Preeminent film composer brought to Hollywood by Orson Welles and subsequently renowned for his collaborations with Alfred Hitchcock. Herrmann had scored many of Welles' radio shows before making the move west for "Citizen Kane" (1941), which immediately placed him in the front rank of film composers. In contrast to the prevailing Hollywood style, Herrmann's scores moved away from full, lush arrangements to smaller, often unorthodox orchestration. Equally innovative was his use of brief, easily recognizable themes in place of lengthier melodies.

Of Herrmann's many collaborations with Hitchcock, "The Man Who Knew Too Much" (1956)--in which he appears as the conductor--"Vertigo" (1958) and "Psycho" (1960) stand out. His other outstanding credits include "The Devil and Daniel Webster" (1941)--which beat out his "Kane" score for the Oscar--"The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad" (1958), Francois Truffaut's "The Bride Wore Black" (1968) and Martin Scorsese's "Taxi Driver" (1976).