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Hugo Wilhelm Friedhofer (May 3, 1901 – May 17, 1981)[1] was an American composer and cellist best known for his motion picture scores.

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Hugo Friedhofer
Born	Hugo Wilhelm Friedhofer (1901-05-03)May 3, 1901 San Francisco, California, U.S.
Died	May 17, 1981(1981-05-17) (aged 80) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Era	20th century

Biography

Hugo Wilhelm Friedhofer was born in San Francisco, California, United States.[2] His father, Paul, 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.^{[citation needed]}

In 1929, he relocated to Hollywood, where he performed as a musician for Fox Studios productions such as Sunny Side Up (1920) and Grand Canary (1934).[1] Later, he was hired as an orchestrator for Warner Bros. and worked on more than 50 films for the studio.[1] While at Warners he was largely assigned to work with Max Steiner and, because he could speak German, Erich Wolfgang Korngold.[2] Steiner, in particular, relied on Friedhofer's skill in turning his sketches into a full orchestral score.

In 1937, Friedhofer composed his first full-length film score, The Adventures of Marco Polo.[2] Though he was still employed as an orchestrator through the 1930s and into the 1940s, he gradually received more assignments as a composer. In 1942, he composed the score for the film Chetniks! The Fighting Guerrillas.^{[citation needed]}

In 1946, Friedhofer was hired to compose the score for the 1946 William Wyler directed film, The Best Years of Our Lives, which earned him an Oscar for Best Original Score at the 1947 Academy Awards,[2] beating Bernard Herrmann, Miklós Rózsa, William Walton and Franz Waxman.^{[citation needed]} A new recording of the score, released in 1979 by Entr'acte Recording Society, was favorably received at the time.^{[citation needed]}

Friedhofer was also nominated for other films, including The Bishop's Wife,^{[citation needed]} Joan of Arc,[2] Above and Beyond,^{[citation needed]} Between Heaven and Hell,^{[citation needed]} Boy on a Dolphin,^{[citation needed]} An Affair to Remember,^{[citation needed]} and The Young Lions.[2]

Friedhofer, who was greatly admired by his colleagues, was also noted for his caustic, self-deprecating wit. When asked by fellow composer David Raksin as to the progress he was making on his score for Joan of Arc, he replied, "I've just started on the barbecue!". In reply to an interview by Page Cook, the film music critic at Films in Review magazine, who inquired about his place in the pantheon of film musicians, Friedhofer said, "I am just a fake giant among real pygmies."^{[citation needed]}

A biographical collection of essays, letters and interviews has been edited by Linda Danly.[3]

He died at St. Vincent Hospsital from complications of a fall on May 17, 1981.[2]

Film and television work

Friedhofer wrote music for 256 movies, shorts or television episodes without credit — as a music department composer of themes, additional music, stock music, incidental music or background music. He composed as a primary composer, both credited and uncredited, for 166 movies, shorts or television episodes.

Films

Television

• Outlaws (1960–61) (episodes for TV series)
• Empire (1962) (TV series)
• Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964) (episodes for TV series)
• The Guns of Will Sonnett (1967) (episodes for TV series)
• I Spy (1966–68) (episodes for TV series)
• Lancer (1968–69) (episodes for TV series)
• My Friend Tony (1969) (episode for TV series)
• The F.B.I. (1970) (episode for TV series)
• Barnaby Jones (1973–78) (episodes for TV series)
• Psychette: William Castle and 'Homicidal' (2002) (video short released after Friedhofer's death)

See also

• Max Steiner filmography for notes on Steiner scores Friedhofer orchestrated

References

External links

• Hugo Friedhofer at IMDb
• The Fishko Files: Hugo Friedhofer from WNYC's Sara Fishko's radio segments about the arts.
• Hugo Friedhofer unofficial website
• The Best Years of Our Lives and Hugo Friedhofer
• Hugo Friedhofer papers, MSS 2021 at the L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University

На других языках

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[de] Hugo Friedhofer

Hugo Friedhofer (* 3. Mai 1901 in San Francisco; † 17. Mai 1981 in Los Angeles) war ein US-amerikanischer Filmkomponist, der – trotz seiner hohen Reputation in Filmmusikkreisen – bis heute um einiges unbekannter ist als Kollegen wie etwa Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Alfred Newman, Franz Waxman oder Max Steiner, mit denen er als Orchestrator oder Mitkomponist sehr oft zusammenarbeitete.

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- [en] Hugo Friedhofer

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