Lalo Schifrin, the legendary composer best known for writing the iconic Mission: Impossible theme and various popular film scores, has died. According to Variety, the Grammy winner died on Thursday, June 26, of complications from pneumonia. The Argentine pianist and composer was a trailblazer, becoming one of the first to blend a wide range of musical sounds into both television and film scores that ranged from many genres, including rock and jazz. Schifrin's notable credits include composing music for Bullitt (1968), The Amityville Horror(1979), Here's Lucy (1971), The Beverly Hillbillies (1993), Money Talks (1997), the Rush Hour film series (1998-2007), and hundreds more. He was 93.
His Mission: Impossible work came as a result of praise from previous projects. In fact, the composer had no idea what the Mission: Impossible production was about before getting invited onto the set by producer Bruce Geller. During an interview with SoundTrack Fest, he said that he was invited...
His Mission: Impossible work came as a result of praise from previous projects. In fact, the composer had no idea what the Mission: Impossible production was about before getting invited onto the set by producer Bruce Geller. During an interview with SoundTrack Fest, he said that he was invited...
- 6/27/2025
- by Lashaunta Moore
- MovieWeb
Lalo Schifrin, the Grammy-winning composer of “Mission: Impossible” and film scores including “Cool Hand Luke,” “Dirty Harry” and “Bullitt,” died Thursday of complications from pneumonia. He was 93.
The Argentine musician was among the first to apply a broad range of musical ideas to film and TV scores, from jazz and rock to more modern and complex techniques of orchestral writing. His heyday was the 1960s and ’70s, when he produced several film and TV scores that are now regarded as classics.
In November 2018, Schifrin became only the third composer in the history of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences to receive an honorary Oscar. Clint Eastwood, for whom Schifrin composed eight scores, made the presentation “in recognition of his unique musical style, compositional integrity and influential contributions to the art of film scoring.”
Actress Kathy Bates said at the event: “His work cannot be easily labeled. Is what he creates jazz?...
The Argentine musician was among the first to apply a broad range of musical ideas to film and TV scores, from jazz and rock to more modern and complex techniques of orchestral writing. His heyday was the 1960s and ’70s, when he produced several film and TV scores that are now regarded as classics.
In November 2018, Schifrin became only the third composer in the history of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences to receive an honorary Oscar. Clint Eastwood, for whom Schifrin composed eight scores, made the presentation “in recognition of his unique musical style, compositional integrity and influential contributions to the art of film scoring.”
Actress Kathy Bates said at the event: “His work cannot be easily labeled. Is what he creates jazz?...
- 6/26/2025
- by Jon Burlingame
- Variety Film + TV
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