Biography

Francis Lai was born on April 26, 1932 in Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France. He was a composer and actor, known for Love Story (1970), Stranger Than Fiction (2006) and Kingpin (1996). He was married to Dagmar Pütz. He died on November 7, 2018 in Paris, France.

Frequent collaborations with French director Claude Lelouch

His biggest hit was the piano melody for "Love Story" in 1970 which won him an Oscar and a Golden Globe. He had enjoyed previous success with his 1966 romantic theme for Claude Lelouch's "A Man and a Woman". All in all, Lai collaborated with Lelouch on nearly forty projects.

Played accordion and piano.

Moved to the Montmartre district in Paris while in his twenties and became an accompanist for French singer Edith Piaf.