---
name: "Ray Heindorf"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/ray-heindorf"
roles: ["Music director"]
born: "25 August 1908"
died: "3 February 1980"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 6
average_fi1m_score: 77
average_over: 6
updated: "2026-09-20T02:14:02.292243+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."
---

# Ray Heindorf

Music director. Born 25 August 1908 in Haverstraw, New York, USA. Died 3 February 1980.

## Details

- **Work:** Music director
- **Born:** 25 August 1908, Haverstraw, New York, USA
- **Died:** 3 February 1980
- **Active:** 1931–1951
- **Also known as:** Raymond John Heindorf
- **Academy Awards:** 3 Oscars (3 won · 13 nominated)
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1930s 70 (3), 1940s 78 (1), 1950s 87 (2)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 85 to 82 across 3 titles
- **Score spread:** 3 at 80+, 2 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 5, Music 2, Romance 2, Thriller 2, Comedy 1, Crime 1
- **Screen time:** 11 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $17m across 3 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Heindorf, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q713301, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006127/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/30267

## Biography

Ray Heindorf (also credited as Raymond John Heindorf) was an American composer, songwriter, conductor and arranger. Born in Haverstraw, New York, on 25 August 1908, he began working as a pianist in a movie house while still in his teens before moving to New York City in 1928 and then to Hollywood the following year.

He joined Warner Bros. in the early 1930s and remained there for nearly forty years, composing, arranging and conducting for dozens of films. He is credited on *Yankee Doodle Dandy* (1942), *42nd Street* (1933), *A Streetcar Named Desire* (1951), *A Star Is Born* (1954) and *Calamity Jane* (1953), among many others. Heindorf received eighteen Academy Award nominations between 1942 and 1969 and won three Oscars for Best Score of a Musical, including for *Yankee Doodle Dandy*.

He made a cameo appearance as himself in *A Star Is Born* (1954). His son Michael Heindorf also worked as a film composer. Heindorf died on 3 February 1980.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, detailedpedia.com.*

## On Fi1m (6)

- *A Streetcar Named Desire* (1951), Fi1m 88, Music Director — [page](https://film.one/film/a-streetcar-named-desire.md)
- *Strangers on a Train* (1951), Fi1m 86, Music Director — [page](https://film.one/film/strangers-on-a-train.md)
- *Yankee Doodle Dandy* (1942), Fi1m 78, Music, Original Music Composer — [page](https://film.one/film/yankee-doodle-dandy.md)
- *Flirtation Walk* (1934), Fi1m 57, Music Arranger — [page](https://film.one/film/flirtation-walk.md)
- *42nd Street* (1933), Fi1m 82, Music Arranger — [page](https://film.one/film/42nd-street.md)
- *Arrowsmith* (1931), Fi1m 70, Orchestrator — [page](https://film.one/film/arrowsmith.md)

## Complete filmography (103)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *1776* (1972), Music Supervisor, Conductor
- *O'Hara, United States Treasury: Operation Cobra* (1971), Original Music Composer
- *Finian's Rainbow* (1968), Original Music Composer
- *Adam-12* (1968), series, Music Supervisor
- *-30-* (1959), Original Music Composer
- *The Young Philadelphians* (1959), Music Supervisor
- *Up Periscope* (1959), Music Supervisor
- *No Time for Sergeants* (1958), Original Music Composer
- *The Helen Morgan Story* (1957), Original Music Composer
- *Miracle in the Rain* (1956), Music
- *Serenade* (1956), Original Music Composer, Music Director
- *Sincerely Yours* (1955), Original Music Composer
- *Pete Kelly's Blues* (1955), Original Music Composer
- *Young at Heart* (1954), Original Music Composer
- *A Star Is Born* (1954), as Movie Premiere Attendee (uncredited) · Music Director
- *Lucky Me* (1954), Music Director
- *Three Sailors and a Girl* (1953), Original Music Composer
- *Calamity Jane* (1953), Music Director
- *Blowing Wild* (1953), Music Director
- *By the Light of the Silvery Moon* (1953), Music Director
- *I Confess* (1953), Music Director
- *April in Paris* (1952), Music Director, Music
- *Where's Charley?* (1952), Music
- *The Big Trees* (1952), Music Director
- *I'll See You in My Dreams* (1951), as Orchestra Leader at Kahn Benefit (uncredited) · Music Director
- *Come Fill the Cup* (1951), Original Music Composer, Music Director
- *A Streetcar Named Desire* (1951), Music Director — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/a-streetcar-named-desire.md)
- *Strangers on a Train* (1951), Music Director — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/strangers-on-a-train.md)
- *Goodbye, My Fancy* (1951), Music Director
- *Lullaby of Broadway* (1951), Music Director
- *Storm Warning* (1951), Music Director
- *The West Point Story* (1950), Music Director, Original Music Composer
- *Tea for Two* (1950), Music Director
- *The Damned Don't Cry* (1950), Music Director
- *The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady* (1950), Music Director
- *Young Man with a Horn* (1950), Music
- *Backfire* (1950), Music Director
- *It's a Great Feeling* (1949), as Ray Heindorf (uncredited) · Music, Original Music Composer
- *Adventures of Don Juan* (1948), Music Supervisor
- *Romance on the High Seas* (1948), Orchestrator, Conductor
- *April Showers* (1948), Original Music Composer
- *My Wild Irish Rose* (1947), Original Music Composer
- *Love and Learn* (1947), Music Arranger
- *The Man I Love* (1946), Music Arranger
- *Cinderella Jones* (1946), Orchestrator
- *Rhapsody in Blue* (1945), Original Music Composer
- *Wonder Man* (1945), Orchestrator, Conductor
- *Up in Arms* (1944), Music Arranger, Conductor
- *Thank Your Lucky Stars* (1943), Orchestrator
- *The Hard Way* (1943), Music Arranger
- *Gentleman Jim* (1942), Orchestrator
- *Yankee Doodle Dandy* (1942), Original Music Composer — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/yankee-doodle-dandy.md)
- *The Male Animal* (1942), Orchestrator
- *Affectionately Yours* (1941), Orchestrator
- *The Great Lie* (1941), Orchestrator
- *The Sea Wolf* (1941), Music Arranger
- *The Strawberry Blonde* (1941), Orchestrator
- *Flight from Destiny* (1941), Music Arranger
- *Honeymoon for Three* (1941), Orchestrator
- *Four Mothers* (1941), Orchestrator
- *Knute Rockne All American* (1940), Orchestrator
- *The Man Who Talked Too Much* (1940), Orchestrator
- *My Love Came Back* (1940), Music
- *Castle on the Hudson* (1940), Music Arranger
- *Invisible Stripes* (1939), Orchestrator
- *Four Wives* (1939), Orchestrator
- *The Roaring Twenties* (1939), Original Music Composer
- *Angels Wash Their Faces* (1939), Orchestrator
- *Daughters Courageous* (1939), Orchestrator
- *Boy Meets Girl* (1938), Music
- *Men Are Such Fools* (1938), Orchestrator
- *Gold Diggers in Paris* (1938), Original Music Composer
- *Hollywood Hotel* (1938), Music
- *Ready, Willing and Able* (1937), Music Arranger
- *Stage Struck* (1936), Music Arranger
- *The Singing Kid* (1936), Music Arranger
- *Colleen* (1936), Music Arranger
- *Dangerous* (1935), Original Music Composer
- *Broadway Gondolier* (1935), Music Arranger
- *Alibi Ike* (1935), Orchestrator
- *Go Into Your Dance* (1935), Orchestrator
- *Gold Diggers of 1935* (1935), Music Arranger
- *Sweet Music* (1935), Music Arranger
- *Murder in the Clouds* (1934), Original Music Composer
- *Flirtation Walk* (1934), Music Arranger — Fi1m 57, [page](https://film.one/film/flirtation-walk.md)
- *A Lost Lady* (1934), Original Music Composer
- *Desirable* (1934), Original Music Composer
- *Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back* (1934), Orchestrator
- *Fashions of 1934* (1934), Music Arranger
- *Hi, Nellie!* (1934), Additional Music
- *The Kennel Murder Case* (1933), Orchestrator
- *Footlight Parade* (1933), Music Arranger
- *Gold Diggers of 1933* (1933), Music Arranger
- *Picture Snatcher* (1933), Additional Music
- *Secrets* (1933), Orchestrator
- *42nd Street* (1933), Music Arranger — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/42nd-street.md)
- *Hallelujah, I'm a Bum* (1933), Orchestrator
- *Central Park* (1932), Music
- *Three on a Match* (1932), Music Arranger
- *Big City Blues* (1932), Original Music Composer
- *Crooner* (1932), Original Music Composer
- *The Greeks Had a Word for Them* (1932), Orchestrator
- *Arrowsmith* (1931), Orchestrator — Fi1m 70, [page](https://film.one/film/arrowsmith.md)

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 3 won, 13 nominated

- 1969: Best Original Musical Score (nominated), for *Finian's Rainbow*
- 1963: Best Score, Adaptation or Treatment (won), for *The Music Man*
- 1959: Best Original Musical Score (nominated), for *Damn Yankees*
- 1955: Best Original Musical Score (nominated), for *A Star Is Born*
- 1954: Best Original Musical Score (nominated), for *Calamity Jane*
- 1953: Best Original Musical Score (nominated), for *The Jazz Singer*
- 1951: Best Original Musical Score (nominated), for *The West Point Story*
- 1950: Best Original Musical Score (nominated), for *Look for the Silver Lining*
- 1949: Best Original Musical Score (nominated), for *Romance on the High Seas*
- 1948: Best Original Musical Score (nominated), for *My Wild Irish Rose*
- 1947: Best Original Musical Score (nominated), for *Night and Day*
- 1946: Best Original Song (nominated), for *Some Sunday Morning*
- 1946: Best Original Musical Score (nominated), for *Rhapsody in Blue*
- 1945: Best Original Musical Score (nominated), for *Up in Arms*
- 1944: Best Original Musical Score (won), for *This Is the Army*
- 1943: Best Original Musical Score (won), for *Yankee Doodle Dandy*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© 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/ray-heindorf