About Oscar Potoker
Lived 1880 – 1935 (aged 55). Oscar Potoker was an American composer, conductor and musician.
Oscar Potoker (born Vinnytsia April 26, 1880, death 26 Jun 1935 – Los Angeles, age 55) was a musician and film composer.
Early life In Russia, Potoker composed chamber works based on Jewish folk music. Potoker immigrated from Russia to Paris, France, where he lived, and then from Cherbourg to the US, March 5, 1924, aboard the .
Movies and teaching Potoker composed movie scores from 1929 to 1935, among them Blonde Venus (1932) with Marlene Dietrich, The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu (1929), The Vagabond King (1930), Trailing the Killer (1932), and Hei Tiki (1935). He also trained piano students in theory and harmony.
Automobile accident
Potoker was riding in an automobile film composer Josiah Zuro was driving, October 18, 1930, when the car overturned on Torrey Pines Road, north of San Diego. Zuro, age 42, died in an ambulance on his way to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla. Potoker was hospitalized seriously injured but recovered. Zuro and Potoker had both lived in the same building, 8439 Sunset Blvd, Hacienda Arms Apartments, according to the 1930 US census.
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Important facts
People in Oscar Potoker's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Oscar Potoker's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Oscar Potoker?
American conductor (1880-1935)
When was Oscar Potoker born?
Oscar Potoker was born on 26 April 1880 in Vinnytsia.
When did Oscar Potoker die?
Oscar Potoker died on 26 June 1935.
What was Oscar Potoker's occupation?
Oscar Potoker was a composer, conductor and musician.
What nationality was Oscar Potoker?
Oscar Potoker was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Oscar Potoker. https://biography.guide/oscar-potoker/
MLA: "Oscar Potoker." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/oscar-potoker/.
Chicago: "Oscar Potoker." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/oscar-potoker/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-22 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
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