Miklos Rozsa: Biography

Hungarian-born musician/composer Miklos Rozsa studied in Leipzig under Hermann Grabner and Theodor Kroyer. He composed his first orchestral work in 1929, then moved to Paris two years later to further his education. In London from 1935, Rozsa went to work for movie mogul and fellow Hungarian expatriate Alexander Korda: his first film score was written for Korda's Knight without Armour (1937). Moving with Korda to Hollywood, Rozsa made his American bow with his music for the popular That Hamilton Woman (1941). During the 1940s, Rozsa was a prime contributor to the film noir genre. One of his most effective scores was for the stylish murder melodrama A Double Life (1948); the film must have had special meaning for the composer -- he lifted its title for his 1982 autobiography. Nominated for 16 Academy awards, Rozsa won the prize for A Double Life, Spellbound (1945), and the 1959 version of Ben-Hur. Rozsa's final film work was the deliberately "retro" score for the Steve Martin private-eye spoof Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide