Prolific French film composer and pianist. He won a scholarship to the Paris Conservatoire, where he studied under Henri Busser and Darius Milhaud and was encouraged to write music for the cinema. While studying, he supported himself financially by playing jazz in Parisian piano bars. His screen contributions began in the early 1950's, when he conducted the Club d'Essai orchestra for French National Radio and Television. He also wrote music for the stage, including the Opera Comique, and for short films. As the decade progressed, he collaborated with most of the top French film directors (on several occasions with Truffaut). As his reputation grew, he became much in demand by American and British film makers. The French Government awarded him the highly meritorious Commandeur des Arts et Lettres.
