David Lee Shire, born on July 3, 1937, in Buffalo, New York, is an acclaimed American composer and songwriter known for his work in stage musicals, film, and television scores. He is the son of Esther Miriam (née Sheinberg) and Irving Daniel Shire, a Buffalo society band leader and piano teacher. Shire's family was Jewish, and he received his secondary education at the Nichols School.

Shire attended Yale University, where he met his long-time theater collaborator, lyricist/director Richard Maltby Jr. Together, they wrote two musicals, Cyrano and Grand Tour, which were produced by the Yale Dramatic Association. He graduated magna cum laude in 1959 with a double major in English and music and was a member of the Pundits and Elihu.

After a brief period of graduate study at Brandeis University and service in the U.S. Army National Guard, Shire moved to New York City. There, he worked as a pianist while collaborating with Maltby on musicals. Their first off-Broadway show, The Sap of Life, was produced in 1961.

Shire began scoring for television in the 1960s and transitioned to feature films in the early 1970s. He is renowned for his scores for films such as The Conversation, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, All the President's Men, and Saturday Night Fever, for which he received two Grammy nominations. He won an Academy Award for Best Song in 1979 for "It Goes Like It Goes" from Norma Rae.

In addition to his film work, Shire composed music for stage musicals including Baby, Big, Closer Than Ever, and Starting Here, Starting Now. He has been married twice, first to actress Talia Shire and later to actress Didi Conn, with whom he has two children. Shire continues to be an influential figure in the world of music composition.