French musician Stephane Grappelli was BOTD in 1908. Born in Paris, his mother died as a child while his father was serving in the Italian Army. He was briefly cared for by Isadora Duncan before being placed in an orphanage. On his father’s return, he began violin lessons, eventually studying at the Conservatoire de Paris in 1920. Inspired by American jazz musicians performing in Paris, he developed a jazz-influenced style of playing, and began touring with jazz bands. In 1931, he met guitarist Django Reinhardt, beginning a celebrated musical partnership as members of the Quintette du Hot Club de France. Relocating to London as World War Two broke out, he made occasional radio appearances but faded into relative obscurity as be-bop became more fashionable. He returned to Paris in the late 1960s, performing at the Hilton Hotel, and in 1971 made a series of celebrated recordings with classical violinist Yehudi Menuhin. His career resurrected, he played on hundreds of studio recordings, partnering with Duke Ellington, Paul Simon, André Previn, Yo Yo Ma, Pink Floyd and Julian Lloyd Webber. He continued to tour and perform into his 80s. He had a brief affair with Sylvia Caro in the 1930s, with whom he had a daughter, but was discreetly gay for most of his life. He lived with long-term partner Joseph Oldenhove from 1981 until his death in 1997, aged 89.