Roubaix, France

March 12, 1925

French film composer Georges Delerue studied his craft under prestigious movie musician Darius Milhaud. More interested in establishing mood than churning out hit theme songs, Delerue contributed the scores to over 150 motion pictures. In his native France, Delerue wrote music for such highly regarded New Wave films as Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959), Shoot the Piano Player (1960) and Jules et Jim (1961). Equally busy in England and the U.S., Delerue worked on A Man for All Seasons (1966), Anne of a Thousand Days (1969), Day of the Dolphin (1973), A Little Romance (1979), Platoon (1986) and Steel Magnolias (1989). He also penned music for stage and TV productions during his long career. Delerue's final score was for the strange American romantic comedy Joe Versus the Volcano (1990). ~ Hal Erickson