---
name: "Sylvester Levay"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/sylvester-levay"
fi1m_id: "sylvester-levay"
imdb_id: "nm0006169"
tmdb_id: 58120
wikidata_id: "Q694658"
roles: ["Composer"]
born: "16 May 1945"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 2
average_fi1m_score: 62
average_over: 2
updated: "2026-10-04T21:41:57.550596+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."
---

# Sylvester Levay

## Identity

Sylvester Levay

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/sylvester-levay
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** sylvester-levay
- **IMDb ID:** nm0006169
- **TMDB ID:** 58120
- **Wikidata ID:** Q694658
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvester_Levay, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q694658, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006169/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/58120

Composer. Born 16 May 1945 in Subotica, Serbia.

## Details

- **Work:** Composer
- **Born:** 16 May 1945, Subotica, Serbia
- **Active:** 1983–1991
- **Also known as:** Sylvester Levai, Sylvestor Levay
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1980s 54 (1), 1990s 70 (1)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvester_Levay, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q694658, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006169/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/58120

## Biography

Sylvester Levay (also credited as Sylvester Levai or Sylvestor Levay) is a Hungarian composer and musician, born on 16 May 1945 in Subotica, then in Yugoslavia and now in Serbia. He began musical studies at the age of eight and later worked as an arranger and lyricist before moving to Munich in 1972.

In Munich he collaborated with Michael Kunze on pop and disco productions, including the 1975 hit "Fly, Robin, Fly", which won a Grammy Award. From 1980 to 2000 he lived in Hollywood, where he composed scores for films and television, including *Hot Shots!* (1991), *Cobra* (1986), *Mannequin* (1987), *Navy Seals* (1990) and the series *Airwolf* (1984). He has also contributed to musical theatre works.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, filmmusic.com, discogs.com.*

## On Fi1m (2)

- *Hot Shots!* (1991), Fi1m 70, Original Music Composer, Music — [page](https://film.one/film/hot-shots.md)
- *Flashdance* (1983), Fi1m 54, Conductor — [page](https://film.one/film/flashdance.md)

## Complete filmography (51)

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

- *Elisabeth: The Musical Live* (2024), Music
- *Elisabeth* (2022), Music
- *Mozart! The Musical* (2015), Music
- *Elisabeth: The Musical* (2012), Music
- *Rebecca* (2006), Music
- *Elisabeth* (2005), Music
- *Elisabeth: The Rondo of Love and Death* (2003), Music
- *Elisabeth The Musical* (1999), Music
- *Medicopter 117 – Jedes Leben zählt* (1998), series, Music
- *Donato and Daughter* (1993), Original Music Composer
- *I Can Make You Love Me* (1993), Music
- *Dead Before Dawn* (1993), Music
- *In the Deep Woods* (1992), Original Music Composer
- *Elisabeth* (1992), Music
- *False Arrest* (1991), Music
- *The Heroes of Desert Storm* (1991), Original Music Composer
- *The Owl* (1991), Original Music Composer
- *Hot Shots!* (1991), Original Music Composer — Fi1m 70, [page](https://film.one/film/hot-shots.md)
- *Stone Cold* (1991), Music
- *Cry in the Wild: The Taking of Peggy Ann* (1991), Music
- *Snow Kill* (1990), Original Music Composer
- *Navy Seals* (1990), Original Music Composer
- *Laker Girls* (1990), Music
- *Courage Mountain* (1990), Original Music Composer
- *Manhunt: Search for the Night Stalker* (1989), Music
- *Tales from the Crypt* (1989), series, Music
- *The Cover Girl and the Cop* (1989), Music
- *Case Closed* (1988), Music
- *The Tracker* (1988), Music
- *Top Kids* (1987), Music
- *Burglar* (1987), Original Music Composer
- *The Abduction of Kari Swenson* (1987), Original Music Composer
- *Mannequin* (1987), Original Music Composer
- *Where are the Children?* (1986), Music
- *Intimate Encounters* (1986), Music
- *Cobra* (1986), Original Music Composer
- *Choke Canyon* (1986), Original Music Composer
- *Annihilator* (1986), Original Music Composer
- *My Man Adam* (1985), Original Music Composer
- *Creator* (1985), Music
- *The Look* (1985), Music
- *Sins of the Father* (1985), Original Music Composer
- *A Touch of Scandal* (1984), Original Music Composer
- *Body Rock* (1984), Original Music Composer
- *Airwolf: The Movie* (1984), Original Music Composer
- *Invitation to Hell* (1984), Original Music Composer
- *Where the Boys Are* (1984), Original Music Composer, Conductor
- *Time Bomb* (1984), Music
- *Airwolf* (1984), series, as Theme Song Performance · Original Music Composer
- *Flashdance* (1983), Conductor — Fi1m 54, [page](https://film.one/film/flashdance.md)
- *Cat People* (1982), Orchestrator

## Awards

### Other awards — 2 won, 1 nominated

- Berufstitel Professor 2021: Berufstitel Professor (won)
- Goldene Stimmgabel 2002: Goldene Stimmgabel (won)
- Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Musical Score 1985: Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Musical Score (nominated), for *Where the Boys Are '84*

*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/sylvester-levay