Michel Legrand.

At age 10, Michel Legrand entered the Paris Conservatoire in 1942, studying under Nadia Boulanger and Henri Challan. He mastered a dozen instruments and received numerous awards for his skills in composition and piano. His father, Raymond Legrand, was a French composer and actor, and his mother, Marcelle der Mikaelian, was of Armenian descent.

After attending a 1947 concert by Dizzy Gillespie, Legrand became interested in jazz. He started working as a pianist for major French singers.

In 1954, Legrand’s album I Love Paris became an instant hit, selling over 8 million copies and making him an overnight star. He followed with albums like Holiday in Rome 1955 and Michel Legrand Plays Cole Porter 1957. In the late 1950s and 1960s, Legrand worked with the French New Wave, scoring seven films for Jean-Luc Godard and ten films with Jacques Demy. He created the genre of musical in French cinema with The Umbrellas of Cherbourg 1964, the first film musical that was entirely sung. The film earned three Oscar nominations, including Best Original Song for I Will Wait For You.

In 1966, Legrand moved to Los Angeles to work in Hollywood. His friendships with Quincy Jones and Hank Mancini helped him meet lyricists Alan and Marilyn Bergman. In 1969, he won his first Oscar for Best Original Song for The Windmills of Your Mind from The Thomas Crown Affair 1968. He received twelve Academy Award nominations and three Oscars. He also won five Grammys from 27 nominations.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Legrand continued performing with his own jazz trio and led a big band on international tours, accompanying stars like Ray Charles, Diana Ross, Björk, and Stéphane Grappelli who celebrated his 85th birthday in 1992. He also recorded classical albums, including Kiri Sings Michel Legrand with opera singer Kiri Te Kanawa. During the 2000s, he worked mainly in the studio and made international tours.

Legrand married three times: to Christine Bouchard from March 11, 1958 to November 16, 1992; to Isabelle Rondon from November 21, 1994 to October 17, 2007; and to Macha Méril from September 18, 2014 until his death on January 26, 2019. He had one child, Eugénie Angot. His siblings include singer Christiane Legrand, Olivier Legrand, and Benjamin Legrand.

Legrand died of septicemia on January 26, 2019 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France at age 86. His funeral was held at the Cathedral Saint-Alexandre-Nevsky in Paris, attended by French First Lady Brigitte Macron and others. He is interred at Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.

Michel Legrand left an enduring legacy as one of the most prolific and versatile composers in film history. His three Academy Awards, five Grammys, and twelve Oscar nominations testify to his impact. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1990. His work on The Umbrellas of Cherbourg revolutionized the film musical genre, and his collaborations with directors like Jean-Luc Godard and Jacques Demy defined the sound of the French New Wave. Legrand’s melodies, such as The Windmills of Your Mind and I Will Wait For You, remain classics. He received honors including Commander of the Legion of Honour and Officer of Arts and Letters. He is remembered as a composer who blended jazz, classical, and popular music across more than 200 film scores.