Walter Scharf
Walter Scharf ( born August 1, 1910 in New York City; † February 24, 2003 in Brentwood, California ) was an American film composer.
Life and work
Sharp studied piano and music theory at the University of New York. Scholarships enabled him training in European music schools.
He began his professional career in 1930 as a pianist in bands the east coast among others, the singer and actor Rudy Vallee. In 1935, he went with Vallee to Hollywood, where he received a one-year contract by Warner Bros. composer.
Sharp later worked for various film companies, especially for those specializing in low-budget productions Republic Pictures. The highlight of his career he achieved as a composer of comedies with comedian Jerry Lewis. The collaboration ended in 1962, after which focus mainly composed for television.
From 1942 to last in 1973, he was nominated nine times for an Oscar. For the developed jointly with Don Black song Ben, he received Oscar nominations 1973 in addition to a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. Two years earlier he had also won an Emmy.