George Andreani, pseudonym Josef Dvořáček[1] (born as Josef Kumok; 28 February 1901 in Warsaw, Poland – 2 April 1979 in Buenos Aires, Argentina) was a Polish composer, film score composer, pianist, conductor, and actor. He was noted for his scores of some 75 Argentine films during the Golden Age of Argentine cinema from 1937 to 1959. Aside from his prolific work as a score composer, he was also conductor of the Orquesta Sinfónica Schenley in the 1940s.[2]
He participated as an actor in the film Lelíček al Servicio de Sherlock Holmes, whose role was that of a composer (in addition to scoring the music for that film).
He arrived in Buenos Aires in 1937 (where he adopted the name George Andreani). He collaborated with both Argentine and Chilean films. He worked with directors such as Carlos Hugo Christensen, Arturo García Buhr, Enrique Susini, among others. Most of the films he scored belonged to the Lumiton label. In Chile he was hired by Chile Films in 1946 and composed music for films of that studio such as La dama de la muerte and El diamante del Maharaja, as well as for other independent filmmakers.
He conducted the large symphonic orchestra that he conducted at Radio Splendid and was the conductor for 5 years of the "Fiesta de la Vendimia" in the province of Mendoza. He was also in the "Fiesta Mobiloil" along with Nelly de la Vega, Miguel Caló, Pedro Farías, Cayetano La Ferla and Juan Carlos Pini.
As Josef Kumok:[3]
As George Andreani: