Basil Poledouris was an American film composer whose musical breadth enabled him to write music for films as diverse as Starship Troopers with its 96 piece orchestral setting, to the quiet solo piano work for It's My Party. The score which received the most critical acclaim was his work for Conan The Barbarian.

He started studying the piano when he was seven years old and had intended to become a concert pianist until he attended college where he discovered the lure of writing for cinema. After attending film school with notable peers including George Lucas, he was asked to write a score for Big Wednesday in 1978. It was to be the start of a career which went from strength to strength.

Poledouris died in 2006 as a result of cancer.