Miklós Rózsa was born in Budapest on April 18, 1907. Though his father wanted him to study chemistry, Rózsa's musical talents led him to the Conservatory in Leipzig, where he studied with such people as Hermann Grabner. Eventually he made his way to Paris, where he tried to make a living composing music, but found that he had to author a few popular tunes under the pseudonym Nic Tomay just to keep food on the table. Eight years later, on July 27, 1995, Rózsa died, after a lengthy period of mounting health problems.