

Set in a magnificent villa near a sun-drenched St. Tropez, lovers Jean-Paul and Marianne are spending a happy, lazy summer holiday. Their only concern is to gratify their mutual passion - until the day when Marianne invites her former lover and his beautiful teenage daughter to spend a few days with them. From the first moment, a certain uneasiness and tension begin to develop between the four, which soon escalates in a dangerous love-game.

Band of Outsiders

Original Music Composer

1964

Cinephile slackers Franz and Arthur spend their days mimicking the antiheroes of Hollywood noirs and Westerns while pursuing the lovely Odile. The misfit trio upends convention at every turn, be it through choreographed dances in cafés or frolicsome romps through the Louvre. Eventually, their romantic view of outlaws pushes them to plan their own heist, but their inexperience may send them out in a blaze of glory -- which could be just what they want.

Summer of '42

Original Music Composer

1971

Over the summer of 1942 on Nantucket Island, three friends -- Hermie, Oscy and Benjie -- are more concerned with getting laid than anything else. Hermie falls in love with the married Dorothy, whose husband is an army pilot recently sent to the battlefront of World War II.

Vivre Sa Vie

Original Music Composer

1962

Twelve episodic tales in the life of a Parisian woman and her slow descent into prostitution.

Prêt-à-Porter

Original Music Composer

1994

During Paris Fashion Week, models, designers and industry hot shots gather to work, mingle, argue and try to seduce one another.

A Woman Is a Woman

Original Music Composer

1961

Longing for a baby, a stripper pursues another man in order to make her boyfriend jealous.

Breezy

Original Music Composer

1973

A free-spirited young woman, Breezy, hitches a ride with an aging real estate salesman, Frank. Sensing that she just wants to use him he tries to have nothing to do with her. She's not that easy to shake, however, and over time a bond forms between them.

Lady Sings the Blues

Original Music Composer

1972

Chronicles the rise and fall of legendary blues singer Billie Holiday, beginning with her traumatic youth. The story depicts her early attempts at a singing career and her eventual rise to stardom, as well as her difficult relationship with Louis McKay, her boyfriend and manager. Casting a shadow over even Holiday's brightest moments is the vocalist's severe drug addiction, which threatens to end both her career and her life.