An Italian composer, pianist and conductor, born into a musical family in Milan, Italy on December 3, 1911. He is best known for his film scores that exceed 150 credits, as he composed the scores of films by great directors such as Luchino Visconti, Federico Fellini and Francis Ford Coppola. His talent appeared early in his childhood, so he wrote his first oratorio at the age of eleven. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Score for The Godfather Part II (1974). He studied music at the Milan Conservatory, graduating in 1930. During his career, he was a remarkably prolific composer. In addition to composing film scores, he also composed five ballets and dozens of other orchestral, choral and chamber works, the best known being his string concerto. He also taught music for a long time at the Liceo Musicale in Bari, Italy, where he served as director for nearly thirty years. He died of a heart attack on April 10, 1979, at the age of 67.