---
name: "Billy May"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/billy-may"
roles: ["Composer"]
born: "10 November 1916"
died: "22 January 2004"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
updated: "2026-09-16T16:27:33.538107+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Billy May

Composer. Born 10 November 1916 in Pittsburgh. Died 22 January 2004.

## Details

- **Work:** Composer
- **Born:** 10 November 1916, Pittsburgh
- **Died:** 22 January 2004

## Biography

Billy May was an American composer, arranger and trumpeter. Born Edward William May Jr. on 10 November 1916 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he died on 22 January 2004 in San Juan Capistrano, California.

He began his career playing trumpet and arranging for big bands including those of Charlie Barnet and Glenn Miller. From the 1940s he worked extensively as a studio arranger for Capitol Records and later composed and arranged for film and television, including scores and themes for *The Green Hornet*, *The Mod Squad*, *Naked City*, *Emergency!* and *M*A*S*H* (1978). His film work includes *Pennies from Heaven* (1981) and orchestration on *Cocoon* (1985). May won two Grammy Awards and was known for his collaborations with singers such as Frank Sinatra.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *M*A*S*H* (1972), Fi1m 85, Music — [page](https://film.one/tv/m-a-s-h-1972.md)

## Also known for

- *Tora! Tora! Tora!* (1970), Music Arranger, Orchestrator
- *Pennies from Heaven* (1981), Original Music Composer
- *Daddy Long Legs* (1955), Orchestrator
- *Tony Rome* (1967), Music
- *A Kiss Before Dying* (1956), Orchestrator
- *Lady in Cement* (1968), Orchestrator

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/billy-may