A film composer whose off-kilter works can frequently be heard in the efforts of both the Coen brothers and Spike Jonze, Carter Burwell has also found work on such high-profile Hollywood efforts as Rob Roy (1995) and Conspiracy Theory (1997). Though the New York City native was merely going through the motions when his parents signed him up for piano lessons as a child, his passion for music was truly ignited when a high school friend encouraged him to explore blues improvisation. Continuing on the piano while a student at Harvard, it was during a performance at a club shortly before graduation that the sound editor for an independent thriller entitled Blood Simple heard Burwell and recommended the young musician to the film's directors. A penchant for simple melodies punctuated by unusual instrument selections and an ever-evolving incorporation of various styles found Burwell scoring virtually every Coen brothers movie since Blood Simple, and an interest in a dark and comedic approach to such weighty issues of death often finds his sometimes subdued quirkiness bubbling to the surface. Burwell's signature mournful-yet-hopeful sound has lent itself well to everything from straight drama to cutting black comedy. Burwell's work on director Spike Jonze's Being John Malkovich found the composer forming a close relationship with yet another unconventional filmmaker, and Burwell subsequently scored Jonze's follow-up feature, Adaptation, as well. Awards for his contributions to Fargo, Gods and Monsters, and Before Night Falls have ensured Burwell an enduring career in both mainstream and independent film alike. For inspiration, Burwell often eschews the urban confines of New York City for the nature and serenity of Big Sur, and in 1999, the prolific composer exchanged wedding vows with wife Christine.
| Title | Year | Editors' Rating | User Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1
Composer (Music Score) |
2011 | |||
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Howl
Composer (Music Score) |
2010 | |||
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The Kids Are All Right
Composer (Music Score) |
2010 | |||
|
True Grit
Composer (Music Score) |
2010 | |||
|
A Serious Man
Composer (Music Score), Conductor, Musical Direction/Supervision |
2009 | |||
|
Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait of Maurice Sendak
Composer (Music Score) |
2009 | |||
|
The Blind Side
Composer (Music Score) |
2009 | |||
|
Where the Wild Things Are
Composer (Music Score) |
2009 | |||
|
Burn After Reading
Composer (Music Score) |
2008 | |||
|
In Bruges
Composer (Music Score) |
2008 | |||
|
Twilight
Composer (Music Score) |
2008 | |||
|
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Composer (Music Score) |
2007 | |||
|
Lights! Action! Music!
Participant |
2007 | |||
|
No Country for Old Men
Composer (Music Score) |
2007 | |||
|
The Hoax
Composer (Music Score) |
2007 | |||
|
Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus
Composer (Music Score) |
2006 | |||
|
Kinsey
Composer (Music Score), Conductor |
2004 | |||
|
The Alamo
Composer (Music Score) |
2004 | |||
|
The Ladykillers
Composer (Music Score) |
2004 | |||
|
Intolerable Cruelty
Composer (Music Score), Conductor |
2003 | |||
|
Adaptation
Composer (Music Score) |
2002 | |||
|
Searching For Paradise
Composer (Music Score) |
2002 | |||
|
Simone
Composer (Music Score) |
2002 | |||
|
The Rookie
Composer (Music Score) |
2002 | |||
|
A Knight's Tale
Composer (Music Score) |
2001 | |||
|
The Man Who Wasn't There
Composer (Music Score) |
2001 | |||
|
Before Night Falls
Composer (Music Score) |
2000 | |||
|
Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2
Composer (Music Score) |
2000 | |||
|
Hamlet
Composer (Music Score) |
2000 | |||
|
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Composer (Music Score) |
2000 | |||
|
What Planet Are You From?
Composer (Music Score) |
2000 | |||
|
Being John Malkovich
Composer (Music Score) |
1999 | |||
|
Mystery, Alaska
Composer (Music Score) |
1999 | |||
|
The Corruptor
Composer (Music Score) |
1999 | |||
|
The General's Daughter
Composer (Music Score) |
1999 | |||
|
Three Kings
Composer (Music Score) |
1999 | |||
|
Gods and Monsters
Composer (Music Score) |
1998 | |||
|
The Big Lebowski
Composer (Music Score) |
1998 | |||
|
Velvet Goldmine
Composer (Music Score) |
1998 | |||
|
Assassin(s)
Composer (Music Score) |
1997 | |||
|
Conspiracy Theory
Composer (Music Score) |
1997 | |||
|
Picture Perfect
Composer (Music Score), Musical Direction/Supervision |
1997 | |||
|
The Jackal
Composer (Music Score) |
1997 | |||
|
The Locusts
Composer (Music Score) |
1997 | |||
|
The Spanish Prisoner
Composer (Music Score) |
1997 | |||
|
Fargo
Composer (Music Score) |
1996 | |||
|
Fear
Composer (Music Score), Songwriter |
1996 | |||
|
Joe's Apartment
Composer (Music Score), Songwriter |
1996 | |||
|
The Chamber
Songwriter |
1996 | |||
|
A Goofy Movie
Composer (Music Score) |
1995 | |||
|
Bad Company
Composer (Music Score) |
1995 | |||
|
Rob Roy
Composer (Music Score), Songwriter |
1995 | |||
|
The Celluloid Closet
Composer (Music Score), Songwriter |
1995 | |||
|
Airheads
Composer (Music Score) |
1994 | |||
|
It Could Happen to You
Composer (Music Score) |
1994 | |||
|
The Hudsucker Proxy
Composer (Music Score) |
1994 | |||
|
Two Bits
Composer (Music Score) |
1994 | |||
|
A Dangerous Woman
Composer (Music Score) |
1993 | |||
|
And the Band Played On
Composer (Music Score) |
1993 | |||
|
Kalifornia
Composer (Music Score) |
1993 | |||
|
This Boy's Life
Composer (Music Score) |
1993 | |||
|
Wayne's World 2
Composer (Music Score) |
1993 | |||
|
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Composer (Music Score) |
1992 | |||
|
Scorchers
Actor, Composer (Music Score) |
1992 | |||
|
Storyville
Composer (Music Score) |
1992 | |||
|
Waterland
Composer (Music Score) |
1992 | |||
|
Barton Fink
Composer (Music Score) |
1991 | |||
|
Doc Hollywood
Composer (Music Score) |
1991 | |||
|
Miller's Crossing
Composer (Music Score) |
1990 | |||
|
Checking Out
Composer (Music Score) |
1989 | |||
|
It Takes Two
Composer (Music Score) |
1988 | |||
|
Pass the Ammo
Composer (Music Score) |
1988 | |||
|
Raising Arizona
Composer (Music Score) |
1987 | |||
|
The Beat
Composer (Music Score) |
1987 | |||
|
Psycho III
Composer (Music Score), Songwriter |
1986 | |||
|
Blood Simple
Composer (Music Score) |
1984 | |||
|
Yoyo
Composer (Music Score) |
1965 |





