Kaper, Bronisław

(1902-1983)

   One of the most successful Polish film composers. A graduate of the Warsaw Conservatory of Music, Kaper moved to Germany in 1930. He composed concert music as well as music for early German sound films, usually collaborating with Austrian composer Walter Jurman. After being offered a seven-year contract with MGM by Louis B. Mayer, Kaper immigrated to the United States in 1935. He worked as a composer, arranger, and the conductor until the late 1960s on nearly 150 Hollywood films, including works by known directors such as John Huston, King Vidor, George Cukor, and Arthur Hiller. He is also known for numerous hit songs, usually produced with lyricists Gus Kahn, Helen Deutsch, and Sammy Cahn, among others. Kaper received four Academy nominations (for, among others, the 1962 Mutiny on the Bounty) and was awarded an Academy Award in 1953 for Lili.

   Historical Dictionary of Polish Cinema by Marek Haltof