Anton Karas asked a stunned Karas if he would compose the music for the film. Karas protested, saying he had never actually written music. As Karas later told the story, the director insisted and invited Karas to England. The Austrian became homesick and asked to be allowed to return. Reed told him he could—as soon as he had written the music. Under this pressure Karas wrote his Harry Lime theme. The film—with the music a contributing factor—was a gigantic success, and Karas' life was changed drastically. As a result, he toured all over the world and performed for many celebrities, among them
Othmar Karas Othmar Karas Othmar Karas (born 24 December 1957) is an Austrian politician and Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Austria. He is a member of the Austrian People's Party, part of the European People's Party. He sits on the European Parliament's Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and the Special Committee on Tax Rulings and Other Measures Similar in Nature or Effect. Between 2012 and 2014, he was one of the Vice Presidents of the European Parliament. Karas has been a Member of the European Parliament since the 1999 European elections. He has since been serving on the Committee