Mission: Impossible' composer dies at 93
Born in Argentina, Schifrin blended the influences of his classical and symphonic training with jazz and modern sounds in his diverse and vast oeuvre, which includes the scores for around 100 films, some of them the best-known of their generation.
His death was confirmed by his son, Ryan Schifrin, to several entertainment trade publications.
Schifrin's work for film includes The Cincinnati Kid (1965) and Bullitt (1968), both with Steve McQueen, Paul Newman's Cool Hand Luke (1968), and Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry (1971).
He also created the score to the 1960s Mission: Impossible television series, which inspired the theme of the massive film franchise starring Tom Cruise.
A pipe-smoker in his younger years and bespectacled with a mane of silver hair later, he was also a highly respected international orchestra conductor and jazz pianist.
Boris Claudio Schifrin was born in Buenos Aires on June 21, 1932 into a musical family, his father Luis Schifrin being the concert master of the city's Philharmonic Orchestra for 25 years.
He learned piano at a young age, developing an extensive knowledge of classical music.
His introduction in his teens to jazz and the American sound – through its greats such as Charlie Parker, George Gershwin and Louis Armstrong – was like a conversion, he would say later, and set his life on a new course.
Schifrin moved to the United States in 1958 and became a US citizen over a decade later.
In Hollywood, television producer Bruce Geller asked him to create scores for his television series Mission: Impossible (1966) and Mannix (1969).
Schifrin received several Academy Award nominations for his film work including for Cool Hand Luke.
In 2018, he received an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement, presented by Eastwood. afp
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
a day ago
- Express Tribune
'Mission Impossible The Final Reckoning' ends run below $200m in Tom Cruise's final outing
Paramount's Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning has finished its domestic theatrical run just short of a major box office milestone. After nearly three months in cinemas, the film concluded with $197.4 million, narrowly missing the $200 million mark. Marketed as Tom Cruise's final performance as Ethan Hunt after nearly 30 years in the role, the film was directed by long-time collaborator Christopher McQuarrie. The project formed part of a two-film conclusion to the franchise that began with Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning. Together, both productions are estimated to have cost around $700 million, with costs rising due to the pandemic and industry strikes in 2023. Despite the scale of its release, The Final Reckoning generated a mixed response compared with its predecessor. While Dead Reckoning achieved a 96% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, The Final Reckoning settled at around 80%. Critics on the site described it as 'a sentimental sendoff for Ethan Hunt that accomplishes its mission with a characteristic flair for the impossible.' International audiences provided most of the support for the film, with $398 million earned overseas, bringing its global total to $595 million. This places the film as the fourth-highest domestic performer in the franchise, ahead of Dead Reckoning's $172 million but still below 2018's Mission: Impossible – Fallout. That entry remains the series' most commercially successful release, with $220 million domestic and $790 million worldwide. Neither Cruise nor McQuarrie has definitively closed the door on future instalments, but reports suggest the actor is turning towards more dramatic projects. He is next set to lead a film from Oscar-winning director Alejandro González Iñárritu. Meanwhile, The Final Reckoning will shift to home video following its theatrical run.
Express Tribune
4 days ago
- Express Tribune
Tom Cruise snubs Donald Trump's Kennedy Center Honor citing scheduling conflicts
Tom Cruise has reportedly declined a Kennedy Center Honor, according to multiple anonymous current and former employees speaking to The Washington Post. The Mission: Impossible star was offered the award, which 'recognises and celebrates individuals whose unique artistic contributions have shaped our world,' but reportedly turned it down due to scheduling conflicts. President Donald Trump announced the 2025 honourees on Wednesday from the Kennedy Center's Hall of Nations. This year's recipients are rock band KISS, stage actor Michael Crawford, singer Gloria Gaynor, country artist George Strait, and actor Sylvester Stallone. Trump also admitted he had long wanted the accolade himself and claimed to be 'about 98 percent involved' in the selection process, rejecting some candidates he did not personally approve of. In a significant change, Trump will host the December 7 ceremony, which will air on CBS and later stream on Paramount+. Meanwhile, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced in June that Cruise will receive an honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards on November 16 alongside actress Debbie Allen and production designer Wynn Thomas.
Business Recorder
06-08-2025
- Business Recorder
India's PVR Inox loss more than halves as ‘F1', other hits draw moviegoers
India's PVR Inox reported a sharply narrower quarterly loss on Wednesday as a strong box office slate, including Hollywood hit 'F1: The Movie', drew more audiences to theatres and boosted ticket and food sales. India's largest multiplex operator, formed through the merger of PVR and Inox, reported a consolidated loss of 540 million rupees ($6.2 million) in the April-June quarter, compared with a loss of 1.79 billion rupees a year earlier. Analysts, on an average, had expected a loss of 659.1 million rupees. Footfalls in cinema halls have been pressured by weak urban consumption, an uneven slate of film releases and growing competition from streaming platforms. To bring audiences back, PVR has been offering discounted weekday tickets and relaunching older movie hits. These measures, along with the strong box office performance of Bollywood and Hollywood films such as 'Sitaare Zameen Par' and 'Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning' helped lift quarterly footfalls by 12% on-year. Average ticket prices rose 8% to 254 rupees, while per head spending on food and beverages increased 10% to a record 148 rupees. Executive Director Sanjeev Bijli told Reuters he expects spending in these segments to grow at a similar pace in the coming quarters. 'I do see a visibility of great films all the way down to December, the end of third-quarter, and that's what's going to drive consumption for admissions, ticket prices, advertisement revenues and also F&B spends,' Bijli said. He added that the company's new cinema halls will experiment with gaming centers, co-working spaces and cafeterias inside the premises to 'enhance the stickiness of the consumer'. Revenue from operations rose 23% to 14.69 billion rupees for the quarter, topping analysts' estimate of 14.24 billion rupees. The results come amid growing signs of recovery in urban consumption. Consumer goods firms such as Hindustan Unilever and Britannia are signalling improving urban demand after several quarters of sluggish growth.
