The great jazz pianist/composer Dave Brubeck made his mark on the screen, composing scores and/or appearing as himself in several feature films, TV movies and documentaries, as well as being heard on the soundtracks of a number of other films. Among the jazz standards written by Brubeck are "In Your Own Sweet Way" and "The Duke." The most famous among his many classic recordings is "Take Five," written by his longtime musical partner Paul Desmond. In addition to his indelible work in jazz, Brubeck also has composed orchestral and sacred music.

Brubeck was born David Warren Brubeck on December 6, 1920, in Concord, Calif., and attended what is now the University of the Pacific, as well as Mills College. He served in the U.S. Army during World II, meeting Desmond in 1944 and forming the Dave Brubeck Quartet in 1951. The group enjoyed numerous hit albums including the one considered by some to be its greatest, the 1963 live album At Carnegie Hall. The Quartet was disbanded at the end of 1967, but Brubeck formed a new version in 1968. It remains active, performing classic hits and new material.

The only dramatic feature film in which Brubeck plays himself is All Night Long (1962), a contemporary reworking of Othello starring Patrick McGoohan and Richard Attenborough. With other celebrated jazz artists, he provides on-camera musical accompaniment, performing "It's a Raggy Waltz" from his Time Further Out album and duets with bassist Charles Mingus on "Non-Sectarian Blues."

Brubeck has been designated a "Living Legend" by the Library of Congress. Among his many other honors were being inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1986 and being presented with a 2009 Kennedy Center Honor. He has been married since 1942 and is the father of six children including professional musicians Darius, Dan, Chris and Matthew. They often join him in concerts and in the recording studio.

by Roger Fristoe