b. Maximilian Raoul Steiner, 10 May 1888, Vienna, Austria, d. 28 December 1971, Hollywood, California, USA. A composer and conductor for some 300 films, from the late 20s through to the 60s, Steiner was often called the leader in his field. He studied at the Imperial Academy of Music in Vienna, and was awarded the Gold Medal. In his teens he wrote and conducted his own operetta before travelling to London in 1904, and conducting in music halls in England and on the Continent. He moved to the USA in 1914 and conducted on Broadway, for concert tours, and spent some time as chief orchestrator for the Harms music publishing house. Steiner joined RKO in Hollywood in 1929, a couple of years after the movies began to talk, and worked, uncredited on Rio Rita, a "lavish musical Western", starring Bebe Daniels and John Boles. From then, until 1934, his name appears on the titles of over 80 productions, mostly as the composer of the background music. They included Check And Double Check (film debut of Amos 'n' Andy), Cimarron, Beau Ideal, A Bill Of Divorcement, The Half Naked Truth, The Lost Squadron, Little Women and Morning Glory, both starring the young Katharine Hepburn, and King Kong "the greatest monster movie of all". In 1934, Steiner was nominated for an Academy Award for his score to The Lost Patrol, and, in the following year, won the Oscar for his work on John Ford's The Informer. His other scores in 30s included Of Human Bondage, Alice Adams (Hepburn again), The Charge Of The Light Brigade, (1936, Steiner's first, in a long series of films for Warner Brothers), A Star Is Born (1937), The Garden Of Allah, The Life Of Emile Zola, Tovarich, Jezebel, The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer, Crime School, The Amazing Dr Clitterhouse, Four Daughters, The Sisters, Angels With Dirty Faces, The Dawn Patrol, The Oklahoma Kid, Dark Victory, We Are Not Alone, and Gone With The Wind. Steiner's memorable score for the latter film included the haunting "Tara's Theme", which became a hit for Leroy Holmes and his Orchestra, and as "My Own True Love" with a lyric by Mack David, for Johnny Desmond as well.

Listen to Max Steiner at Finetune.

• (1997)  Casablanca:Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

• As Time Goes By (Complete Vocal)
• Knock On Wood
• Airport Finale-Here's Looking At You Kid
• Play It Sam..Play "As Tears Go By"
• At La Belle Aurore (Medley)

• John Williams
• Henry Mancini
• Carly Simon
• Original Soundtrack
• John Barry
• Ennio Morricone
• Elmer Bernstein
• Casablanca
• Eric Clapton
• Simon & Garfunkel
• Berlin
• Ella Fitzgerald
• The Righteous Brothers
• James Horner
• Maurice Jarre
• Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
• Bill Conti
• Gladys Knight & The Pips
• Shirley Bassey
• Nina Simone