---
name: "Joseph Kosma"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/joseph-kosma"
roles: ["Composer"]
born: "22 October 1905"
died: "7 August 1969"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
updated: "2026-09-16T11:47:21.821671+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Joseph Kosma

Composer. Born 22 October 1905 in Budapest, Hungary. Died 7 August 1969.

## Details

- **Work:** Composer
- **Born:** 22 October 1905, Budapest, Hungary
- **Died:** 7 August 1969

## Biography

Joseph Kosma (22 October 1905 – 7 August 1969) was a Hungarian-French composer. Born József Kozma in Budapest to a Jewish family, he studied at the Academy of Music in Budapest with Leo Weiner and Béla Bartók at the Liszt Academy, receiving diplomas in composition and conducting. He won a grant to study in Berlin in 1928, where he met and later married musician Lilli Apel, and studied with Hanns Eisler. Kosma and his wife emigrated to Paris in 1933.

In France he met Jacques Prévert, who introduced him to Jean Renoir. Kosma composed or arranged scores for several Renoir films, including *Grand Illusion* (1937), *La Bête Humaine* (1938) and *The Rules of the Game* (1939). He also collaborated with Prévert on songs and with directors such as Marcel Carné. During the Occupation he was placed under house arrest and contributed music uncredited or under pseudonyms. He became a naturalised French citizen in 1949 and continued composing for film, stage and popular song until his death.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, nfi.hu.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *The Rules of the Game* (1939), Fi1m 91, Music — [page](https://film.one/film/the-rules-of-the-game.md)

## Also known for

- *Grand Illusion* (1937), Original Music Composer
- *La Bête Humaine* (1938), Original Music Composer
- *A Day in the Country* (1946), Original Music Composer
- *Main Street* (1956), Original Music Composer
- *The Crime of Monsieur Lange* (1936), Original Music Composer
- *Blood of the Beasts* (1949), Original Music Composer
- *Thank Heaven for Small Favors* (1963), Original Music Composer
- *Picnic on the Grass* (1959), Original Music Composer

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/joseph-kosma