Lalo Schifrin

With over 100 film scores and countless TV themes to his credit, Lalo Schifrin ranks as one of the most prolific active contemporary composers. Born and raised in Argentina, he was a child prodigy who first studied with his father, the conductor at the Tetro Colon. In the early 1950s, Schifrin moved to France to attend the Paris Conservatoire, where he study both jazz and classical music. He returned to Argentina and landed his first credit providing the score for "El Jefe" (1954). The following year, Schifrin represented his homeland at the 1955 International Jazz Festival. By the end of the 50s, he had settled in the US and landed a gig as an arranger for bandleader Xavier Cugat.