John Strauss
- February 14, 2011
- 90 years
- Parkinson's disease
About John Strauss
John Strauss was a notable figure. Strauss died in 2011 at the age of 90.
Explore other notable deaths in 2011 or deaths in February 2011.
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60 Seconds Life Story
John Leonard Strauss was a prolific American composer and editor who left an indelible mark on television and
John Strauss
d. 2011
60 Seconds: John Strauss's Life Story
A look at the life and career of American composer John Strauss, who scored iconic films and television series.
Transcript
John Leonard Strauss was a prolific American composer and editor who left an indelible mark on television and cinema. Born in New York City, he served in the United States Army during World War II before studying music at Yale University. Strauss is perhaps best remembered for co-writing the iconic theme song for the sitcom Car 54, Where Are You? His career also featured high-profile collaborations with director Woody Allen on films like Take the Money and Run. In 1984, he earned a Grammy Award for producing the soundtrack for the acclaimed film Amadeus. Beyond his work as a composer, he won an Emmy for sound editing on The Amazing Howard Hughes. A longtime Los Angeles resident, Strauss died there on February 14, 2011, at the age of 90 after a battle with Parkinson’s disease.
Play the illustrated life story above, or read the full biography on this page.
Visual credits: Missouri History MuseumURL: http://images.mohistory.org/image/681DE2C2-3217-4B0A-AB59-405F3D2E7C65/original.jpgGallery: http://collections.mohistory.org/resource/156128 (Public domain)source · Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0)source · PIRO4D / Pixabay (Pixabay Content License)source · Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0)source · Alan Light with Emmy (CC BY 2.0)source · wikimedia (Public domain)source
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Full Biography
|John Leonard Strauss (April 28, 1920 – February 14, 2011) was an American television and film composer and music editor. Strauss co-wrote the theme song for the NBC television series, Car 54, Where Are You?, with Nat Hiken. He also won a Grammy Award for his work as the producer of the soundtrack for the 1984 film, Amadeus. He also frequently collaborated with director Woody Allen in his films, including Take the Money and Run in 1969 and Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) in 1972.
Biography
Strauss was born in New York City. He served in the United States Army in both North Africa and France during World War II. He studied at Yale University with Paul Hindemith following the end of the war.
In addition to co-writing the theme song for the TV sitcom Car 54, Where Are You?, Strauss won an Emmy Award in sound editing for his work on the 1978 television movie, The Amazing Howard Hughes. He also wrote the theme song for The Phil Silvers Show. Strauss appeared briefly as an orchestra conductor in the film Amadeus.
Personal life
Strauss married actress Charlotte Rae on November 4, 1951, but the marriage ended in divorce in 1976 when he came out as bisexual. The couple had two sons, Larry and Andrew. Strauss' partner, Lionel Friedman, died in 2003.
A longtime resident of Los Angeles, Strauss died in the city on February 14, 2011, of Parkinson's disease, at the age of 90.
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
Articles & News
- "Amadeus music editor and composer John Strauss dies"bbc.co.uk
- "John Strauss, Composer of 'Car 54' Theme, Dies at 90"nytimes.com
Reported coverage of John Strauss; each link opens the original article on the publisher's own site.
Videos about John Strauss
New York in Ten Hours for two pianos, by John Strauss
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Books & Media
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Strauss
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
People who died on February 14
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