Hugo Friedhofer

Hugo Wilhelm Friedhofer (May 3, 1901 - May 17, 1981) was an American film music composer born in San Francisco. His father was a cellist trained in Dresden, Germany; his mother, Eva König, was born in Germany. Friedhofer began playing cello at the age of 13. After taking lessons in harmony and counterpoint at University of California, Berkeley, he was employed as a cellist for the People's Symphony Orchestra. Because he could speak German, Warner Bros. assigned Friedhofer to work with the Austrian composers Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Max Steiner. Despite his own strong skills, he remained in their shadow for many years. In 1929, he relocated to Hollywood, where he performed as a musician for Fox Studios productions such as Sunny Side...