Born in Cleveland, Ohio, but brought up in Pennsylvania. Multiple Oscar® and Grammy award-winning composer whose numerous plush, tuneful, often jazzy scores of the 1950s, 60s, 70s and 80s were often more memorable than the films and TV shows for which they were written. Mancini began his career as a pianist-arranger for the Glenn Miller Orchestra under the direction of Tex Beneke after WW II and from 1952 to 1958 worked on more than 100 films as staff composer for Universal Pictures. In 1958 Mancini reached a career-changing landmark when he provided the hard-boiled, jazzy theme for Blake Edwards' "Peter Gunn" TV show. His feature film work, which had began attracting attention with his compositions and adaptation's for THE GLENN MILLER STORY (1954), also showed increasing maturity that same year with his Latin-accented, percussive score for Orson Welles' classic TOUCH OF EVIL (1958). Mancini won his first two Oscars for the glittery romantic score of Edwards' BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S (1961) and his most famous and oft-quoted composition, the film's theme song, "Moon River." The following year he composed the award-winning and almost-as-famous "Days of Wine and Roses" for the Edwards film of the same name. Mancini would work with Edwards on a total of 27 films, ranging from THE PINK PANTHER (1964), whose sly, insinuating theme was another Mancini landmark, through VICTOR/VICTORIA (1982), which snared the composer yet another Oscar, right up to SON OF THE PINK PANTHER (1993). Mancini also composed for a wide variety of TV series, including the theme music for "Newhart" and "Remington Steele," miniseries including THE THORN BIRDS (1983), and specials even including the TV broadcasting of the 1991 Democratic party's presidential candidates debate. His influence in moving scoring from an orchestral and symphonic sound to smaller group arrangements and an alluring blend of jazz and easy listening music was enormously influential and his easy facility across a wide range of popular genres enabled him to remain one of the leading artists in his field right up until the time of his death from cancer at 70.  Nominated for Music Scoring Awards (Scoring of a Musical Picture) 1954: THE GLENN MILLER STORY (w. Joseph Gershenson)  Music Scoring Awards (Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture) 1961: BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S  Nominated for Music Best Song 1961: BACHELOR IN PARADISE "Bachelor in Paradise" - Music  Music Best Song 1961: BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S "Moon River" - Music  Music Best Song 1962: DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES "The Days of Wine and Roses" - Music  Nominated for Music Best Song 1963: CHARADE "Charade" - Music  Nominated for Music Scoring Awards (Music Score substantially original) 1964: THE PINK PANTHER  Nominated for Music Best Song 1964: DEAR HEART "Dear Heart" - Music  Nominated for Music Best Song 1965: THE GREAT RACE "The Sweatheart Tree" - Music  Nominated for Music Best Song 1970: DARLING LILI "Whistling Away the Dark" - Music  Nominated for Music Scoring Awards (Best Original Score) 1970: SUNFLOWER  Nominated for Music Scoring Awards (Best Original Song Score) 1970: DARLING LILI (w. Johnny Mercer)  Nominated for Music Best Song 1971: SOMETIMES A GREAT NOTION (a.k.a. NEVER GIVE AN INCH) "All His Children" - Music  Nominated for Music Best Song 1976: THE PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN "Come to Me" - Music  Nominated for Music Scoring Awards (Best Original Score) 1979: 10  Nominated for Music Best Song 1979: 10 "Song from 10 ('It's Easy to Say')" - Music  Music Scoring Awards (Best Original Score and Its Adaptation or Adaptation Score) 1982: VICTOR/VICTORIA - Song Score (w. Leslie Bricusse)  Nominated for Music Best Song 1986: THAT'S LIFE! "Life in a Looking Glass" - Music 18 nominations, 4 Awards