Henry Mancini was an award winning film score composer best known for The Pink Panther theme.
Mancini learned to play the flute and piano as a child, and went on to formal music education at the Julliard School of Music, although being drafted during the Second World War interrupted his studies. After the war he worked with the Glen Miller Band, although it was his move to Universal Studios that marked the beginning of the career for which he is renowned. During his time there, he worked on "Creature from the Black Lagoon," "This Island Earth," "The Glenn Miller Story" and over one hundred other films.
He set up his own writing company, and was approached by film director Blake Edwards to write for the TV series "Peter Gunn." This was the beginning of a long term partnership, and Mancini would go on to write for most of the directors output, including "Breakfast at Tiffany's", "10" and "The Pink Panther" series of films. He also wrote for other directors, with "The Glass Menagerie" and "The Great Waldo Pepper" amongst his credits.
The track "Here's Looking At You, Kid" comes from one of his coolest records--The Return of the Pink Panther. Grand Puba sampled this track for "I Like It."
