Biography
Lennie Hayton was an American composer, conductor, arranger and musician. Born in New York City, he began his career as a jazz pianist, working with ensembles including those of Frankie Trumbauer, Bix Beiderbecke, Red Nichols and Joe Venuti, and later with the Paul Whiteman orchestra. He moved into film work in the 1930s and served as musical director at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer from 1940 to 1953.
Hayton composed or arranged the scores for numerous MGM musicals and other films. His credits include Battleground (1949), On the Town (1949), for which he shared an Academy Award, Singin' in the Rain (1952), The Pirate (1948) and The Harvey Girls (1946). Later scores encompassed Star! (1968) and Hello, Dolly! (1969), the latter bringing him a second Oscar, shared with Lionel Newman. He was also musical director for his wife, the singer and actress Lena Horne.
