David Raksin (August 4, 1912 - August 9, 2004) was an American composer of music born in Philadelphia, PA. With over 100 film scores and 300 TV scores to his credit, he became known as the "Grandfather of Film Music."[1] One of his earliest film assignments was as assistant to Charlie Chaplin in the composition of the score to Modern Times (1936). He is perhaps best remembered for the theme to the 1944 movie Laura. Johnny Mercer put lyrics to this theme, and during Raksin's lifetime this was said to be the second most-recorded song in history following only Stardust by Hoagy Carmichael and Mitchell Parish. August 4 is the 216th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (217th in leap years), with 149 days remaining. ... 1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday in the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday in the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... August 9 is the 221st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (222nd in leap years), with 144 days remaining. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Philadelphia is a village located in Jefferson County, New York. ... Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin, Jr, KBE, (April 16, 1889 – December 25, 1977), better known as Charlie Chaplin, was a British comedy actor, becoming the most famous actor in the early to mid Hollywood cinema era, and also a notable director. ... Modern Times is a 1936 film by Charlie Chaplin that has his famous Little Tramp character struggling to survive in the modern, industrialized world. ... Laura is a 1944 film noir which tells the story of a police detective, investigating a womans murder, who falls in love with her portrait. ... Johnny Mercer John Herndon Johnny Mercer (November 18, 1909 - June 25, 1976) was a lyricist and composer. ... Stardust is a popular song by Hoagy Carmichael. ... Hoagland Howard Hoagy Carmichael (November 22, 1899 – December 27, 1981) was an American composer, pianist, singer, actor, and bandleader. ... Mitchell Parish (July 10, 1900 – March 31, 1993) was a Jewish-American lyricist. ...

Raksin also taught courses at the University of Southern California and the University of California, Los Angeles. The University of Southern California (also known as USC, SC, Southern California and Southern Cal), located in the urban center of Los Angeles, California, was founded in 1880, making it Californias oldest private research university. ... The UCLA logo since July 2004. ...

His son Alex is a Pulitzer Prize winning editorial writer for the Los Angeles Times. The gold medal awarded for Public Service in Journalism The Pulitzer Prize is an American award regarded as the highest honor in print journalism, literary achievements, and musical compositions. ... An editorial is a statement or article by a news organization (generally a newspaper) that expresses an opinion rather than attempting to simply report news, as the latter should ideally be done without bias. ... The Los Angeles Times (also known as the LA Times) is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California and distributed throughout the western United States. ...

Work on Broadway

• Parade (1935) - revue - co-orchestrator
• At Home Abroad (1935) - revue - co-orchestrator
• New Faces of 1936 (1936) - revue - co-orchestrator
• If the Shoe Fits (1946) - musical - composer
• Dream (1997) - revue - featured songwriter for "Laura"

A revue is a type of theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches that satirize contemporary figures, news, or literature. ... For the use of the term orchestration in computer science, see orchestration (computers) Orchestration or arrangement is the study and practice of arranging music for an orchestra or musical ensemble. ... A revue is a type of theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches that satirize contemporary figures, news, or literature. ... For the use of the term orchestration in computer science, see orchestration (computers) Orchestration or arrangement is the study and practice of arranging music for an orchestra or musical ensemble. ... A revue is a type of theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches that satirize contemporary figures, news, or literature. ... For the use of the term orchestration in computer science, see orchestration (computers) Orchestration or arrangement is the study and practice of arranging music for an orchestra or musical ensemble. ... Musical theater (or theatre) is a form of theatre combining music, songs, dance, and spoken dialogue. ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... A revue is a type of theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches that satirize contemporary figures, news, or literature. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... Laura is a 1944 film noir which tells the story of a police detective, investigating a womans murder, who falls in love with her portrait. ...

External links

• IMDB entry for David Raksin
• Brief biography from Otherminds.org
• Film Composers Tributes - David Raksin
• David Raskin