Biography
David Raksin was an American composer of film and television scores. Born in Philadelphia, he studied at the University of Pennsylvania and worked as an arranger in New York before moving to Hollywood in the mid-1930s. His early film work included assisting Charlie Chaplin on the score for Modern Times (1936).
Raksin is best known for his score for Laura (1944), whose main theme, with lyrics added by Johnny Mercer, became a major popular hit. He composed more than 100 film scores, including those for The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) and Separate Tables (1958), the latter two earning Academy Award nominations, as well as numerous television scores.
