---
name: "Walter Scharf"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/walter-scharf"
roles: ["Composer"]
born: "1 August 1910"
died: "24 February 2003"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
updated: "2026-09-16T15:59:06.530710+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."
---

# Walter Scharf

Composer. Born 1 August 1910 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. Died 24 February 2003.

## Details

- **Work:** Composer
- **Born:** 1 August 1910, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
- **Died:** 24 February 2003

## Biography

Walter Scharf (1 August 1910 – 24 February 2003) was an American composer, arranger and conductor of film and television music.

Born in Manhattan, New York City, he began his career in New York as an orchestrator for Broadway productions before moving to Hollywood in the early 1930s. He arranged for performers including Al Jolson and Bing Crosby, later serving as head of music at Republic Pictures from 1942 to 1946. Scharf received ten Academy Award nominations for his work on films including *Hans Christian Andersen* (1952), *Funny Girl* (1968) and *Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory* (1971).

On television he composed music for series including *Mission: Impossible* (1966), *The Man from U.N.C.L.E.* and *The Love Boat* (1977), as well as National Geographic documentaries and *The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau*. He won an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, latimes.com, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Mission: Impossible* (1966), Fi1m 82, Music — [page](https://film.one/tv/mission-impossible-1966.md)

## Also known for

- *Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory* (1971), Original Music Composer
- *Bonanza* (1959), Music
- *The Nutty Professor* (1963), Original Music Composer
- *Winchester '73* (1950), Music
- *The Court Jester* (1955), Original Music Composer
- *The Love Boat* (1977), Music
- *This Gun for Hire* (1942), Orchestrator
- *Pocketful of Miracles* (1961), 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/walter-scharf