Henry Mancini

If music helps to make a movie, then Henry Mancini was the king of his trade. I’d venture to wager that most us, whether consciously or unconsciously, have either whistled one of his tunes or had it stuck in their head for a period of time.

Born Enrico Nicola Mancini on April 26, 1924 in Cleveland, Ohio and raised in West Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, he began his musical career at an early age. By the time he was eight years old, his father had taught him how to play the flute. By the time he was twelve, he had moved on to the piano and took up an interest in arranging. His formal training took place at New York’s Juilliard School of Music.

After leaving Juilliard in 1943, Henry Mancini spent some time in the armed forces and served in the Air Force during World War II. After the war was over, he hooked up with Glenn Miller and his orchestra as a piano player and arranger. Following that gig, he went on to play with Benny Goodman.

His introduction to composing movie scores came in 1952 when he joined Universal Studios. During the next six years, he lent his talents to over 100 films as either composer or arranger. In 1958, he decided to strike out on his own and go independent. It was then that he hooked up with famed director Blake Edwards who had an idea for a TV series by the name of Peter Gunn. The rest is history, by the time of his death in 1994, Mancini collaborated with Edwards another 26 times.

How’s this for a resume.