Hugo Friedhofer

1901–1981

The Best Years of Our Lives

Hugo Friedhofer was born in San Francisco in 1901, the son of a cellist, and became a cellist himself, playing in theater orchestras during the silent era. Fascinated by the craft of orchestration, he moved to Hollywood as sound films arrived, and in 1935 he joined Warner Bros., where he became the trusted orchestrator for both Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Max Steiner. For years he gave color and polish to some of the era's most famous scores, including The Adventures of Robin Hood and The Sea Hawk.

Friedhofer stepped out of their shadow in the 1940s. His masterpiece, The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), William Wyler's moving drama about three servicemen returning home after World War II, won the Academy Award. Rather than Hollywood bombast, the score speaks in a distinctly American voice, warm and restrained, and it is still regarded as one of the finest ever written for an American film.

He went on to score Joan of Arc, Vera Cruz, An Affair to Remember, The Young Lions, Boy on a Dolphin and Marlon Brando's One-Eyed Jacks, earning many more Oscar nominations. Fellow composers held him in particularly high regard, and many considered him the most gifted musician working in Hollywood.

Friedhofer was known for his erudition and dry wit, and he encouraged a younger generation of film composers. He died in Los Angeles in 1981.

THE ART

Music by Hugo Friedhofer

Art celebrating his film scores. Click any piece to view it larger.

THE FILMS

The Story and the Score

The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

The Story

Three servicemen return home to the same Midwestern town after World War II: an Army sergeant, a decorated Air Force captain and a sailor who lost both hands. Each struggles to readjust to family, work and love. William Wyler's drama won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

The Music

Friedhofer won the Oscar for a score that speaks in a warm, distinctly American voice, avoiding Hollywood bombast. Its restrained themes reflect the veterans' quiet struggles, and the music captures both the joy of homecoming and the difficulty of readjusting, contributing to the film's deep emotional honesty.