Biography
Herbert Stothart (also credited as Hubert Stothart) was an American composer, arranger and conductor. Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on 11 September 1885, he studied music in Europe and at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he later taught. He began his career as a musical director for touring Broadway shows before composing for the stage.
In the 1920s Stothart wrote music for several Broadway productions, including collaborations with Oscar Hammerstein II and Rudolf Friml on the operetta Rose-Marie. He moved to Hollywood in 1929 under contract with MGM, where he remained until his death. Stothart composed or arranged scores for more than 100 films, including The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934), A Night at the Opera (1935), Mutiny on the Bounty (1935), Mrs. Miniver (1942) and The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945). He won the Academy Award for Best Original Score for The Wizard of Oz (1939) and received multiple nominations. Stothart died in Los Angeles on 1 February 1949.
