---
name: "Francis Lai"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/francis-lai"
roles: ["Composer"]
born: "26 April 1932"
died: "7 November 2018"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-20T05:30:57.592817+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."
---

# Francis Lai

Composer. Born 26 April 1932 in Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France. Died 7 November 2018.

## Details

- **Work:** Composer
- **Born:** 26 April 1932, Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France
- **Died:** 7 November 2018
- **Also known as:** Francis Laï, Francis Albert Lai, Francis Lay
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar (1 won)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Lai, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q223408, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006162/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/19607

## Biography

Francis Lai was a French composer of film scores. Born in Nice, he began his career as a pianist and accordionist, working as an accompanist to Édith Piaf in Paris before composing songs for her and others.

In 1965 he met director Claude Lelouch and provided the score for *A Man and a Woman* (1966). The pair collaborated on nearly 40 films over five decades. Lai’s best-known work is the score for *Love Story* (1970), which won the Academy Award for Best Original Score and a Golden Globe; its theme became a hit single for Andy Williams as “Where Do I Begin”.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, nytimes.com, telegraph.co.uk.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Love Story* (1970), Fi1m 57, Music, Original Music Composer — [page](https://film.one/film/love-story.md)

## Complete filmography (112)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *The Cinema of Francis Lai* (2026), Original Music Composer
- *Stjepan Hauser plays Bach and Morricone @ Château de Neuschwanstein 2025* (2025), Music
- *Shoot to Live* (2022), Music
- *The Best Years of a Life* (2019), Original Music Composer
- *Everyone's Life* (2017), Original Music Composer
- *Un + une* (2015), Original Music Composer
- *We Love You, You Bastard* (2014), Original Music Composer
- *D'un film à l'autre* (2011), Original Music Composer
- *What War May Bring* (2010), Original Music Composer
- *Amore e libertà - Masaniello* (2006), Original Music Composer
- *The Courage to Love* (2005), Original Music Composer
- *Plastic Tree* (2003), Music
- *Panorama: The Wonderland Club* (2001), Music Arranger
- *One 4 All* (1999), Original Music Composer
- *Chance or Coincidence* (1998), Original Music Composer
- *Panorama: Defend the Children* (1998), Music
- *Men, Women: A User's Manual* (1996), Original Music Composer
- *Les Miserables* (1995), Original Music Composer
- *All That... for This?!* (1993), Original Music Composer
- *Gayniggers from Outer Space* (1993), Music
- *Le Voleur et la menteuse* (1993), Original Music Composer
- *Stranger in the House* (1992), Original Music Composer
- *The Beautiful Story* (1992), Original Music Composer
- *Les Clés du Paradis* (1991), Original Music Composer
- *I'll Be Going Now* (1991), Original Music Composer
- *Le Provincial* (1990), Original Music Composer
- *The Passion of Bernadette* (1990), Original Music Composer
- *There Were Days... and Moons* (1990), Original Music Composer
- *My New Partner II* (1990), Original Music Composer
- *Les Rikikis au pays du Père Noël* (1989), series, as Compositor
- *Too Beautiful for You* (1989), Original Music Composer
- *Itinerary of a Spoiled Child* (1988), Original Music Composer
- *Bernadette* (1988), Original Music Composer, Music
- *Keys to Freedom* (1988), Original Music Composer
- *Bandits* (1987), Original Music Composer
- *Dark Eyes* (1987), Original Music Composer
- *A Man and a Woman: 20 Years Later* (1986), Original Music Composer
- *AIDS: Love in Danger* (1985), Original Music Composer
- *Marie: A True Story* (1985), Original Music Composer
- *No More God, No More Love* (1985), Original Music Composer
- *Astrolab 22* (1985), series, Music
- *I Believe in Santa Claus* (1984), Original Music Composer
- *My New Partner* (1984), Original Music Composer
- *Dog Day* (1984), Music
- *Wunderland* (1983), Music
- *Salut la puce* (1983), Music
- *Edith and Marcel* (1983), Original Music Composer
- *Das Traumschiff* (1981), series, Music
- *Madame Claude 2* (1981), Music
- *Bolero* (1981), Original Music Composer
- *Beyond the Reef* (1979), Original Music Composer
- *Us Two* (1979), Original Music Composer
- *International Velvet* (1978), Original Music Composer
- *Robert et Robert* (1978), Music
- *Boarding School* (1978), Original Music Composer
- *Widows' Nest* (1977), Music
- *Another Man, Another Chance* (1977), Original Music Composer
- *Bilitis* (1977), Original Music Composer
- *Lost Soul* (1977), Original Music Composer
- *Türkiye* (1977), Music
- *The Body of My Enemy* (1976), Music
- *The Good and the Bad* (1976), Original Music Composer
- *Striptease* (1976), Original Music Composer
- *Emmanuelle: The Joys of a Woman* (1975), Original Music Composer
- *The Babysitter* (1975), Original Music Composer
- *Cat and Mouse* (1975), Original Music Composer
- *Marriage* (1974), Original Music Composer
- *Child Under a Leaf* (1974), Original Music Composer
- *The Sex Symbol* (1974), Music
- *And Now My Love* (1974), Music
- *Visit to a Chief's Son* (1974), Music
- *By the Blood of Others* (1974), Original Music Composer
- *Loving in the Rain* (1974), Original Music Composer
- *Reigen* (1973), Original Music Composer
- *Happy New Year* (1973), Original Music Composer
- *Killing in the Sun* (1973), Original Music Composer
- *Tom Thumb* (1972), Music
- *And Hope to Die* (1972), Original Music Composer
- *Dust in the Sun* (1972), Music
- *Money Money Money* (1972), Music
- *Spy Trap* (1972), series, Music
- *The Legend of Frenchie King* (1971), Original Music Composer
- *Smic, Smac, Smoc* (1971), as Blind Accordionist · Music
- *La usurpadora* (1971), series, Music
- *Dead Gods* (1971), series, as Theme Song Performance
- *Iran* (1971), Original Music Composer
- *Love Story* (1970), Original Music Composer — Fi1m 57, [page](https://film.one/film/love-story.md)
- *The Love Mates* (1970), as Compositor
- *The Crook* (1970), Original Music Composer
- *Berlin Affair* (1970), Music
- *The Games* (1970), Original Music Composer
- *The Modification* (1970), Original Music Composer
- *Hello-Goodbye* (1970), Original Music Composer
- *Eyes Full of Sun* (1970), Original Music Composer
- *Rider on the Rain* (1970), Original Music Composer
- *Love Is a Funny Thing* (1969), Original Music Composer
- *3 Into 2 Won't Go* (1969), Original Music Composer
- *Life Love Death* (1969), Music
- *Hannibal Brooks* (1969), Original Music Composer
- *Snows of Grenoble* (1968), Music
- *Tender Moment* (1968), Original Music Composer
- *Mayerling* (1968), Original Music Composer
- *13 Days in France* (1968), Original Music Composer
- *House of Cards* (1968), Original Music Composer
- *The Golden Claws of the Cat Girl* (1968), Music
- *I'll Never Forget What's'isname* (1967), Original Music Composer
- *Live for Life* (1967), Original Music Composer
- *My Love, My Love* (1967), Original Music Composer
- *Action Man* (1967), Original Music Composer
- *The Bobo* (1967), Original Music Composer
- *A Man and a Woman* (1966), Original Music Composer
- *Fragilité, ton nom est femme* (1965), Original Music Composer, Music

## Gallery

- ![Francis Lai regarde légèrement au dessus de l'objectif, au loin, sans expression particulière. Il porte les cheveux bruns, épais et ondulés. Il est vêtu d'un ve (1954)](https://film.one/media/person/1244254/gallery-97de2fd9dae0.png) Francis Lai regarde légèrement au dessus de l'objectif, au loin, sans expression particulière. Il porte les cheveux bruns, épais et ondulés. Il est vêtu d'un ve (1954) — Inconnu, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2d/Identite-FrancisLai-1954-Sacem.png?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Francis Lai](https://film.one/media/person/1244254/gallery-4983a020fd4f.jpg) Francis Lai — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 1 won

- 1971: Best Original Score (won), for *Love Story*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© 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/francis-lai