Their collaboration included such pictures as the first three films in The Karate Kid franchise (1984–1989), Slow Dancing in the Big City (1978), The Formula (1980), and Neighbors (1981).

[4] Conti's big break into celebrity came in 1976, when United Artists hired him to compose the music for a small film called Rocky.

His training montage tune, "Gonna Fly Now", topped the Billboard singles chart in 1977, and earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song.

In 1981, he wrote the music for the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only,[1] when John Barry was unwilling to return to the United Kingdom for tax reasons,[8] and provided the score for playwright Jason Miller's film version of his Pulitzer Prize-winning play That Championship Season the following year.

[10] In 1984, he won an Academy Award for composing the score to 1983's The Right Stuff,[11] after which he wrote the music for the TV series North and South in 1985.

[14] In 1993, he wrote the music for The Adventures of Huck Finn starring Elijah Wood and directed by Stephen Sommers.

In 1999, he composed the score for The Thomas Crown Affair remake, starring Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo.

[15] Conti composed the themes to television's Dynasty,[16] The Colbys, Falcon Crest and Cagney & Lacey.