Born Alexander Paucker into a Jewish family in Romania, Francis Chagrin took his new name when he settled in France, where he studied with Paul Dukas and Nadia Boulanger. In 1936 he moved to England, working there for the French service of the BBC during the war.
Music
Chagrin was amazingly prolific. In addition to a variety of other compositions, he provided music for some 200 films and for television advertisements and programmes, while very active in musical circles in London until his death.