An extraordinarily prolific composer whose productivity and versatility rank him with the likes of Ennio Morricone, Jerry Goldsmith scored well over 200 films and television programs over a career spanning nearly half a century. Goldsmith's music, which has been used for just about every imaginable film and television genre, is known in part for the composer's use of bass drums and deliberately discordant "stings" during action or suspense sequences. These stylistic trademarks were put to use with great success in 1997, with Goldsmith's score for L.A. Confidential, for which he garnered Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations, as well as a new generation of fans.
A native of Los Angeles, where he was born on February 10, 1929, Goldsmith received classical training in piano and composition before studying film composition with Hollywood veteran Miklos Rozsa at the University of California. Much of Rozsa's stylistic influence was to stay with Goldsmith during his subsequent TV and radio work. After college, the young composer got a job with CBS Television's music department. He started out in the bottom ranks, working as a clerk typist, but soon was given the opportunity to put his talents to work. After writing music for various CBS radio shows, Goldsmith started scoring for television, providing music for shows like Gunsmoke, Perry Mason, Have Gun Will Travel, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., and perhaps most memorably, The Twilight Zone.
It was also during the 1950s that Goldsmith began composing for film: he made his uncredited debut with Don't Bother To Knock, a 1952 psychological drama starring Marilyn Monroe. The 1957 Western Black Patch was another early effort, done during Goldsmith's last years with CBS. In 1960, he was hired by legendary film composer Alfred Newman to work at Revue Studios and it was there that Goldsmith began one of the most productive stages of his career. Scoring his first major feature in 1962, Lonely Are the Brave, Goldsmith spent the rest of the decade working at an amazingly rapid pace: at the height of his productivity, he was estimated to write about six scores a week. Some highlights of this period include his music for Freud (a 1962 film that garnered Goldsmith his first Best Score Oscar nomination), The List of Adrian Messenger (1963), Stagecoach (1966), and Planet of the Apes (1968), the last of which he composed while wearing a monkey mask (and secured his third Best Score Oscar nomination for his efforts).
In addition to endless employment opportunities, the following decade brought further critical acclaim and recognition for the composer. Supplying scores for no less than 50 films, Goldsmith received Best Score Academy Award nominations for six, including Patton (1970), the 1973 Steve McQueen/Dustin Hoffman action drama Papillon, Roman Polanski's classic film noir potboiler Chinatown (1974), and The Omen, a 1976 horror classic that netted Goldsmith an Academy Award. He also further endeared himself to sci-fi enthusiasts everywhere by composing music for Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) and Alien (also 1979).
During the 1980s and 1990s, Goldsmith continued to work steadily, scoring at least two major films a year. Some of his better-known work included Poltergeist (1982), Gremlins (1984), the Rambo series, Total Recall (1990), Basic Instinct (1992), and L.A. Confidential. His work on the last film earned him particular acclaim: in addition to netting him his 17th Oscar nomination, the score placed Goldsmith on many music critics' "Year's Ten Best" lists and gave him recognition among a new generation of fans. The following year, he earned another Oscar nomination, for his score for Disney's animated Mulan, and continued to work prolifically. After scoring three other films that same year, Goldsmith provided the music for The Mummy in 1999, ably demonstrating that age had not slowed him down in the least. After ushering in the new millenium with scores for such features as Hollow Man, Along Came a Spider, The Sum of All Fears, and Looney Tunes: Back in Action, the aging composer's difficult struggle with cancer made it difficult to keep up the near feverish work pace that had seemingly defined his career. On July 21, 2004, mere months after celebrating all things Hollywood by providing the score for the 76th Annual Academy Awards, Goldsmith finally succumbed to the devastating effects of cancer. He was 75.
| Title | Year | Editors' Rating | User Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Looney Tunes: Back in Action
Composer (Music Score) |
2003 | |||
|
Star Trek: Nemesis
Composer (Music Score) |
2002 | |||
|
The Sum of All Fears
Composer (Music Score) |
2002 | |||
|
Along Came a Spider
Composer (Music Score) |
2001 | |||
|
The Last Castle
Composer (Music Score), Conductor |
2001 | |||
|
Hollow Man
Composer (Music Score) |
2000 | |||
|
The 13th Warrior
Composer (Music Score) |
1999 | |||
|
The Haunting
Composer (Music Score) |
1999 | |||
|
The Mummy
Composer (Music Score) |
1999 | |||
|
Deep Rising
Composer (Music Score) |
1998 | |||
|
Mulan
Composer (Music Score) |
1998 | |||
|
Small Soldiers
Composer (Music Score) |
1998 | |||
|
Star Trek: Insurrection
Composer (Music Score) |
1998 | |||
|
U.S. Marshals
Composer (Music Score) |
1998 | |||
|
Air Force One
Composer (Music Score) |
1997 | |||
|
Fierce Creatures
Composer (Music Score), Conductor |
1997 | |||
|
L.A. Confidential
Composer (Music Score) |
1997 | |||
|
The Edge
Composer (Music Score) |
1997 | |||
|
A Family Thing
Composer (Music Score) |
1996 | |||
|
Chain Reaction
Composer (Music Score), Songwriter |
1996 | |||
|
City Hall
Composer (Music Score) |
1996 | |||
|
Executive Decision
Composer (Music Score), Songwriter |
1996 | |||
|
Star Trek: First Contact
Composer (Music Score) |
1996 | |||
|
The Ghost and the Darkness
Songwriter |
1996 | |||
|
Congo
Composer (Music Score) |
1995 | |||
|
First Knight
Composer (Music Score) |
1995 | |||
|
Powder
Composer (Music Score) |
1995 | |||
|
Star Trek: Voyager [TV Series]
Composer (Music Score) |
1995 | |||
|
Angie
Composer (Music Score) |
1994 | |||
|
Baby's Day Out
Composer (Music Score) |
1994 | |||
|
Bad Girls
Composer (Music Score) |
1994 | |||
|
I.Q.
Composer (Music Score) |
1994 | |||
|
Rudy
Composer (Music Score) |
1994 | |||
|
The River Wild
Composer (Music Score) |
1994 | |||
|
The Shadow
Composer (Music Score) |
1994 | |||
|
Dennis the Menace
Composer (Music Score) |
1993 | |||
|
Malice
Composer (Music Score) |
1993 | |||
|
Six Degrees of Separation
Composer (Music Score) |
1993 | |||
|
The Vanishing
Composer (Music Score) |
1993 | |||
|
Alien ³
Composer (Music Score) |
1992 | |||
|
Basic Instinct
Composer (Music Score) |
1992 | |||
|
Forever Young
Composer (Music Score), Conductor |
1992 | |||
|
Gladiator
Composer (Music Score) |
1992 | |||
|
Love Field
Composer (Music Score) |
1992 | |||
|
Matinee
Composer (Music Score) |
1992 | |||
|
Medicine Man
Composer (Music Score) |
1992 | |||
|
Mom and Dad Save the World
Composer (Music Score) |
1992 | |||
|
Mr. Baseball
Composer (Music Score) |
1992 | |||
|
The Public Eye
Composer (Music Score) |
1992 | |||
|
Blue Desert
Composer (Music Score) |
1991 | |||
|
Omen IV: The Awakening
Composer (Music Score) |
1991 | |||
|
Sleeping with the Enemy
Composer (Music Score) |
1991 | |||
|
Gremlins 2: The New Batch
Actor, Composer (Music Score) |
1990 | |||
|
Not Without My Daughter
Composer (Music Score) |
1990 | |||
|
The Russia House
Composer (Music Score) |
1990 | |||
|
Total Recall
Composer (Music Score) |
1990 | |||
|
Criminal Law
Composer (Music Score) |
1989 | |||
|
Leviathan
Composer (Music Score) |
1989 | |||
|
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Composer (Music Score) |
1989 | |||
|
The 'Burbs
Composer (Music Score) |
1989 | |||
|
Alien Nation
Composer (Music Score) |
1988 | |||
|
Film Score: The Music of the Movies
Composer (Music Score) |
1988 | |||
|
Rambo III
Composer (Music Score) |
1988 | |||
|
Rent-A-Cop
Composer (Music Score) |
1988 | |||
|
Warlock
Composer (Music Score) |
1988 | |||
|
Extreme Prejudice
Composer (Music Score) |
1987 | |||
|
Innerspace
Composer (Music Score) |
1987 | |||
|
Lionheart
Composer (Music Score) |
1987 | |||
|
Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold
Composer (Music Score) |
1986 | |||
|
Hoosiers
Composer (Music Score) |
1986 | |||
|
Link
Composer (Music Score) |
1986 | |||
|
Poltergeist II: The Other Side
Composer (Music Score) |
1986 | |||
|
Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend
Composer (Music Score) |
1985 | |||
|
Explorers
Composer (Music Score) |
1985 | |||
|
King Solomon's Mines
Composer (Music Score) |
1985 | |||
|
Legend
Composer (Music Score) |
1985 | |||
|
Rambo: First Blood Part II
Composer (Music Score) |
1985 | |||
|
Gremlins
Composer (Music Score) |
1984 | |||
|
Runaway
Composer (Music Score) |
1984 | |||
|
Supergirl
Composer (Music Score) |
1984 | |||
|
The Lonely Guy
Composer (Music Score) |
1984 | |||
|
Dusty
Composer (Music Score) |
1983 | |||
|
Psycho II
Composer (Music Score) |
1983 | |||
|
The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Composer (Music Score) |
1983 | |||
|
Twilight Zone: The Movie
Composer (Music Score) |
1983 | |||
|
Under Fire
Composer (Music Score) |
1983 | |||
|
First Blood
Composer (Music Score) |
1982 | |||
|
Poltergeist
Composer (Music Score) |
1982 | |||
|
The Challenge
Composer (Music Score) |
1982 | |||
|
The Secret of NIMH
Composer (Music Score) |
1982 | |||
|
Cabo Blanco
Composer (Music Score) |
1981 | |||
|
Inchon
Composer (Music Score) |
1981 | |||
|
Night Crossing
Composer (Music Score) |
1981 | |||
|
Outland
Composer (Music Score) |
1981 | |||
|
Raggedy Man
Composer (Music Score) |
1981 | |||
|
The Final Conflict
Composer (Music Score) |
1981 | |||
|
The Salamander
Composer (Music Score) |
1981 | |||
|
Masada
Composer (Music Score) |
1980 | |||
|
Alien
Composer (Music Score) |
1979 | |||
|
Players
Composer (Music Score) |
1979 | |||
|
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Composer (Music Score) |
1979 | |||
|
The Great Train Robbery
Composer (Music Score) |
1979 | |||
|
Capricorn One
Composer (Music Score) |
1978 | |||
|
Coma
Composer (Music Score) |
1978 | |||
|
Damien: Omen II
Composer (Music Score) |
1978 | |||
|
Magic
Composer (Music Score) |
1978 | |||
|
The Boys From Brazil
Composer (Music Score) |
1978 | |||
|
The Swarm
Composer (Music Score) |
1978 | |||
|
Contract on Cherry Street
Composer (Music Score) |
1977 | |||
|
Damnation Alley
Composer (Music Score) |
1977 | |||
|
Islands in the Stream
Composer (Music Score) |
1977 | |||
|
MacArthur
Composer (Music Score) |
1977 | |||
|
Twilight's Last Gleaming
Composer (Music Score) |
1977 | |||
|
Breakheart Pass
Composer (Music Score) |
1976 | |||
|
High Velocity
Composer (Music Score) |
1976 | |||
|
Logan's Run
Composer (Music Score) |
1976 | |||
|
The Cassandra Crossing
Composer (Music Score) |
1976 | |||
|
The Last Hard Men
Composer (Music Score) |
1976 | |||
|
The Omen
Composer (Music Score) |
1976 | |||
|
A Girl Named Sooner
Composer (Music Score) |
1975 | |||
|
Babe
Composer (Music Score) |
1975 | |||
|
Breakout
Composer (Music Score) |
1975 | |||
|
Medical Story
Composer (Music Score) |
1975 | |||
|
The Reincarnation of Peter Proud
Composer (Music Score) |
1975 | |||
|
The Return of Joe Forrester
Composer (Music Score) |
1975 | |||
|
The Wind and the Lion
Composer (Music Score) |
1975 | |||
|
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Composer (Music Score) |
1974 | |||
|
Chinatown
Composer (Music Score) |
1974 | |||
|
Indict and Convict
Composer (Music Score) |
1974 | |||
|
QB VII
Composer (Music Score) |
1974 | |||
|
Ransom
Composer (Music Score) |
1974 | |||
|
S*P*Y*S
Composer (Music Score) |
1974 | |||
|
Take a Hard Ride
Composer (Music Score) |
1974 | |||
|
Winter Kill
Composer (Music Score) |
1974 | |||
|
Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies
Composer (Music Score) |
1973 | |||
|
Hawkins on Murder
Composer (Music Score) |
1973 | |||
|
One Little Indian
Composer (Music Score) |
1973 | |||
|
Papillon
Composer (Music Score) |
1973 | |||
|
Police Story
Composer (Music Score) |
1973 | |||
|
Score
Composer (Music Score) |
1973 | |||
|
Shamus
Composer (Music Score) |
1973 | |||
|
The Don Is Dead
Composer (Music Score) |
1973 | |||
|
The Going Up of David Lev
Composer (Music Score) |
1973 | |||
|
The Red Pony
Composer (Music Score) |
1973 | |||
|
Pursuit
Composer (Music Score) |
1972 | |||
|
The Culpepper Cattle Company
Composer (Music Score) |
1972 | |||
|
The Man
Composer (Music Score) |
1972 | |||
|
The Other
Composer (Music Score) |
1972 | |||
|
The Waltons [TV Series]
Composer (Music Score) |
1972 | |||
|
Crawlspace
Composer (Music Score) |
1971 | |||
|
Cross Current
Composer (Music Score) |
1971 | |||
|
Do Not Fold, Spindle or Mutilate
Composer (Music Score) |
1971 | |||
|
Escape from the Planet of the Apes
Composer (Music Score) |
1971 | |||
|
The Homecoming
Composer (Music Score) |
1971 | |||
|
The Last Run
Composer (Music Score) |
1971 | |||
|
The Mephisto Waltz
Composer (Music Score) |
1971 | |||
|
Wild Rovers
Composer (Music Score) |
1971 | |||
|
A Step Out of Line
Composer (Music Score) |
1970 | |||
|
Patton
Composer (Music Score) |
1970 | |||
|
Rio Lobo
Composer (Music Score) |
1970 | |||
|
The Ballad of Cable Hogue
Composer (Music Score), Songwriter |
1970 | |||
|
The Brotherhood of the Bell
Composer (Music Score) |
1970 | |||
|
The Traveling Executioner
Composer (Music Score) |
1970 | |||
|
Tora! Tora! Tora!
Composer (Music Score) |
1970 | |||
|
100 Rifles
Composer (Music Score) |
1969 | |||
|
Justine
Composer (Music Score) |
1969 | |||
|
The Chairman
Composer (Music Score), Musical Direction/Supervision |
1969 | |||
|
The Illustrated Man
Composer (Music Score) |
1969 | |||
|
Bandolero!
Composer (Music Score) |
1968 | |||
|
Planet of the Apes
Composer (Music Score) |
1968 | |||
|
Sebastian
Composer (Music Score), Songwriter |
1968 | |||
|
The Detective
Composer (Music Score) |
1968 | |||
|
Hour of the Gun
Composer (Music Score) |
1967 | |||
|
In Like Flint
Composer (Music Score) |
1967 | |||
|
The Flim-Flam Man
Composer (Music Score) |
1967 | |||
|
The Karate Killers
Composer (Music Score), Songwriter |
1967 | |||
|
Warning Shot
Composer (Music Score) |
1967 | |||
|
One Spy Too Many
Composer (Music Score) |
1966 | |||
|
One of Our Spies Is Missing
Composer (Music Score), Songwriter |
1966 | |||
|
Seconds
Composer (Music Score) |
1966 | |||
|
Stagecoach
Composer (Music Score) |
1966 | |||
|
The Blue Max
Composer (Music Score) |
1966 | |||
|
The Sand Pebbles
Composer (Music Score) |
1966 | |||
|
The Spy in the Green Hat
Songwriter |
1966 | |||
|
The Spy with My Face
Composer (Music Score), Songwriter |
1966 | |||
|
The Trouble With Angels
Composer (Music Score) |
1966 | |||
|
A Patch of Blue
Composer (Music Score) |
1965 | |||
|
In Harm's Way
Actor, Composer (Music Score) |
1965 | |||
|
Morituri
Composer (Music Score) |
1965 | |||
|
Our Man Flint
Composer (Music Score) |
1965 | |||
|
The Agony and the Ecstasy
Composer (Music Score) |
1965 | |||
|
The Satan Bug
Composer (Music Score), Musical Direction/Supervision |
1965 | |||
|
To Trap a Spy
Composer (Music Score) |
1965 | |||
|
Von Ryan's Express
Composer (Music Score) |
1965 | |||
|
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: Jonah and the Whale
Composer (Music Score) |
1965 | |||
|
Fate Is the Hunter
Composer (Music Score), Songwriter |
1964 | |||
|
Rio Conchos
Composer (Music Score) |
1964 | |||
|
Seven Days in May
Composer (Music Score) |
1964 | |||
|
Shock Treatment
Composer (Music Score) |
1964 | |||
|
A Gathering of Eagles
Composer (Music Score) |
1963 | |||
|
Lilies of the Field
Composer (Music Score) |
1963 | |||
|
Take Her, She's Mine
Composer (Music Score), Musical Direction/Supervision |
1963 | |||
|
The List of Adrian Messenger
Composer (Music Score) |
1963 | |||
|
The Prize
Composer (Music Score) |
1963 | |||
|
The Stripper
Composer (Music Score) |
1963 | |||
|
Freud
Composer (Music Score) |
1962 | |||
|
Lonely Are the Brave
Composer (Music Score) |
1962 | |||
|
The Spiral Road
Composer (Music Score) |
1962 | |||
|
The Crimebusters
Composer (Music Score) |
1961 | |||
|
The Twilight Zone: Back There
Composer (Music Score) |
1961 | |||
|
The Twilight Zone: The Invaders
Composer (Music Score) |
1961 | |||
|
Studs Lonigan
Composer (Music Score) |
1960 | |||
|
The Twilight Zone: Nightmare as a Child
Composer (Music Score) |
1960 | |||
|
The Twilight Zone: The Big Tall Wish
Composer (Music Score) |
1960 | |||
|
The Twilight Zone: The Four of Us Are Dying
Composer (Music Score) |
1960 | |||
|
City of Fear
Composer (Music Score) |
1959 | |||
|
Face of a Fugitive
Composer (Music Score) |
1959 | |||
|
Black Patch
Composer (Music Score) |
1957 | |||
|
Don't Bother to Knock
Composer (Music Score) |
1952 |







