- Born
- Died
- Birth nameJohannes Mayer
- Hans May was born on July 11, 1886 in Vienna, Austria-Hungary [now Austria]. He was a composer and actor, known for The Beggar from Cologne Cathedral (1927), The Student's Romance (1935) and Ein Burschenlied aus Heidelberg (1930). He was married to Rita Cave and Olga Ausländer. He died on January 1, 1959 in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Alpes-Maritimes, France.
- SpousesRita Cave(December 20, 1957 - December 31, 1958) (his death)Olga Ausländer(1914 - November 14, 1956) (her death, 1 child)
- Austrian composer and orchestrator. Left Vienna after the Nazis came to power and worked first in France and then in England. Many of the films he worked on during this time were operettas. He reached his creative peak in the early 1940's, scoring films for the Boulting Brothers and Rank/Gainsborough, notably prestige pictures like "The Wicked Lady" and "Brighton Rock".
- Despite the enormous success of "Ein Lied geht um die Welt" (33) the fate of his Jewish did not pass him by. Already in 1933 he went back to Austria where he continued his career, three years later he fled to England.
- He belonged to the co-founders of the cabaret "Die Gondel".
- By 1944, May was employed by The Rank Organisation, the largest film production company in England. He scored a string of prominent films, including the mystical romance Madonna of the Seven Moons (1944).
- Hans May managed what only few fugitives was granted in the emigration. He was able to continue his career in his professional environment and in the next years he composed many film compositions for British productions.
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