The Pink Panther theme is one of the most famous movie soundtracks of all time. It was written by Henry Mancini (April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994), whose career spanned 40 years and garnered the composer four Oscars and twenty Grammys, the all-time record for a pop artist. [Since surpassed by Beyonce]

Other famous Mancini compositions are the Grammy and Oscar winning theme from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the movie which also featured Moon River (lyrics by Johnny Mercer), one of the most requested pop songs of all time.

Mancini also composed the famous Peter Gunn television theme (a staple of many rock bands), The Days of Wine and Roses (lyrics by Johnny Mercer, again) and other popular TV themes.

His recording of The Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet (“A Time for Us”) also won a Grammy.

Other notable film scores by Mancini include The Glenn Miller Story and The Benny Goodman Story.

The Pink Panther films chronicle the detective work of the hilariously bumbling French police detective Jacques Clouseau, immortalized by the late Peter Sellers. The role of Inspector Clouseau was also played by Alan Arkin, Roger Moore, and recently, Steve Martin. Unquestionably, however, Peter Sellers is most closely associated with the role.

Interestingly, most people seem to think that the Sellers character (Inspector Clouseau) is the Pink Panther. This is not the case. “The Pink Panther” is actually a large diamond, said to resemble a pink panther, around which the plot of the first Pink Panther film in 1963 revolved. (It got the name, purportedly, because the flaw at its center, when viewed closely, is said to resemble a pink panther.)

The popularity of the animated open title sequence of the first Pink Panther led United Artist executives to create animated shorts of the “Panther,” the first of which, The Pink Phink won the Academy Award for Animated Short Film in 1964. Subsequently the shorts led to The Pink Panther cartoon series. The “Panther” has also been featured in computer games, and successfully merchandised throughout the world. The theme to the Pink Panther, however, may be the most recognized facet of the entire “pink” phenomenon…and Henry Mancini’s biggest claim to fame.

This short won an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film, and it marked the first time that a studio won an Oscar with its first-ever animated short: