VIDEO: On This Day, March 16: Remembering Composer and Director, Mitch Leigh

Today we salute the life and career of Broadway composer, Mitch Leigh, who passed away on this day in 2014 at age 86.

Leigh was born in 1928 in Brooklyn, NY. He came from a humble background with little theatre experience and until his big break had only composed incidental music for plays such as, "Too True to Be Good" (1963) and "Never Live Over a Pretzel Factory" (1964). However, while in his early 30s, Leigh received his first big opportunity when he was asked to compose the score for Man of La Mancha.

Man of La Mancha was a huge success, running for a total of 2,328 performances. It also received five Tony Awards, including Best Composer. Since its New York debut, Man of La Mancha has been revived numerous times and has also been adapted for the silver screen.

Though none were as big of a success Man of La Mancha, Leigh went on to compose for other musicals, including Home Sweet Homer in 1976. He also produced the 1983 revival of Mame and directed the 1985 revival of The King and I.

Re-live the work of this theatre artist with Brian Stokes Michell's performance of his most famous song "The Impossible Dream" from the 2003 Tony Awards.