Joseph Kosma, born József Kozma on October 22, 1905, in Budapest, Hungary, was a distinguished composer who later became a naturalized French citizen. His parents were educators in stenography and typing, and he had a brother named Ákos. Kosma was related to notable figures such as photographer László Moholy-Nagy and conductor Georg Solti. He began playing the piano at the age of five and composed his first opera, "Christmas in the Trenches," at eleven. Kosma pursued formal music education at the Academy of Music in Budapest, studying under Leo Weiner and Béla Bartók, and later received diplomas in composition and conducting from the Liszt Academy.

In 1928, Kosma moved to Berlin on a scholarship, where he met his future wife, Lilli Apel, and studied with Hanns Eisler. He also became acquainted with Bertolt Brecht and Helene Weigel. With the rise of fascism, Kosma and his wife emigrated to Paris in 1933. In Paris, he met Jacques Prévert, who introduced him to filmmaker Jean Renoir. Kosma and Prévert collaborated on numerous songs, with Kosma setting Prévert's poetry to music.

During World War II, when France was under German occupation, Kosma, being Jewish, was placed under house arrest in the Alpes-Maritimes region and was banned from composing. Despite this, Prévert facilitated Kosma's contributions to film music through other composers who fronted for him. Notably, Kosma composed the music for "Les Enfants du Paradis" (1945), "La Grande Illusion" (1937), and "La Règle du jeu" (1939), among others. His most famous work, "Les Feuilles Mortes" ("Autumn Leaves"), became a jazz standard with French lyrics by Prévert and English lyrics by Johnny Mercer.

Kosma continued to work on film scores and theater music until his death on August 7, 1969, in La Roche-Guyon, Val-d'Oise, France. His legacy includes a significant contribution to French cinema and music, particularly through his collaborations with Prévert and Renoir.