Michel Legrand

A towering figure in music and film, Michel Legrand created some of the most creative and innovative film scores of the second half of the 20th century. The music of his most most successful collaborations -- masterpieces for films such as The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, The Thomas Crown Affair, Summer of ''42, and Yentl -- is particularly memorable. As these scores and the stories behind their creation are, they represent one part of Legrand''s genius. Over a career that spanned seven decades, Legrand composed the scores for 160 films, winning Oscars and Grammys along the way. Many of his songs have become standards covered by artists as diverse as Tony Bennett, Sarah Vaughan, Rufus Wainwright, and Sting. A prolific and highly versatile composer, Legrand worked with virtually every legendary figure in popular music and film from Maurice Chevalier to Barbra Streisand and from Orson Welles to Jean-Luc Godard. Still active in his late 80s, Legrand composed the score for Orson Welles''s posth