Lebanon-born Gabriel Yared started his career as a pop composer and musical arranger for the likes of Michel Jonasz and Françoise Hardy. His first encounter with films occurred in 1973 with Samy Pavel's Miss O'Gynie et les Hommes Fleurs. Six years later, he was invited by Jean-Luc Godard to score Every Man for Himself. From there, Yared went on to compose up to seven scores a year. Unlike other prolific film composers, such productivity did not result in simple repetition; Yared sought his inspiration in various genres and styles, ranging from classics to folk, rock, and jazz. His moody saxophone compositions in Betty Blue and his score for The Lover, in which he experimented with Oriental instruments, were awarded Cesars (French Oscars). In 1996, he enjoyed another success with The English Patient, for which he was awarded an Oscar.