Austrian composer known for his operetta The Chocolate Soldier.

Straus studied in Vienna and with Max Bruch in Berlin and became a theatre conductor in Austria and Germany. He lived in Berlin until 1927 and in 1939 became a French citizen. He was in New York City and Hollywood between 1940 and 1948 and then returned to Europe. Der tapfere Soldat (1908; The Chocolate Soldier) was based on George Bernard Shaw's play Arms and the Man. Among his other operettas were Ein Walzertraum (1907; A Waltz Dream) and Rund um die Liebe (1914; All Around Love). He also composed the music for the motion picture La Ronde (1950).