One of the most acclaimed film composers of his generation, Michel Legrand was also a sophisticated jazz pianist and songwriter whose lyrical sound evoked the romance, style, and cool élan of Paris. A classical piano prodigy, Legrand emerged in the '50s and gained fame for the 1958 landmark Legrand Jazz with Miles Davis. He moved into film, his swinging arrangements helping to define the sound of the French New Wave on Jean-Luc Godard's My Life to Live and Agnes Varda's Cleo from 5 to 7. He also enjoyed a long creative partnership with director Jacques Demy that started with his innovative musical The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. Embraced by Hollywood, Legrand won three Academy Awards, including his scores to 1968's The Thomas Crown Affair and 1971's Summer of '42.