Kaczmarek was born on April 29, 1953, in Konin, into a musical family. His grandfather played live music for silent films in theaters, and Kaczmarek himself learned to play the piano as a child.

His first notable success came in high school, when he composed the school’s anthem and music for theatrical productions. Initially aspiring to be a diplomat, he studied law at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań.

Kaczmarek’s musical career began with composing a cabaret song for his high school theater group in Konin.

In 1989, Kaczmarek moved to Los Angeles, where his international career flourished. He founded the Rozbitek Institute in 2004, a creative hub for film, music, and theater artists located in Rozbitek, western Poland.

In his milestone achievement, Kaczmarek received an Academy Award in 2005 for his score for Marc Forster’s “Finding Neverland.”

He also composed music for films such as Agnieszka Holland’s “Total Eclipse” and “Washington Square,” Janusz Kamiński’s “Hania,” Jonas Åkerlund’s “Horsemen,” Aaron Schneider’s “Get Low,” and John Kent Harrison’s “The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler.”

Kaczmarek also established the Transatlantyk Festival in 2011, with the first edition held in Poznań.

In recent years, Kaczmarek has composed scores for films like Lech Majewski’s “Valley of the Gods,” Maciej Bochniak’s “Magnesia,” Ryszard Brylski’s “The Death of Zygielbojm,” and Daniel Fridell’s “Van Gogh.”