With a chemical engineering degree and a background in creating synthetic rubber projects to aid the U.S. in its World War II efforts, it seems only natural that Richard P. "Dick" Hazard would eventually find fame as a prominent composer, arranger, and orchestrator of film scores.
Moonlighting in nightclubs while spending his day hours dedicated to war efforts, Hazard, a native of Trenton, N.J., refined his love of music after the war by studying at U.S.C. Following his first professional job with The Hoagy Carmichael Radio Show, Hazard was soon arranging for such acts as Peggy Lee and Herb Jeffries. Early jobs included composing the scores for the films Disc Jockey (1951) and Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla (1952).
Following the early success of his film compositions, Hazard worked as orchestrator and music adapter on such films as Xanadu (1980), Arthur (1981), and The Color Purple (1985), all the while composing scores for films like Nickelodeon (1976) and Airplane 2: The Sequel (1982). Hazard also worked in television, composing the score for Wild Wild West, working on Mission: Impossible, and penning the theme for Good Morning America. Married to singer Jeanne Taylor for 50 years, Hazard died on December 20, 2000.
