Wrote music for 3,000 TV episodes, including the themes for "The Rifleman" and "Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater." It was estimated that his work could be heard in more than 3,000 television episodes across a variety of series.
He started studying the violin at age nine and founded his own dance band when he was 15.
His music cues were used and reused by 'Gunsmoke,' 'Leave It to Beaver,' 'The Adventures of Superman,' and many other TV series. He also worked on 'It's a Wonderful Life' from 1947, 'The Jackie Robinson Story' from 1950, and 'Comanche' from 1956.
He fathered four children with his wife Trudy.
He studied music under Leonard Bernstein at the Berkshire Music Festival.
