Isaak Osipovich Dunayevsky, a popular Soviet composer, author of over 12 operettas and ballets, music for several dozens of films and a great many Soviet songs; People’s Artist of Russia from 1950. Born on January 30, 1900 in Lokhvitsa town of Poltava Province, Russian Empire (now Poltava Region, Ukraine). Isaak Dunayevsky jointly with film director Grigori Aleksandrov created the genre of Soviet musical comedy film by making music one of the major parts of film dramaturgy. Their first joint film Vesyolye rebyata (The Happy Guys) (1934) went on screen in 1934 and won Dunayevsky wide acclaim. He died of heart arrest on July 25, 1955 in Moscow. There is an unsupported version of his suicide. The composer was laid to rest in Novodevichye Cemetery.