Legendary composer Lalo Schifrin, whose iconic music for Mission: Impossible and countless film and TV classics redefined the sound of suspense and action, has died at the age of 93.
Schifrin passed away Thursday in Los Angeles from pneumonia, his son Ryan Schifrin confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. The six-time Oscar nominee spent his final years in a historic Beverly Hills home once owned by Groucho Marx.
Born Boris Claudio Schifrin in Buenos Aires in 1932, Schifrin’s love for music began early. He trained as a classical pianist, following in the footsteps of his father, who was concertmaster of the Buenos Aires Philharmonic for over 30 years. But it was jazz that ultimately ignited his creative spark. “It was like an illumination, a very important moment in my life. I converted to jazz,” he once recalled about discovering the genre in his teens.
His remarkable ability to fuse classical composition with the driving energy of jazz made him one of Hollywood’s most in-demand composers. Schifrin’s resume spanned decades and genres, but he is perhaps best remembered for his instantly recognizable Mission: Impossible theme. Its unusual 5/4 time signature and pulsing intensity set the tone for the original CBS series when it premiered in 1966 and remains a signature piece for the blockbuster Tom Cruise film franchise today.
Schifrin once shared that the iconic theme came together in minutes: “Orchestration’s not the problem for me. It’s like writing a letter… Bruce Geller, the producer, told me, ‘I want something exciting… something identifiable, recognizable and a signature.’ And that’s what I did.”
Over his prolific career, Schifrin scored classics like Cool Hand Luke, Bullitt (with its legendary car chase), Dirty Harry and its sequels, and Enter the Dragon, for which martial arts icon Bruce Lee handpicked him — and even gave him free martial arts lessons in return.
Schifrin’s collaborations with Clint Eastwood became legendary. He scored numerous Eastwood films, including Magnum Force, The Enforcer, Sudden Impact and The Dead Pool. Eastwood, a longtime friend, even presented him with an honorary Oscar in 2018 for his contributions to film music.
Outside of the big screen, Schifrin’s music also shaped TV. He created memorable themes for Starsky & Hutch, Mannix, Medical Center, and T.H.E. Cat. His work for Cool Hand Luke even became the signature sound for ABC’s Eyewitness News broadcasts.
Schifrin’s musical journey took him from Argentina’s jazz clubs to the Paris Conservatory under the tutelage of Olivier Messiaen, and eventually to New York, where jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie invited him to join his band. That invitation launched a remarkable career in the U.S., scoring films, conducting top orchestras, and producing albums that blended his twin loves of jazz and classical music.
Over his lifetime, Schifrin won four Grammy Awards and received multiple Emmy nominations. His impact extended beyond film and TV — he also arranged for major acts like The Three Tenors and continued composing new works well into his later years.
Lalo Schifrin is survived by his wife Donna, his sons Ryan and Will, daughter Frances, and grandchildren Dylan, Jonah, Jack, and Emma. As fans revisit the unforgettable pulse of his Mission: Impossible theme or the adrenaline rush of Bullitt, his legacy as one of Hollywood’s most innovative and enduring musical voices lives on.
