Franz Waxman
Born: 1906, Konigshutte, Germany.
Died: 24 February 1967.
Biography:
Franz Waxman (originally Wachsmann) was in Germany in 1906 to Jewish parents. After having spent some time studying in Dresden, he worked to finance his study at the Berlin conservatoire by playing the piano with the Weintraub Syncopaters, a jazz band whose members included Friedrich Hollander. Waxman's first real foray into the world of film music came when he arranged and conducted Hollander's score for Marlene Dietrich's debut film "Der Blau Engel" ("The Blue Angel"), for which he did not receive screen credit. In 1934, he was set upon by Nazi thugs in the street and, unwilling to tolerate persecution, he and his wife Alice left for France. He was based in Paris, where he worked on the score for a film adaptation of Molnar's "Liliom", directed by Fritz Lang. Erich Pommer, the film's producer, offered him work on Jerome Kern's "Music in the Air", which brought Waxman to the U.S. Waxman's career involved contract work at all the major Hollywood studios. His first original U.S. score was "The Bride of Frankenstein" (1935), which secured him a contract as Head of the Music Department at Universal Studios. A seven-year contract at MGM followed, during which time he was "borrowed" by David Selznick for "Rebecca", for which he was Oscar nominated. In 1943, he began work at Warner Bros., later becoming freelance, producing scores for Paramount, Warner Bros., MGM, Twentieth-Century Fox, United Artists, RKO and Allied Artists. Although a prolific film composer, Waxman was a proponent of contemporary art music, conducting many U.S premieres and writing chamber music. In 1947, he founded the hugely successful Los Angeles Music Festival and played a large part in promoting the works of Shostakovich and Stravinsky and the U.S. careers of violinists Nathan Milstein and Isaac Stern. Of his 144+ film scores, notable examples include "Rebecca" (1940), "The Philadelphia Story" (1940), "Edge of Darkness" (1943), "Destination Tokyo" (1945), "Sunset Boulevard" (1950), "Possessed" (1947), "Humoresque" (1947), "Suspicion" (1947), "A Place in the Sun" (1951), "Rear Window" (1954), "The Spirit of St. Louis" (1957) and "Peyton Place" (1957). Waxman died on 24 February 1967 at his home in Los Angeles, after a battle with cancer. Biography written by Rachel Segal
Reviews:
Taras Bulba
Filmography:
The Longest Hundred Miles (1967), Lost Command (1966), Taras Bulba (1962), Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man (1962), My Geisha (1962), Return to Peyton Place (1961), King of the Roaring 20's - The Story of Arnold Rothstein (1961), The Story of Ruth (1960), Cimarron (1960), Sunrise at Campobello (1960), The Nun's Story (1959), Beloved Infidel (1959), Career (1959), Count Your Blessings (1959), Run Silent Run Deep (1958), Home Before Dark (1958), Love in the Afternoon (1957), The Spirit of St. Louis (1957), Peyton Place (1957), Sayonara (1957), Crime in the Streets (1956), Miracle in the Rain (1956), Back from Eternity (1956), Mister Roberts (1955), The Virgin Queen (1955), Untamed (1955), The Indian Fighter (1955), This Is My Love (1954), Prince Valiant (1954), Elephant Walk (1954), Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954), Rear Window (1954), The Silver Chalice (1954), Man on a Tightrope (1953), A Lion Is in the Streets (1953), Stalag 17 (1953), Botany Bay (1953), I, the Jury (1953), Phone Call from a Stranger (1952), Come Back, Little Sheba (1952), Lure of the Wilderness (1952), My Cousin Rachel (1952), Anne of the Indies (1951), A Place in the Sun (1951), He Ran All the Way (1951), Only the Valiant (1951), The Blue Veil (1951), Decision Before Dawn (1951), Red Mountain (1951), Dark City (1950), Sunset Boulevard (1950), The Furies (1950), Night and the City (1950), Night Unto Night (1949), Alias Nick Beal (1949), Rope of Sand (1949), Johnny Holiday (1949), Task Force (1949), No Minor Vices (1948), Sorry, Wrong Number (1948), Whiplash (1948), Nora Prentiss (1947), Dark Passage (1947), Possessed (1947), The Two Mrs. Carrolls (1947), Cry Wolf (1947), The Paradine Case (1947), That Hagen Girl (1947), The Unsuspected (1947), Humoresque (1946), Her Kind of Man (1946), Confidential Agent (1945), Pride of the Marines (1945), God Is My Co-Pilot (1945), The Horn Blows at Midnight (1945), Hotel Berlin (1945), Objective, Burma! (1945), Janie (1944), Mr. Skeffington (1944), In Our Time (1944), The Very Thought of You (1944), Destination Tokyo (1943), Old Acquaintance (1943), Air Force (1943), Journey for Margaret (1942), Tortilla Flat (1942), Woman of the Year (1942), Edge of Darkness (1942), Her Cardboard Lover (1942), Reunion in France (1942), Seven Sweethearts (1942), Unfinished Business (1941), The Bad Man (1941), Design for Scandal (1941), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941), The Feminine Touch (1941), Honky Tonk (1941), Kathleen (1941), Suspicion (1941), The Philadelphia Story (1940), Florian (1940), Boom Town (1940), I Love You Again (1940), Sporting Blood (1940), Rebecca (1940), Strange Cargo (1940), Flight Command (1940), The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1939), Honolulu (1939), Ice Follies of 1939 (1939), Lady of the Tropics (1939), Lucky Night (1939), On Borrowed Time (1939), A Christmas Carol (1938), Dramatic School (1938), The Shining Hour (1938), Young in Heart, The (1938), Arsène Lupin Returns (1938), Three Comrades (1938), Test Pilot (1938), Man-Proof (1938), Port of Seven Seas (1938), Too Hot to Handle (1938), The Bride Wore Red (1937), The Emperor's Candlesticks (1937), Captains Courageous (1937), Personal Property (1937), Love on the Run (1936), The Devil-Doll (1936), Fury (1936), Absolute Quiet (1936), Sutter's Gold (1936), The Invisible Ray (1936), Dangerous Waters (1936), Ace Drummond (1936), Don't Get Personal (1936), His Brother's Wife (1936), Love Before Breakfast (1936), Next Time We Love (1936), Trouble for Two (1936), Magnificent Obsession (1935), East of Java (1935), Three Kids and a Queen (1935), The Affair of Susan (1935), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Diamond Jim (1935), Remember Last Night (1935), Music in the Air (1934), La Crise est finie (1934), Liliom (1934), Mauvaise graine (1934), Ich und die Kaiserin (1933), The Only Girl (1933), Gruß und Kuß, Veronika! (1933), Das Erste Recht des Kindes (1932), Das Mädel vom Montparnasse (1932), Paprika (1932), Scampolo, ein Kind der Straße (1932), Das Lied vom Leben (1931), Der Mann, der seinen Mörder sucht (1931), Le Cambrioleur (1930), Das Kabinett des Dr. Caligari (1930).
Highest Grossing Films (adjusted for inflation):
Unavailable at this time.
Awards:
1952 Academy Awards - Winner, Best Original Score (Dramatic/Comedic) - A Place in the Sun
1951 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Score (Dramatic/Comedic) - Sunset Boulevard
1963 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Score - Taras Bulba
1960 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Score (Dramatic/Comedic) - The Nun's Story
1955 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Score (Dramatic/Comedic) - The Silver Chalice
1947 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Score (Dramatic/Comedic) - Humoresque
1946 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Score (Dramatic/Comedic) - Objective Burma
1942 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Score (Dramatic) - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
1942 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Score (Dramatic) - Suspicion
1941 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Score - Rebecca
1939 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Score - The Young in Heart
Links:
Official Site
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