Biography
Samuel Hoffenstein (also credited as Sam Hoffenstein) was a screenwriter and musical composer. Born in 1890, he emigrated to the United States as a child and began his career in New York as a newspaper reporter, drama critic and columnist, while also publishing volumes of light verse.
In 1931 he moved to Los Angeles and wrote screenplays for more than thirty films. His credits include Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931), Love Me Tonight (1932), Phantom of the Opera (1943), Laura (1944) and Cluny Brown (1946). He received Academy Award nominations for his work on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Laura. He also contributed to the musical score for the stage production Gay Divorce (1933).
Hoffenstein died in Los Angeles in 1947. A final collection of his verse, Pencil in the Air, was published shortly after his death.
