Mel Leven
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Mel Leven (b. November 11, 1914, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American composer and lyricist who has a long association with the Walt Disney Company, although he has also written songs for Peggy Lee (Every Time), The Andrews Sisters (Commoners Boogy), Nat King Cole, Dean Martin, and Les Brown, among others.
Leven's most famous song is arguably Cruella De Vil from the 1961 Disney animated feature One Hundred and One Dalmatians. That same year, he also wrote the story and new lyrics to sixteen tunes for the film Babes in Toyland. In later years, he wrote songs, stories, and did voice-over work for the PBS children's series Big Blue Marble, and well as working on a number of projects for television commercials.
His work has been honored with two Emmy Awards and two Peabody Awards.
