Michel Jean Legrand (24 February 1932 – 26 January 2019) was a French composer, arranger, conductor, jazz pianist and singer, born in Paris to conductor-composer Raymond Legrand. He studied at the Conservatoire de Paris from age 11, working with teachers including Nadia Boulanger, and graduated with top honours as both composer and pianist. He achieved early success at 22 when his 1954 jazz album I Love Paris became a surprise European hit, and went on to collaborate with jazz figures such as Miles Davis and Stan Getz.

Legrand was one of the most prolific and successful film composers of the 20th century, writing more than 200 film and television scores and winning three Academy Awards from thirteen nominations, including for the song “The Windmills of Your Mind” from The Thomas Crown Affair (1968). His scores for Jacques Demy’s French New Wave films, including The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964), fused classical and jazz idioms into a distinctive, melodically rich style, and songs such as “Les moulins de mon cœur” have become enduring staples of the vocal and chanson repertoire.

Sources:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Legrand