(b New York, 8 Feb 1932) US composer, conductor and pianist. Studied piano with Bobby van Eps and from 1954 with Rosa Lhévinne at the Juilliard School. After composition studies with Castelnuovo-Tedesco, he devoted his time to composing for television and film. His scores include those for Jaws (1975), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and the Star Wars series (1977-). A strong vein of concert compositions and appearances conducting leading orchestras have helped consolidate a distinguished career.