Biography
Walter Scharf (1 August 1910 – 24 February 2003) was an American composer, arranger and conductor of film and television music.
Born in Manhattan, New York City, he began his career in New York as an orchestrator for Broadway productions before moving to Hollywood in the early 1930s. He arranged for performers including Al Jolson and Bing Crosby, later serving as head of music at Republic Pictures from 1942 to 1946. Scharf received ten Academy Award nominations for his work on films including Hans Christian Andersen (1952), Funny Girl (1968) and Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971).
On television he composed music for series including Mission: Impossible (1966), The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and The Love Boat (1977), as well as National Geographic documentaries and The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau. He won an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award.
