Biography
Johnny Mandel (1925–2020) was an American composer, arranger and multi-instrumentalist. Born in New York City, he studied at the Manhattan School of Music and the Juilliard School. He began his career playing trumpet and trombone in big bands before concentrating on arranging and composition from the mid-1950s.
Mandel wrote numerous film scores from 1958 onwards. His credits include I Want to Live! (1958), MASH (1970), The Sandpiper (1965), Point Blank (1967), Being There (1979), Caddyshack (1980), The Verdict (1982) and Deathtrap (1982). He won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for “The Shadow of Your Smile” from The Sandpiper and received five Grammy Awards. He also composed the theme “Suicide Is Painless” for both the MASH film and television series.
