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JWR VerifiedJWR-2026-000209

Awards · Academy AwardsFirst

First Jewish Composer to Win the Academy Award for Best Original Song

Record holder

Con ConradPerson

Record value

27 February 1935

Country represented: United StatesAchievement location: Los Angeles, California, United StatesAchievement date: 27 February 1935Current record

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Verified by Jewish World RecordsHow we verify records

Con Conrad with Irving Caesar in 1924.

Con Conrad (left/right as identified by the source) with songwriter Irving Caesar in 1924.Library of Congress / National Photo Company Collection / Wikimedia CommonsSourcePublic Domain

Official record definition

The earliest Jewish composer to win the Academy Award category for Best Original Song / Music (Song).

Measurement methodology

Chronology of Academy Music (Song) winners beginning with the category's inaugural award, combined with Jewish-recipient verification.

Record story

Con Conrad is recognized by JWR as the first Jewish composer to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song. At the 7th Academy Awards, held on 27 February 1935, “The Continental” won the newly introduced Music (Song) category. Conrad composed the music and Herb Magidson wrote the lyrics; the song was created for the film The Gay Divorcee. The Academy’s official ceremony record identifies the winning song and credits Conrad for its music. Because this was the first year in which the song category was awarded, the result also establishes the starting point for the category’s chronology. JWR’s Jewish-recipient comparison places Conrad first among qualifying composers in that sequence, while biographical and specialist music sources document his career and identity. The exact ceremony date, rather than simply 1935, is used as the record value.

Media

Record video

How JWR verified this record

Verification status
Verified
Verification date
26 September 2026
Verification standard
JWR Verification Standard 1.0

Achievement evidence

The Academy's 1935 ceremony page lists The Continental as the Music (Song) winner, with music by Con Conrad.

Superiority evidence

JINFO's Jewish Original Song chronology begins its composer list with Con Conrad in 1934/1935, coinciding with the category's inaugural award.

Jewish Eligibility — Verified by JWR

Jewish eligibility verification

Evidence establishing that the holder qualifies as Jewish for JWR purposes.

  • Con Conrad — Songwriters Hall of Fame — Songwriters Hall of Fame

Achievement / record verification

Evidence establishing that the holder achieved the result and holds the record as defined.

  • The 7th Academy Awards — 1935 — Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
  • Con. Conrad & Irving Caesar, 4-17-24 — Library of Congress / Wikimedia Commons

Superiority / counter-candidate verification

Evidence comparing the result with other candidates relevant to the record claim.

  • Jewish Recipients of the Academy Award for Best Original Song — JINFO

Jewish eligibility, achievement and superiority evidence retain their separate classifications and are never merged. Context and provenance are not presented as proof of the achievement. Restricted evidence and internal research notes are never published. Learn more about the seven-stage process on the verification page.

Have documented contrary evidence or a stronger counter-candidate? Submit a challenge for review.

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Sources & Verification

History

  1. Verified

    Verified according to JWR Verification Standard 1.0.

  2. Publishedv1

    Published to the official JWR registry.

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