---
name: "Don Ellis"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/don-ellis"
roles: ["Composer"]
born: "25 July 1934"
died: "17 December 1978"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
updated: "2026-09-16T10:10:24.632092+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."
---

# Don Ellis

Composer. Born 25 July 1934 in Los Angeles, California, U.S. Died 17 December 1978.

## Details

- **Work:** Composer
- **Born:** 25 July 1934, Los Angeles, California, U.S
- **Died:** 17 December 1978

## Biography

Don Ellis (1934–1978) was an American composer, jazz trumpeter and bandleader. He studied composition at Boston University and began his professional career playing in orchestras led by Glenn Miller, Ray McKinley and others before forming his own ensembles.

Ellis composed and conducted the scores for several films, including *The French Connection* (1971), *The Seven-Ups* (1973) and *French Connection II* (1975). His work on *The French Connection* earned a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement. He was known for his use of complex time signatures and experimental approaches in both jazz and film music.

*Sources: imdb.com, catalog.afi.com, nytimes.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *The French Connection* (1971), Fi1m 85, Music — [page](https://film.one/film/the-french-connection.md)

## Also known for

- *French Connection II* (1975), Original Music Composer, Conductor
- *The Seven-Ups* (1973), Original Music Composer
- *Moon Zero Two* (1969), Original Music Composer

---
© 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/don-ellis