Maksim Isaakovich Dunayevsky, the son of the well-known composer Isaac Osipovich Dunayevsky, was born on January 15, 1945 in Moscow.

He graduated from Faculty of Music Theory and Composition of the Moscow State Conservatory. Among his conservatory teachers there were such illustrious Soviet composers as Dmitry Kabalevsky, Tikhon Khrennikov, and Alfred Schnittke.

Maksim Dunayevsky composed both classical pieces of music (concertos for orchestra, sonatas, cantatas, etc.), and soundtracks for theater and cinema. His music added to the popularity of more than 60 movies and 20 musicals, among them the famous D'Artagnan and Three Musketeers, The Carnival, Mary Poppins, Good-bye!, Musketeers Twenty Years Later, and others.  In addition to composing, Maksim Dunayevsky hosted the telecast Enjoy the Light Genre! dedicated to the operetta and presented by the Kultura TV channel. He was also one of the jury members at the musical competition Folk Artiste.

In 1992-1999 Maksim Dunayevsky lived in the USA and worked in Hollywood. In 2006 the composer got the title of the People’s Artiste of Russia. Along with his creative accomplishments, Maksim Dunayevsky is engaged in community work and charity activities.