About George Bruns
Lived 1914 – 1983 (aged 68). George Bruns was an American composer, conductor, film score composer, trombonist, double-bassist and pianist.
George Edward Bruns (July 3, 1914 – May 23, 1983) was an American composer of music for film and television. His accolades include four Academy Award nominations and three Grammy Award nominations. He is mainly known for his compositions for numerous Disney films from the 1950s to the 1970s, among them Sleeping Beauty, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, The Absent-Minded Professor (both 1961), The Sword in the Stone (1963), The Jungle Book (1967), The Love Bug (1968), The Aristocats (1970), and Robin Hood (1973).
A native of Sandy, Oregon, Bruns began playing piano at age six. After graduating from Oregon State University, he worked as a bandleader at the Multnomah Hotel in Portland before relocating to Los Angeles to further pursue a musical career. In 1953, Bruns was hired as a musical arranger at Walt Disney Studios, eventually going on to become the studio's music director, a role he served from the mid 1950s until his retirement in 1976.
Over the course of his career, Bruns was nominated for four Academy Awards for his work on Disney films, including Scoring of a Musical Picture for Sleeping Beauty and Babes in Toyland (1961), and Best Adaptation or Treatment for The Sword in the Stone. He received his final nomination for Best Original Song for the track "Love" from Robin Hood.
Bruns spent his later years in his native Oregon, composing music and instructing at Lewis & Clark College. He died in Portland in 1983 of a heart attack. In 2001, he was posthumously inducted as a Disney Legend.
Biography Early life George Edward Bruns was born on July 3, 1914, in Sandy, Oregon one of three children born to Augusta (née Weyer) and Edward Bruns. and went on to study engineering at Oregon State University, where he was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. In the 1930s he worked as a musician with various groups in the Portland, Oregon, area, and also performed in a traveling band. 1961 Babes in Toyland
Best Score – Adaptation or Treatment 1963 The Sword in the Stone
Best Original Song 1973 "Love"
Best Sound Track Album or Recording 1959 Sleeping Beauty
1962 One Hundred and One Dalmatians
1975 Robin Hood
Don’t just read it —
keep it.
Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.
- E-book
- Audio
- Video
Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free
Important facts
People in George Bruns's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped George Bruns's
Frequently asked questions
Who was George Bruns?
American composer (1914-1983)
When was George Bruns born?
George Bruns was born on 3 July 1914 in Clackamas County.
When did George Bruns die?
George Bruns died on 23 May 1983 in Portland.
What was George Bruns's occupation?
George Bruns was a composer, conductor, film score composer, trombonist, double-bassist and pianist.
What nationality was George Bruns?
George Bruns was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). George Bruns. https://biography.guide/george-bruns/
MLA: "George Bruns." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/george-bruns/.
Chicago: "George Bruns." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/george-bruns/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
Page generated 2026-09-27 05:29 UTC