Michael Kamen

Career overview

Michael Arnold Kamen was born on April 15, 1948, in New York City, New York, United States, and died on November 18, 2003. He was an American composer, orchestral arranger, orchestral conductor, songwriter, record producer, and musician. He was also known as Michael K-Men. Kamen began his career working as a pop and rock music arranger, notably for Pink Floyd, and was a member of the New York Rock and Roll Ensemble and the Roger Waters Band.

Kamen was widely known for his contributions to film scores, with credits spanning 109 works in the database. His work included composing music for films such as Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves in 1991, Last Action Hero in 1993, Don Juan DeMarco in 1994, and X-Men in 2000. In addition to his film score compositions, Kamen worked as an actor and was credited in the music department for multiple productions.

In 1996, Kamen, along with actor Richard Dreyfuss and director Stephen Herek, established the non-profit Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation. The founders were inspired by working together on the motion picture Mr. Holland's Opus and its story regarding the profound effect of a dedicated musician. Kamen was married to Sandra Keenan.