Francis Lai (born April 26, 1932 in Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France) is a composer noted for his film scores.

While in his twenties, Francis Lai left home and went to Paris where he became part of the lively Montmartre music scene. In 1965 he met filmmaker Claude Lelouch and was hired to help write the score for the film, Un homme et une femme (A Man and A Woman). Released in 1966, the film was a major international success, earning a number of Academy Awards, and for the young Francis Lai, a Golden Globe Award nomination for "Best Original Score." This initial success brought more opportunities to work for the film industry both in his native France as well as in Great Britain and the United States. In 1969, he wrote the score for director René Clément's film, Rider On The Rain (Le Passager de la Pluie).

In 1970 Francis Lai won the Academy Award for Best Music, Original Score and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score for the film, Love Story. In the United States, the soundtrack album went to No. 2 in the Billboard album charts and the film's theme, "Where Do I Begin" was a hit single with lyrics by Carl Sigman for crooner, Andy Williams. The song would also be recorded successfully by Lai himself with a full orchestra and by Henry Mancini and Shirley Bassey. Francis Lai would also write the music for the 1978 "Love Story" sequel titled, Oliver's Story.

In a career spanning forty years, Francis Lai has also written music for television programs and alone or in collaboration with others, has composed music for more than one hundred films and has personally written more than six hundred songs.

Award wins:

• Academy Award for Best Music, Original Score for Love Story (1970)
• Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score for Love Story (1970)
• César Award for Best Music Written for a Film for Itinéraire d'un enfant gâté (1988)

Award nominations:

• Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score for Un homme et une femme (1966)
• BAFTA Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music for Vivre pour vivre (1967)
• Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score for Vivre pour vivre (1967)
• Grammy Award for Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture for Love Story (1970)
• BAFTA Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music for La Bonne année (1973)
• César Award for Best Music Written for a Film for Bilitis (1977)
• César Award for Best Music Written for a Film for Uns et les autres, Les (1981)
• César Award for Best Music Written for a Film for Hasards ou coïncidences (1998)