Hugo Wilhelm Friedhofer (May 3, 1901 - May 17, 1981) was a film music composer born in San Francisco. From a musical family, Friedhofer began playing cello at the age of 13. After taking lessons a Berkley, he worked as a cellist for the People's Symphony Orchestra. May 3 is the 123rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (124th in leap years). ... 1901 (MCMI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... May 17 is the 137th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (138th in leap years). ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ...

In 1929 he worked on his first film performing as a musician for Sunny Side Up, for Fox Studios. Later, he was hired as an orchestrator for Warner Bros. and worked on over 50 films for the film company.

In 1937, Hugo composed his first film The Adventures of Marco Polo. That film was followed by The Lodger in 1943 and The Best Years of Our Lives in 1946. He received an Oscar for the 1946 film, after being nominated for an Academy Award a year before for Woman in the Window The Best Years of Our Lives is a 1946 movie about three servicemen (an airman, a soldier, and a sailor) trying to piece their lives back together after coming back home from WWII. It is based on a novel by MacKinlay Kantor, Glory for Me. ...

Friedhofer went on to be nominated for other films including The Bishop's Wife, Joan of Arc, Above and Beyond, Between Heaven and Hell, Boy on a Dolphin, An Affair To Remember, and The Young Lions. The Bishops Wife is a 1947 romantic comedy film which tells the story of an angel who comes to earth to help a bishop to reconnect with his family. ... Joan of Arc is a 1948 film. ... An Affair to Remember is a 1957 movie, starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr as a couple who meet on an ocean liner and promise to reunite in six months at the top of the Empire State Building if they still love each other. ...

He passed away in Los Angeles on May 17, 1981.