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Franz Waxman

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Composer

The Resume

    (December 24, 1906-February 24, 1967)
    Born in Konigshutte, Upper Silesia, Germany
    Birth name was Franz Wachsmann
    Composed scores for over 150 films
    Won Academy Awards for scoring ‘Sunset Boulevard’ and ‘A Place in the Sun’
    Select filmography includes ‘Bride of Frankenstein (1935),’ ‘The Philadelphia Story (1940),’ ‘Rebecca (1940),’ ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941),’ ‘Stalag 17 (1953),’ ‘Rear Window (1954),’ ‘Peyton Place (1957),’ ‘Sayonara (1957),’ ‘The Spirit of St. Louis (1957)’ ‘The Nun's Story (1959),’ and ‘Taras Bulba (1962)’
    Scored the shows Gunsmoke and The Twilight Zone
    Classical compositions include ‘Carmen Fantasie’ (1946) ‘Joshua’ (1959), and ‘The Song of Terezín’ (1964–65)

Why he might be annoying:

    He attempted to write an opera of ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ but it went unfinished.
    He resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in 1954, to protest Alfred Newman not receiving a Best Original Score nomination for ‘The Robe.’
    His son claimed he turned down the opportunity to score ‘Marty’ because he didn’t think that the public would be interested in the life of a butcher.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He emigrated from Nazi Germany after being badly beaten by supporters of Hitler.
    He received ten additional Academy Award nominations.
    He received a Golden Globe Award for ‘Sunset Boulevard.’
    Bernard Herrmann called his work on Taras Bulba ‘the score of a lifetime.’
    He formed the Los Angeles Music Festival (in 1947), and served as its music director and conductor until his death.
    His ‘Song of Terezín’ was based upon poetry written by children in the Theresienstadt concentration camp during World War II.

Credit: BoyWithTheGreenHair


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