Argentinian Composer Lalo Schifrin has Died, Aged 93

Lalo Schifrin performs in Paris in 2008. When music was added to film, he described ‘a magic alchemy’
that took place for him © Paul CHARBIT/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

Lalo Schifrin, the composer of more than 100 arrangements for film and television, including Mission Impossible, has passed away following complications from pneumonia, his sons William and Ryan confirmed. 

Throughout a career spanning more than 60 years, Schifrin was known for his unique percussive and jazz style, leading him to receive six Oscar nominations, including for the scores to Cool Hand Luke, The Fox, Voyage of the Damned, The Amityville Horror, and The Sting II.

Born into a musical family in Buenos Aires, Schifrin first studied classical piano before moving to Paris in his early 20s to play jazz. He was soon sharing the stage with artists such as Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, and Count Basie.

He began writing for Hollywood after moving to the US as Gillespie’s arranger. For the 1966 Mission: Impossible TV series, he wrote a theme in a 5/4 time signature that, in his words, was intended to inject “a little humor, lightness” to form a theme “that didn’t take itself too seriously.”

His work on the series saw him win four GRAMMYs — three of which were for the MI theme, which even hit No. 41 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968. He later updated the tune for the blockbuster film franchise. 

“The producer called me and told me, ‘You’re going to have to write something exciting, almost like a logo, something that will be a signature, and it’s going to start with a fuse’,” Schifrin said in a 2006 interview. “So I did it and there was nothing on the screen. And maybe the fact that I was so free and I had no images to catch, maybe that’s why this thing has become so successful — because I wrote something that came from inside me.”’

Schifrin’s conducting credits included the London Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic, Mexico Philharmonic, Houston Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. From 1989 to 1995, he also served as music director of Southern California’s Glendale Symphony Orchestra. 

Upon receiving an honorary lifetime achievement Oscar in 2018, Schifrin shared that composing for film had given him “a lifetime of joy and creativity” and the award was “a culmination of a dream” … a Mission: Accomplished.” 

“The countdown begins. The fuse lights. The music hits and suddenly, you’re in it. That was the genius of Lalo Schifrin,” The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences wrote on X. “Schifrin didn’t just write music, he built tension, ignited adrenaline, and gave stories their pulse. We’ll forever remember the composer who turned every beat into a thrill, and every silence into suspense.”

Mr. Schifrin is survived by his wife, daughter, and two sons. Our condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues.

First published at The Violin Channel, June 27, 2025