Composer · 1906–1967
Franz Waxman
Biography
Waxman [Wachsmann], Franz
(b Königshütte, 24 Dec 1906; d Los Angeles, 24 Feb 1967). American composer of German birth.
After pursuing a career in banking for two years, he completed his musical studies in Dresden and Berlin. While a student, he supported himself by playing the piano in nightclubs, especially with the Weintraub Syncopators. It was this employment that led him, in 1929, to UFA, Germany’s leading film studio, where he was hired to arrange and conduct Frederick Holländer's score for The Blue Angel. The success of that film produced additional film work, ultimately leading to his emigration to Los Angeles in 1934.