Henry Mancini

Henry Mancini
Mancini c. 1970
Mancini c. 1970
Background information
Birth nameEnrico Nicola Mancini
Born(1924-04-16)April 16, 1924
Maple Heights, Ohio, U.S.
DiedJune 14, 1994(1994-06-14) (aged 70)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Composer
  • songwriter
  • arranger
  • conductor
InstrumentPiano
Years active1946–1994
Signature

Henry Mancini (/mænˈsni/ man-SEE-nee; born Enrico Nicola Mancini; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994)[1] was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flutist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film,[2][3] he won four Academy Awards, a Golden Globe, and twenty Grammy Awards, plus a posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995.

His works include the theme and soundtrack for the Peter Gunn television series as well as the music for The Pink Panther film series ("The Pink Panther Theme") and "Moon River" from Breakfast at Tiffany's. The Music from Peter Gunn won the inaugural Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Mancini enjoyed a long collaboration in composing film scores for the film director Blake Edwards. Mancini also scored a No. 1 hit single during the rock era on the Hot 100: his arrangement and recording of the "Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet" spent two weeks at the top, starting with the week ending June 28, 1969.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference British Hit Singles & Albums was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Fox, Charles (August 27, 2010). Killing Me Softly: My Life in Music. Scarecrow Press. p. 150. ISBN 978-0-8108-6992-9.
  3. ^ Akins, Thomas N. (July 24, 2013). Behind the Copper Fence: A Lifetime on Timpani. First Edition Design Pub. p. 1. ISBN 978-1-62287-368-5.