In part two of our two-part series celebrating the contributions of Polish Americans, we focus on greats in the music industry, as well as a few more pioneers and standouts in film and television. We hope you enjoy and join us in celebrating the rich culture and heritage of our Polish American neighbors.

Composers, Conductors, and Musicians

Born in London to a Polish family, Leopold Stokowski famously conducted the Philadelphia Orchestra for nearly three decades. He and his orchestra starred in Disney’s groundbreaking film “Fantasia,” in which he conducted all eight animated segments set to pieces of classical music. He would go on to appear in other films and conduct the music for several more.

Warsaw-born bandleader and composer Fred Rich started his career as a movie theater pianist. In the 1920s he fronted the house band at the Astor Hotel in New York and led studio recordings that included future jazz stars Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey and Benny Goodman. He served as musical director for CBS from 1928 to 1938, where he decided what artists would be widely heard on the radio network. He brought his talents to Hollywood when he joined United Artists Studios in 1942. There, he wrote scores for several films, earning two Academy Award nominations.

Composer Bronisław Kaper got his start in the French cinema but fled as the Nazi party rose to power in Europe. In 1935, he accepted a seven-year contract with MGM and moved to Hollywood. He has more than 100 film credits under his name and won an Oscar for composing the score of the beloved film “Lili” starring Leslie Caron.

Jan A.P. Kaczmarek has written the score for 65 productions, including feature films, documentaries, TV movies, and mini-series. The Polish-born composer settled in the United States in the late 1980s and won an Oscar for composing the score of “Finding Neverland.”

Many Polish-American musicians and singers have contributed to the film and television industries by ushering in the age of the music video and providing songs for soundtracks.

Pat Benatar, born Patricia Mae Andrzejewski in Greenpoint, was a fixture on MTV in its earliest days. Her 1980 song “You Better Run” was the second video ever played on the network, and the music video for 1983’s “Love is a Battlefield” was one of the first to include dialogue and acting to tell a story.

Chicago’s former frontman Peter Cetera has contributed to many film soundtracks. He wrote Chicago’s No. 1 hit “Hard to Say I’m Sorry,” which was featured in the 1982 film “Summer Lovers.” Cetera earned an Oscar nomination for Best Song for the No. 1 hit “Glory of Love” featured in “The Karate Kid Part II.” He also performed a duet of the song “After All” with Cher, which was the love theme for the 1989 movie “Chances Are.” That song was nominated for an Oscar as well.

Goo Goo Dolls frontman John Rzeznik has also found success writing songs for film soundtracks. He wrote his band’s biggest hit “Iris” for the “City of Angels” soundtrack. He also wrote the song “Lazy Eye” for the “Batman & Robin” soundtrack and “Before It’s Too Late” from “The Transformers” soundtrack.

Other Industry Pioneers and Standouts

Anton Grot may not be a household name, but he worked on many films that are. He served as art director on hundreds of productions between 1913 and 1950, including Best Picture Winner “The Life of Emile Zola.” He headed the art department at Warner Bros. for decades and earned five Oscar nominations for Best Art Direction. In 1941 he won a Technical Achievement Award for designing the Warner Bros. water ripple and wave illusion machine.

Janusz Kamiński is Steven Spielberg’s go-to cinematographer. Five of his six Oscar nominations are for Spielberg films, and he has won twice – for “Schindler’s List” and “Saving Private Ryan.” His next film, the Spielberg-directed remake of “West Side Story,” is scheduled for release in December.

Dariusz Wolski is another successful Polish-American cinematographer. He works frequently with Ridley Scott, and the team have two films coming out later this year – “The Last Duel” and “House of Gucci.” He received his first Oscar nomination last year for “News of the World.”

Don Pardo was the voice of Saturday Night Live for nearly 40 seasons and was employed by NBC for 60 years. Born in Massachusetts to Polish immigrants, he started as an announcer and worked as a war reporter for NBC Radio during World War II.

Learn more about Polish American Heritage Month at National Today. Nostrovia!