
Francis Lai
Biography
Francis Albert Lai (26 April 1932 – 7 November 2018) was a French composer, noted for his film scores. He won the 1970 Oscar for Best Music, Original Score and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score for the film Love Story. The soundtrack album went to No. 2 in the Billboard album charts and the film's theme, "Where Do I Begin", was a hit single for Andy Williams.
Lai was born on 26 April 1932, in Nice, France, the son of market gardeners of Italian origin. From a very early age, Lai was fascinated by music and he played first in his local regional orchestras. In Marseilles he discovered jazz and met Claude Goaty, a singer of popular songs in the 50s.
While in his twenties, Lai left home and followed Goaty to Paris, where he became part of the lively Montmartre music scene. The "Taverne d'Attilio" on the Place du Tertre in Montmartre, was a favorite place for the young talented Bernard Dimey with whom Lai composed his first song. Their song-writing partnership would extend to a hundred or so. After a short period with the orchestra of Michel Magne, Lai became an accompanist for Édith Piaf and composed for her.
In 1965, he met filmmaker Claude Lelouch and was hired to help write the score for the film A Man and a Woman. Released in 1966, the film was an international success, earning a number of Academy Awards. The young Lai received a Golden Globe Award nomination for "Best Original Score". This initial success brought more opportunities to work for the film industry both in his native France, where he continued to work with Lelouch on scores to films such as Vivre pour vivre (1967), Un homme qui me plaît (1969), Le voyou (1970) and La bonne année (1973), as well as in Great Britain and the United States. He was known for his support of Mireille Mathieu in many compositions and recordings. In 1970 he wrote the score for director René Clément's film, Rider on the Rain ("Le passager de la pluie"). It sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc in September 1971.
In 1970, Lai won the Academy Award for Best Music, Original Score and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score for the film Love Story. In the United States, the soundtrack album reached No. 2 in the Billboard album charts and the film's theme, "Where Do I Begin", was a hit single with lyrics by Carl Sigman for singer Andy Williams. The song would also be recorded successfully by Lai himself, with a full orchestra, and by Henry Mancini and Shirley Bassey. Lai's "Love Story" theme was heard in the 1978 Love Story sequel titled Oliver's Story, although the main score was composed by Lee Holdridge. ...
Source: Article "Francis Lai" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Acting (3 movies)
| Title | Year | Job | 
|---|---|---|
| Fragilité, ton nom est femme | 1965 | Original Music Composer | 
| A Man and a Woman | 1966 | Original Music Composer | 
| The Bobo | 1967 | Original Music Composer | 
| Action Man | 1967 | Original Music Composer | 
| My Love, My Love | 1967 | Original Music Composer | 
| Live for Life | 1967 | Original Music Composer | 
| I'll Never Forget What's'isname | 1967 | Original Music Composer | 
| House of Cards | 1968 | Original Music Composer | 
| 13 Days in France | 1968 | Original Music Composer | 
| Mayerling | 1968 | Original Music Composer | 
| Tender Moment | 1968 | Original Music Composer | 
| Hannibal Brooks | 1969 | Original Music Composer | 
| 3 Into 2 Won't Go | 1969 | Original Music Composer | 
| Love Is a Funny Thing | 1969 | Original Music Composer | 
| Rider on the Rain | 1970 | Original Music Composer | 
| Eyes Full of Sun | 1970 | Original Music Composer | 
| Hello-Goodbye | 1970 | Original Music Composer | 
| The Modification | 1970 | Original Music Composer | 
| The Games | 1970 | Original Music Composer | 
| The Crook | 1970 | Original Music Composer | 
| Love Story | 1970 | Original Music Composer | 
| Iran | 1971 | Original Music Composer | 
| The Legend of Frenchie King | 1971 | Original Music Composer | 
| And Hope to Die | 1972 | Original Music Composer | 
| Killing in the Sun | 1973 | Original Music Composer | 
| Happy New Year | 1973 | Original Music Composer | 
| Reigen | 1973 | Original Music Composer | 
| Un amour de pluie | 1974 | Original Music Composer | 
| By the Blood of Others | 1974 | Original Music Composer | 
| Child Under A Leaf | 1974 | Original Music Composer | 
| Marriage | 1974 | Original Music Composer | 
| Cat and Mouse | 1975 | Original Music Composer | 
| The Baby Sitter | 1975 | Original Music Composer | 
| Emmanuelle: The Joys of a Woman | 1975 | Original Music Composer | 
| Striptease | 1976 | Original Music Composer | 
| The Good and the Bad | 1976 | Original Music Composer | 
| Lost Soul | 1977 | Original Music Composer | 
| Bilitis | 1977 | Original Music Composer | 
| Another Man, Another Chance | 1977 | Original Music Composer | 
| Boarding School | 1978 | Original Music Composer | 
| International Velvet | 1978 | Original Music Composer | 
| Us Two | 1979 | Original Music Composer | 
| Beyond the Reef | 1979 | Original Music Composer | 
| Edith and Marcel | 1983 | Original Music Composer | 
| My New Partner | 1984 | Original Music Composer | 
| I Believe in Santa Claus | 1984 | Original Music Composer | 
| No More God, No More Love | 1985 | Original Music Composer | 
| Marie: A True Story | 1985 | Original Music Composer | 
| AIDS: Love in Danger | 1985 | Original Music Composer | 
| A Man and a Woman: 20 Years Later | 1986 | Original Music Composer | 
| Dark Eyes | 1987 | Original Music Composer | 
| Bandits | 1987 | Original Music Composer | 
| Bernadette | 1988 | Original Music Composer | 
| Itinerary of a Spoiled Child | 1988 | Original Music Composer | 
| Too Beautiful for You | 1989 | Original Music Composer | 
| My New Partner II | 1990 | Original Music Composer | 
| There Were Days... and Moons | 1990 | Original Music Composer | 
| The Passion of Bernadette | 1990 | Original Music Composer | 
| I'll Be Going Now | 1991 | Original Music Composer | 
| Les clés du Paradis | 1991 | Original Music Composer | 
| The Beautiful Story | 1992 | Original Music Composer | 
| Le Voleur et la menteuse | 1993 | Original Music Composer | 
| All That... for This?! | 1993 | Original Music Composer | 
| Les Miserables | 1995 | Original Music Composer | 
| Men, Women: A User's Manual | 1996 | Original Music Composer | 
| Chance or Coincidence | 1998 | Original Music Composer | 
| One 4 All | 1999 | Original Music Composer | 
| The Courage to Love | 2005 | Original Music Composer | 
| Amore e libertà - Masaniello | 2006 | Original Music Composer | 
| What War May Bring | 2010 | Original Music Composer | 
| D'un film à l'autre | 2011 | Original Music Composer | 
| We Love You, You Bastard | 2014 | Original Music Composer | 
| Un + une | 2015 | Original Music Composer | 
| Everyone's Life | 2017 | Original Music Composer | 
| The Best Years of a Life | 2019 | Original Music Composer | 


