---
name: "Nelson Riddle"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/nelson-riddle"
roles: ["Composer"]
born: "1 June 1921"
died: "6 October 1985"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
updated: "2026-09-16T20:21:03.925422+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."
---

# Nelson Riddle

Composer. Born 1 June 1921 in Oradell, New Jersey, USA. Died 6 October 1985.

## Details

- **Work:** Composer
- **Born:** 1 June 1921, Oradell, New Jersey, USA
- **Died:** 6 October 1985
- **Also known as:** Nelson Smock Riddle Jr. , Joe Seymour

## Biography

Nelson Riddle (born Nelson Smock Riddle Jr.) was an American arranger, composer, conductor and orchestrator. He began his career as a trombonist with big bands including Tommy Dorsey before becoming a staff arranger at NBC Radio and later at Capitol Records.

Riddle arranged and conducted recordings for singers including Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and Ella Fitzgerald. His film and television work includes scores or music for *Ocean's Eleven* (1960), *Lolita* (1962), *Batman* (1966), *Paint Your Wagon* (1969), *The Great Gatsby* (1974, for which he received an Academy Award for musical adaptation) and *Cagney & Lacey* (1982).

*Sources: m.imdb.com, en.wikipedia.org, encyclopedia.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Cagney & Lacey* (1982), Fi1m 81, Music — [page](https://film.one/tv/cagney-and-lacey.md)

## Also known for

- *Lolita* (1962), Original Music Composer
- *Batman* (1966), Original Music Composer
- *El Dorado* (1966), Original Music Composer, Conductor, Songs
- *The Great Gatsby* (1974), Music Supervisor
- *Ocean's Eleven* (1960), Original Music Composer, Conductor
- *Paint Your Wagon* (1969), Original Music Composer, Conductor
- *High Society* (1956), Orchestrator
- *Guys and Dolls* (1955), Orchestrator

---
© 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/nelson-riddle