Mancini, Henry (1924-1994), was an American composer and songwriter known for his music for motion pictures and television. Mancini composed more than 60 movie scores. He won Academy Awards for his score for Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) and for the theme song from the score, “Moon River.” He also won Academy Awards for the title song from the film Days of Wine and Roses (1962) and for his score for Victor/Victoria (1982). Johnny Mercer wrote the lyrics for both of the Academy Award-winning songs (see Mercer, Johnny ).
Mancini was born on April 16, 1924, in Cleveland. He was pianist and arranger for the Tex Beneke band from 1945 to 1947. He served as staff composer for Universal Pictures from 1952 to 1958. During that time, he arranged the music for the movie musicals The Glenn Miller Story (1954) and The Benny Goodman Story (1956). Mancini gained national recognition for his jazz-flavored score for the television series “Peter Gunn” (1958) and his music for another TV series, “Mister Lucky” (1959). Mancini’s music for the movie The Pink Panther (1963) and several sequels became extremely popular. Mancini also recorded several best-selling albums featuring his original compositions and arrangements. He won more than 20 Grammy Awards for his recordings. Mancini died on June 14, 1994.
