Jerry Goldsmith
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Jerrald King Goldsmith (February 10, 1929July 21, 2004) was an American
composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...
and conductor known for his work in film and television scoring. He composed scores for five films in the ''
Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
'' franchise and three in the ''Rambo'' franchise, as well as for ''
Logan's Run ''Logan's Run'' is a science fiction novel by American writers William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson. Published in 1967, the novel depicts a dystopic Malthusianism future society in which both population and the consumption of resource ...
'', ''
Planet of the Apes ''Planet of the Apes'' is an American science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a world in which humans and intelligent apes clash for control. The franchise is based on Frenc ...
'', ''
Tora! Tora! Tora! ''Tora! Tora! Tora!'' ( ja, トラ・トラ・トラ!) is a 1970 epic film, epic war film that dramatizes the Empire of Japan, Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. The film was produced by Elmo Williams and directed by Richard Fleischer, T ...
'', ''
Patton George Smith Patton Jr. (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh United States Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, and the Third United States Army in Franc ...
'', ''
Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...
'', ''
Alien Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...
'', ''
Poltergeist In ghostlore, a poltergeist ( or ; German for "rumbling ghost" or "noisy spirit") is a type of ghost or spirit that is responsible for physical disturbances, such as loud noises and objects being moved or destroyed. Most claims or fictional descr ...
'', ''
Gremlins ''Gremlins'' is a 1984 American black comedy horror film directed by Joe Dante, written by Chris Columbus, and starring Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton, Polly Holliday, and Frances Lee McCain, with Howie Mandel providing the voice of ...
'', '' Hoosiers'', '' Total Recall'', ''
Air Force One Air Force One is the official air traffic control designated call sign for a United States Air Force aircraft carrying the president of the United States. In common parlance, the term is used to denote U.S. Air Force aircraft modified and used ...
'', ''
L.A. Confidential ''L.A. Confidential'' (1990) is a neo-noir novel by James Ellroy and the third of his L.A. Quartet series. It is dedicated to Mary Doherty Ellroy. The epigraph is "A glory that costs everything and means nothing"— Steve Erickson. Plot The s ...
'', ''
Mulan Hua Mulan () is a legendary folk heroine from the Northern and Southern dynasties era (4th to 6th century CE) of Chinese history. According to legend, Mulan took her aged father's place in the conscription for the army by disguising herself as ...
'', and ''
The Mummy A mummy is an unusually well preserved corpse. Mummy or The Mummy may also refer to: Places *Mummy Range, a mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of northern Colorado in the United States *Mummy Cave, a rock shelter and archeological site in Par ...
''. He also composed the
fanfares A fanfare (or fanfarade or flourish) is a short musical flourish which is typically played by trumpets, French horns or other brass instruments, often accompanied by percussion. It is a "brief improvised introduction to an instrumental perf ...
accompanying the
production logo A production logo, vanity card, vanity plate, or vanity logo is a logo used by movie studios and television production company, production companies to brand what they produce and to determine the production company and the distributor of a tel ...
s used by multiple major
film studio A film studio (also known as movie studio or simply studio) is a major entertainment company or motion picture company that has its own privately owned studio facility or facilities that are used to make films, which is handled by the production ...
s, and music for the Disney attraction
Soarin' ''Soarin, also known as ''Soarin' Around the World'', ''Soaring Over the Horizon'' and ''Soaring: Fantastic Flight'', is a flight motion simulator attraction at Disney California Adventure, Epcot, Shanghai Disneyland, and Tokyo DisneySea. ...
. He collaborated with directors including
Robert Wise Robert Earl Wise (September 10, 1914 – September 14, 2005) was an American film director, producer, and editor. He won the Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture for his musical films ''West Side Story'' (1961) and ''The Sound of ...
,
Howard Hawks Howard Winchester Hawks (May 30, 1896December 26, 1977) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter of the classic Hollywood era. Critic Leonard Maltin called him "the greatest American director who is not a household name." A v ...
,
Otto Preminger Otto Ludwig Preminger ( , ; 5 December 1905 – 23 April 1986) was an Austrian-American theatre and film director, film producer, and actor. He directed more than 35 feature films in a five-decade career after leaving the theatre. He first gai ...
,
Joe Dante Joseph James Dante Jr. (; born November 28, 1946) is an American film director, producer, editor and actor. His films—notably ''Gremlins'' (1984) alongside its sequel, '' Gremlins 2: The New Batch'' (1990)—often mix 1950s-style B movies wit ...
,
Richard Donner Richard Donner (born Richard Donald Schwartzberg; April 24, 1930 – July 5, 2021) was an American filmmaker whose notable works included some of the most financially-successful films during the New Hollywood era. According to film historian M ...
,
Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is a British film director and producer. Directing, among others, science fiction films, his work is known for its atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style. Scott has received many accolades thr ...
,
Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...
,
Paul Verhoeven Paul Verhoeven (; born 18 July 1938) is a Dutch director, producer and screenwriter, active in the Netherlands, France and the United States. His blending of graphic violence and sexual content with social satire is a trademark of both his dram ...
, and
Franklin J. Schaffner Franklin James Schaffner (May 30, 1920July 2, 1989) was an American film, television, and stage director. He won an Academy Award for Best Director for ''Patton'' (1970), and is known for the films ''Planet of the Apes'' (1968), ''Nicholas and Al ...
. His work for Donner and Scott also involved a rejected score for ''
Timeline A timeline is a display of a list of events in chronological order. It is typically a graphic design showing a long bar labelled with dates paralleling it, and usually contemporaneous events. Timelines can use any suitable scale representi ...
'' and a controversially edited score for ''
Alien Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...
'', where music by Howard Hanson replaced Goldsmith's end titles and Goldsmith's own work on '' Freud: The Secret Passion'' was used without his approval in several scenes. Goldsmith was nominated for six
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
s, five
Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
s, nine
Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
s, four
British Academy Film Awards The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cere ...
, and eighteen
Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
(winning in 1976 for ''
The Omen ''The Omen'' is a 1976 supernatural horror film directed by Richard Donner and written by David Seltzer. An international co-production of the United Kingdom and the United States, it stars Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Harvey Spencer ...
'').


Early life and education

Goldsmith was born February 10, 1929, in
Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. His family was
Romanian Jewish The history of the Jews in Romania concerns the Jews both of Romania and of Romanian origins, from their first mention on what is present-day Romanian territory. Minimal until the 18th century, the size of the Jewish population increased after ...
. His parents were Tessa (
née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
Rappaport), a school teacher, and Morris Goldsmith, a structural engineer. He started playing
piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
at age six, but only "got serious" by the time he was eleven. At age thirteen, he studied piano privately with concert pianist and educator
Jakob Gimpel Jakob Gimpel (April 16, 1906March 12, 1989) was a Polish concert pianist and educator. Jakob Gimpel was born in Lwów (then in Polish Galicia, part of the Austria-Hungarian Empire, and now Lviv, Ukraine). Gimpel's younger brother, Bronislav Gimpe ...
Goldsmith, Carrie
"Preview of The Aborted Jerry Goldsmith Biography"
Retrieved 2011-03-29.
(whom Goldsmith would later employ to perform piano solos in his score to ''
The Mephisto Waltz ''The Mephisto Waltz'' is a 1971 American horror film about an occult-murder mystery. It was directed by Paul Wendkos and starred Alan Alda, Jacqueline Bisset, Barbara Parkins, Bradford Dillman and Curd Jürgens. The name of the film is taken fr ...
'') and by the age of sixteen he was studying both
theory A theory is a rational type of abstract thinking about a phenomenon, or the results of such thinking. The process of contemplative and rational thinking is often associated with such processes as observational study or research. Theories may be s ...
and
counterpoint In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more musical lines (or voices) which are harmonically interdependent yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. It has been most commonly identified in the European classical tradi ...
under Italian composer
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (3 April 1895 – 16 March 1968) was an Italian composer, pianist and writer. He was known as one of the foremost guitar composers in the twentieth century with almost one hundred compositions for that instrument. In ...
, who also tutored such noteworthy composers and musicians as
Henry Mancini Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini, ; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flautist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Award ...
,
Nelson Riddle Nelson Smock Riddle Jr. (June 1, 1921 – October 6, 1985) was an American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator whose career stretched from the late 1940s to the mid-1980s. He worked with many world-famous vocalists at Capitol Records ...
,
Herman Stein Herman Stein (August 19, 1915 – March 15, 2007) was an American composer who wrote music for many of the 1950s science-fiction and horror films from Universal Studios. "Herman Stein was one of the architects of the sound of 1950s science-fic ...
,
André Previn André George Previn (; born Andreas Ludwig Priwin; April 6, 1929 – February 28, 2019) was a German-American pianist, composer, and conductor. His career had three major genres: Hollywood films, jazz, and classical music. In each he achieved ...
,
Marty Paich Martin Louis Paich (January 23, 1925 – August 12, 1995) was an American pianist, composer, arranger, record producer, music director, and conductor. As a musician and arranger he worked with jazz musicians Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald, Stan Kento ...
, and
John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who wa ...
. At age sixteen, Goldsmith saw the 1945 film '' Spellbound'' and was inspired by
Miklós Rózsa Miklós Rózsa (; April 18, 1907 – July 27, 1995) was a Hungarian-American composer trained in Germany (1925–1931) and active in France (1931–1935), the United Kingdom (1935–1940), and the United States (1940–1995), with extensi ...
's unconventional score to pursue a career in music. Goldsmith later enrolled and attended the
University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...
where he was able to attend courses by Rózsa, but dropped out in favor of a more "practical music program" at the
Los Angeles City College Los Angeles City College (LACC) is a public community college in East Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. A part of the Los Angeles Community College District, it is located on Vermont Avenue south of Santa Monica Boulevard on the former campus ...
.. Retrieved 2011-02-18. There he was able to coach singers, work as an assistant choral director, play piano accompaniment, and work as an assistant conductor. by Jon Burlingame. Retrieved 2011-02-16.


Film and television scoring


1950s and work at CBS

In 1950, Goldsmith found work at
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
as a clerk typist in the network's music department under director
Lud Gluskin Ludwig Elias "Lud" GluskinState of New York Certificate and Record of Birth, January 4, 1899. (December 16, 1898 – October 13, 1989) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader.Donnelly, K.J. and Philip Hayward (2012''Music in Science Fiction ...
. There he began writing scores for such radio shows as ''
CBS Radio Workshop ''The CBS Radio Workshop'' was an experimental dramatic radio anthology series that aired on CBS from January 27, 1956, until September 22, 1957. Subtitled “radio’s distinguished series to man’s imagination,” it was a revival of the earlie ...
'', ''
Frontier Gentleman ''Frontier Gentleman'' is a short-lived radio Western series originally broadcast on the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) radio network from February 2 to November 16, 1958, initially heard Sunday afternoons at 2:30 p.m. (Eastern Time) th ...
'', and ''Romance''. In an interview with Andy Velez from BarnesandNoble.com, Goldsmith stated: "It was about 1950. CBS had a workshop, and once a week the employees, whatever their talents, whether they were ushers or typists, would produce a radio show. But you had to be an employee. They needed someone to do music, and I knew someone there who said I'd be great for this. I'd just gotten married and needed a job, so they faked a typing test for me. Then I could do these shows. About six months later, the music department heard what I did, liked it, and gave me a job." He later progressed into scoring such live CBS television shows as ''
Climax! ''Climax!'' (later known as ''Climax Mystery Theater'') is an American television anthology series that aired on CBS from 1954 to 1958. The series was hosted by William Lundigan and later co-hosted by Mary Costa. It was one of the few CBS programs ...
'' and ''
Playhouse 90 ''Playhouse 90'' was an American television anthology series, anthology drama series that aired on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. The show was produced at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California. Since live anthology dr ...
''. He also scored multiple episodes of the television series ''
The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, su ...
''. He remained at CBS until 1960, after which he moved on to
Revue Studios Universal Television LLC (abbreviated as UTV) is an American television production company that is a subsidiary of Universal Studio Group, a division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It serves as the network television production arm of NBC; a predeces ...
and then to
MGM Studios Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...
for producer
Norman Felton Norman Francis Felton (April 29, 1913 – June 25, 2012) was a British-born American television producer, known for his involvement in shows such as ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' and '' Dr. Kildare''. Background Felton was born in London, the son ...
, whom he had worked for during live television and would later compose music for such television shows as ''
Dr. Kildare Dr. James Kildare is a fictional American medical doctor, originally created in the 1930s by the author Frederick Schiller Faust under the pen name Max Brand. Shortly after the character's first appearance in a magazine story, Paramount Pictur ...
'' and ''
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' is an American spy fiction television series produced by MGM Television, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television and first broadcast on NBC. The series follows secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who wo ...
''. His feature film debut occurred when he composed the music for the western '' Black Patch'' (1957). He continued with scores to such films as the western ''
Face of a Fugitive ''Face of a Fugitive'' is a 1959 American Western film directed by Paul Wendkos. It stars Fred MacMurray, Lin McCarthy, Myrna Fahey, James Coburn and Dorothy Green and was based on the short story "Long Gone" by Peter Dawson, the pen name of Jo ...
'' (also 1957)and the science fiction film '' City of Fear'' (1959).Clemmensen, Christian
Jerry Goldsmith (1929–2004) tribute
at
Filmtracks.com Filmtracks.com is a modern film score review website created and maintained by its sole reviewer, Christian Clemmensen. Since the launch of Filmtracks in 1996, the website has reviewed nearly two-thousand soundtracks dating as far back as 1954, t ...
. Retrieved February 11, 2011.


1960s

Goldsmith began the decade composing for such television shows as ''
Dr. Kildare Dr. James Kildare is a fictional American medical doctor, originally created in the 1930s by the author Frederick Schiller Faust under the pen name Max Brand. Shortly after the character's first appearance in a magazine story, Paramount Pictur ...
'', ''
Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central character ...
'', and '' Thriller'' as well as the drama film ''
The Spiral Road ''The Spiral Road'' is a 1962 American adventure-drama film directed by Robert Mulligan and starring Rock Hudson, Burl Ives, Gena Rowlands, and Geoffrey Keen. The film was released by Universal-International in the United States in 1962, the same ...
'' (1960). However, he only began receiving widespread name recognition after his intimate score to the western ''
Lonely Are the Brave ''Lonely Are the Brave'' is a 1962 American black and white Western film adaptation of the Edward Abbey novel ''The Brave Cowboy'' directed by David Miller from a screenplay by Dalton Trumbo and starring Kirk Douglas, Gena Rowlands and Walter ...
'' (1962). His involvement in the picture was the result of a recommendation by composer Alfred Newman who had been impressed with Goldsmith's score on the television show ''Thriller'' and took it upon himself to recommend Goldsmith to the head of
Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a ...
's music department, despite having never met him. That same year, Goldsmith composed the mostly
atonal Atonality in its broadest sense is music that lacks a tonal center, or key. ''Atonality'', in this sense, usually describes compositions written from about the early 20th-century to the present day, where a hierarchy of harmonies focusing on a s ...
and
dissonant In music, consonance and dissonance are categorizations of simultaneous or successive Sound, sounds. Within the Western tradition, some listeners associate consonance with sweetness, pleasantness, and acceptability, and dissonance with harshness ...
score to the biopic ''
Freud Sigmund Freud ( , ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating pathologies explained as originating in conflicts in ...
'' (1962) that focused on a five-year period of the life of psychoanalyst
Sigmund Freud Sigmund Freud ( , ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating psychopathology, pathologies explained as originatin ...
. Goldsmith's score led to him gaining his first
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
nomination for Best Original Score, though he lost to fellow first-time nominee
Maurice Jarre Maurice-Alexis Jarre (; 13 September 1924 – 28 March 2009)allmusic Biography/ref> was a French composer and conductor. Although he composed several concert works, Jarre is best known for his film scores, particularly for his collaborations with ...
for his music to ''
Lawrence of Arabia Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer who became renowned for his role in the Arab Revolt (1916–1918) and the Sinai and Palestine Campaign (1915–1918 ...
'' (also 1962). Goldsmith composed a score to ''
The Stripper "The Stripper" is an instrumental composed by David Rose, recorded in 1958 and released four years later. It evinces a jazz influence with especially prominent trombone slides, and evokes the feel of music used to accompany striptease artis ...
'' (1963), his first collaboration with director
Franklin J. Schaffner Franklin James Schaffner (May 30, 1920July 2, 1989) was an American film, television, and stage director. He won an Academy Award for Best Director for ''Patton'' (1970), and is known for the films ''Planet of the Apes'' (1968), ''Nicholas and Al ...
for whom Goldsmith would later score the films ''
Planet of the Apes ''Planet of the Apes'' is an American science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a world in which humans and intelligent apes clash for control. The franchise is based on Frenc ...
'' (1968), ''
Patton George Smith Patton Jr. (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh United States Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, and the Third United States Army in Franc ...
'' (1970), '' Papillon'' (1973), '' Islands in the Stream'' (1977), and '' The Boys from Brazil'' (1978). Following his success with ''Lonely Are the Brave'' and ''Freud'', Goldsmith composed the theme music for ''
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' is an American spy fiction television series produced by MGM Television, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television and first broadcast on NBC. The series follows secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who wo ...
'' (1964), and scores to such films as the western ''
Rio Conchos The Río Conchos (Conchos River) is a large river in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It joins the Río Bravo del Norte (known in the United States as the Rio Grande) at the town of Ojinaga, Chihuahua. Description The Rio Conchos is the main rive ...
'', the political thriller ''
Seven Days in May ''Seven Days in May'' is a 1964 American political thriller film about a military-political cabal's planned takeover of the United States government in reaction to the president's negotiation of a disarmament treaty with the Soviet Union. The f ...
'' (both also 1964), the romantic drama ''
A Patch of Blue ''A Patch of Blue'' is a 1965 American drama film directed by Guy Green about the friendship between an educated black man (played by Sidney Poitier) and an illiterate, blind, white 18-year-old girl (played by Elizabeth Hartman), and the proble ...
'' (1965), the war film ''
In Harm's Way ''In Harm's Way'' is a 1965 American epic war film produced and directed by Otto Preminger and starring John Wayne, Kirk Douglas and Patricia Neal, with a supporting cast featuring Henry Fonda in a lengthy cameo, Tom Tryon, Paula Prentiss, Stanle ...
'' (also 1965), the World War I air combat film ''
The Blue Max ''The Blue Max'' is a 1966 British war film directed by John Guillermin and starring George Peppard, James Mason, Ursula Andress, Karl Michael Vogler, and Jeremy Kemp. The film was made in DeLuxe Color and filmed in CinemaScope. The plot is a ...
'' (1966), the period naval war drama ''
The Sand Pebbles ''The Sand Pebbles'' is a 1962 novel by American author Richard McKenna about a Yangtze River gunboat and its crew in 1926. It was the winner of the 1963 Harper Prize for fiction. The book was initially serialized in the ''Saturday Evening Po ...
'' (also 1966), the thriller ''
Warning Shot In military and police contexts, a warning shot is an intentionally harmless artillery shot or gunshot with intent to enact direct compliance and order to a hostile perpetrator or enemy forces. It is recognized as signalling intended confronta ...
'' (1967), the western ''
Hour of the Gun ''Hour of the Gun'' is a 1967 Western film depicting Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday during their 1881 battles against Ike Clanton and his brothers in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and the gunfight's aftermath in and around Tombstone, Arizona, ...
'' (also 1967), and the mystery '' The Detective'' (1968). He almost did not accept the assignment for ''The Blue Max'' when he watched the final cut with the producers who had temp-tracked it with
Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, and violinist. Considered a leading composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras, he has been described as a successor of Richard Wag ...
's ''
Also Sprach Zarathustra ', Op. 30 (, ''Thus Spoke Zarathustra'' or ''Thus Spake Zarathustra'') is a tone poem by Richard Strauss, composed in 1896 and inspired by Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophical 1883–1885 novel ''Thus Spoke Zarathustra''.Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
nominations, respectively, and were both one of the 250 nominees for the
American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...
's top twenty-five American film scores.''AFI's 100 Years Of Film Scores''
from the
American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...
. Retrieved 2011-02-10.
His scores for ''Seven Days in May'' and ''The Sand Pebbles'' also garnered Goldsmith his first two respective
Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
nominations for Best Original Score in 1965 and 1967.Jerry Goldsmith, Best Original Score – Motion Picture
nominations and wins at the
Golden Globe Awards The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
. Retrieved 2011-02-18.
During this time, he also composed for many lighter, comedic films such as the family comedy '' The Trouble with Angels'' (1966), the
James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...
parodies ''
Our Man Flint ''Our Man Flint'' is a 1966 American spy-fi comedy film that parodies the ''James Bond'' film series. The film was directed by Daniel Mann, written by Hal Fimberg and Ben Starr (from a story by Hal Fimberg), and starred James Coburn as master ...
'' (1966) and its sequel ''
In Like Flint ''In Like Flint'' is a 1967 American Spy-Fi (subgenre), spy fi comedy film directed by Gordon Douglas (director), Gordon Douglas, the sequel to the parody spy film ''Our Man Flint'' (1966). It posits an international feminist Cabal, conspiracy ...
'' (1967), and the comedy ''
The Flim-Flam Man ''The Flim-Flam Man'' (titled ''One Born Every Minute'' in some countries) is a 1967 American comedy film directed by Irvin Kershner, featuring George C. Scott, Michael Sarrazin, and Sue Lyon, based on the 1965 novel ''The Ballad of the Flim-Fla ...
'' (1967). Goldsmith gained attention for the score of the post-apocalyptic science fiction film ''
Planet of the Apes ''Planet of the Apes'' is an American science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a world in which humans and intelligent apes clash for control. The franchise is based on Frenc ...
'' (1968), which was one of the first to be written entirely in an
Avant garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or 'vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical De ...
style. When scoring ''Planet of the Apes'', Goldsmith used such innovative techniques as looping drums into an
echoplex The Echoplex is a tape delay effect, first made in 1959. Designed by Mike Battle, the Echoplex set a standard for the effect in the 1960s—it is still regarded as "the standard by which everything else is measured." It was used by some of the ...
, using the orchestra to imitate the grunting sounds of apes, having horns blown without mouthpieces, and instructing the woodwind players to finger their keys without using any air. He also used stainless steel mixing bowls, among other objects, to create unique percussive sounds. The score resulted in another Goldsmith nomination for the Best Original Score Oscar and ranks in 18 on the
American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...
's top twenty-five American film scores. Though he did not return to compose for its sequel ''
Beneath the Planet of the Apes ''Beneath the Planet of the Apes'' is a 1970 American science fiction film directed by Ted Post and written by Paul Dehn. It is the second of five films in the original ''Planet of the Apes'' series produced by Arthur P. Jacobs. The film stars Jam ...
'' (1970), Goldsmith scored the third installment in the ''
Planet of the Apes ''Planet of the Apes'' is an American science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a world in which humans and intelligent apes clash for control. The franchise is based on Frenc ...
'' franchise, ''
Escape from the Planet of the Apes ''Escape from the Planet of the Apes'' is a 1971 American science fiction film directed by Don Taylor and written by Paul Dehn. It stars Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Bradford Dillman and Ricardo Montalbán. It is the third of five films in the or ...
'' (1971). Goldsmith concluded the decade with scores to such films as the western ''
Bandolero! ''Bandolero!'' is a 1968 American Western film directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and starring James Stewart, Dean Martin, Raquel Welch and George Kennedy. The story centers on two brothers on the run from a posse, led by a local sheriff who want ...
'' (1968), the spy thriller '' The Chairman'', the science fiction film ''
The Illustrated Man ''The Illustrated Man'' is a 1951 collection of 18 science fiction short stories by American writer Ray Bradbury. A recurring theme throughout the stories is the conflict of the cold mechanics of technology and the psychology of people. It was ...
'', and the western ''
100 Rifles ''100 Rifles'' is a 1969 American Western film directed by Tom Gries and starring Jim Brown, Raquel Welch and Burt Reynolds. It is based on Robert MacLeod's 1966 novel ''The Californio''. The film was shot in Spain. The original music score was ...
'' (all 1969). He composed the theme for the
comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...
television series ''
Room 222 ''Room 222'' is an American comedy-drama television series produced by 20th Century Fox Television that aired on ABC for 112 episodes, from September 17, 1969 until January 11, 1974. The show was broadcast on Wednesday evenings at 8:30 ( EST) fo ...
'' which debuted in 1969.


1970s

Throughout the score for the World War II
biopic A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudra ...
''
Patton George Smith Patton Jr. (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh United States Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, and the Third United States Army in Franc ...
'' (1970), Goldsmith used an
echoplex The Echoplex is a tape delay effect, first made in 1959. Designed by Mike Battle, the Echoplex set a standard for the effect in the 1960s—it is still regarded as "the standard by which everything else is measured." It was used by some of the ...
to loop recorded sounds of "call to war" triplets played on the trumpet that musically represented General
George S. Patton George Smith Patton Jr. (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh United States Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, and the Third United States Army in France ...
's belief in reincarnation. The main theme also consisted of a symphonic march accompanied by a
pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ''ranks ...
to represent the protagonist's militaristic and deeply religious nature. The film's music subsequently earned Goldsmith an Oscar nomination for Best Original Score and was one of the
American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...
's 250 nominees for the top twenty-five American film scores. Goldsmith's critical success continued with his emotional score to the prison escape film '' Papillon'' (1973), which also earned him an Academy Award nomination. In 1973, Goldsmith also wrote the theme for the TV series ''
Barnaby Jones ''Barnaby Jones'' is an American detective television series starring Buddy Ebsen as a formerly retired investigator and Lee Meriwether as his widowed daughter-in-law, who run a private detective firm in Los Angeles, California. The show was or ...
''. Goldsmith was faced with the daunting task of replacing a score by composer Phillip Lambro to the neo-
film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...
''
Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...
'' (1974). With only ten days to compose and record an entirely new score, Goldsmith quickly produced a score that mixed an eastern music sound with elements of jazz in an ensemble that only featured a trumpet, four pianos, four harps, two percussionists, and a string section. Goldsmith received an Academy Award nomination for his efforts though he lost to
Nino Rota Giovanni Rota Rinaldi (; 3 December 1911 – 10 April 1979), better known as Nino Rota (), was an Italian composer, pianist, conductor and academic who is best known for his film scores, notably for the films of Federico Fellini and Luchino Visco ...
and
Carmine Coppola Carmine Valentino Coppola (; June 11, 1910 – April 26, 1991) was an American composer, flautist, pianist, and songwriter who contributed original music to ''The Godfather'', ''The Godfather Part II'', ''Apocalypse Now'', '' The Outsiders'', an ...
for ''
The Godfather Part II ''The Godfather Part II'' is a 1974 American epic crime film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The film is partially based on the 1969 novel ''The Godfather'' by Mario Puzo, who co-wrote the screenplay with Coppola. ''Part II'' s ...
''. The score to ''Chinatown'' ranks 9 on the AFI's list of top 25 American film scores. It was also nominated for a
Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
for Best Original Score. Goldsmith earned further critical praise with his score to the period adventure film ''
The Wind and the Lion ''The Wind and the Lion'' is a 1975 American epic adventure film written and directed by John Milius and starring Sean Connery, Candice Bergen, Brian Keith, and John Huston. Made in Panavision and Metrocolor and produced by Herb Jaffe and Phil Ra ...
'' (1975), which relied upon a diverse ensemble including many Moroccan instruments and a large percussion section. The score garnered Goldsmith an Oscar nomination for Best Original Score, though he lost to
John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who wa ...
for his score to ''
Jaws Jaws or Jaw may refer to: Anatomy * Jaw, an opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth ** Mandible, the lower jaw Arts, entertainment, and media * Jaws (James Bond), a character in ''The Spy Who Loved Me'' and ''Moonraker'' * ...
''. ''
The Wind and the Lion ''The Wind and the Lion'' is a 1975 American epic adventure film written and directed by John Milius and starring Sean Connery, Candice Bergen, Brian Keith, and John Huston. Made in Panavision and Metrocolor and produced by Herb Jaffe and Phil Ra ...
'' was also one of the
AFI AFI may refer to: * ''Address-family identifier'', a 16 bit field of the Routing Information Protocol * Ashton Fletcher Irwin, an Australian drummer * AFI (band), an American rock band ** ''AFI'' (2004 album), a retrospective album by AFI rele ...
's 250 nominees for the top twenty-five American film scores. Goldsmith composed a dark choral score to the horror film ''
The Omen ''The Omen'' is a 1976 supernatural horror film directed by Richard Donner and written by David Seltzer. An international co-production of the United Kingdom and the United States, it stars Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Harvey Spencer ...
'' (1976), which was the first film score to feature the use of a
choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...
in an
avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...
style.Clemmensen, Christian
''The Omen''
soundtrack review at
Filmtracks.com Filmtracks.com is a modern film score review website created and maintained by its sole reviewer, Christian Clemmensen. Since the launch of Filmtracks in 1996, the website has reviewed nearly two-thousand soundtracks dating as far back as 1954, t ...
. Retrieved 2011-02-16.
The score was successful among critics and garnered Goldsmith his only Academy Award for Best Original Score and a nomination for
Best Original Song This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
for "
Ave Satani "Ave Satani" is the theme song to the film ''The Omen'' (1976) composed by Jerry Goldsmith. ''The Omen'' won the Academy Award for Best Original Score, with ''Ave Satani'' nominated for Best Original Song. History The Latinized title translate ...
". His wife, Carol Heather Goldsmith, also wrote lyrics and performed a vocal track titled "The Piper Dreams" released solely on the soundtrack album. Goldsmith would go on to compose for two more entries in the franchise; '' Damien: Omen II'' (1978) and '' Omen III: The Final Conflict'' (1981). He continued to have critical success with scores to such films as the dystopian science fiction ''
Logan's Run ''Logan's Run'' is a science fiction novel by American writers William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson. Published in 1967, the novel depicts a dystopic Malthusianism future society in which both population and the consumption of resource ...
'' (1976), the period drama '' Islands in the Stream'' (1977, a score which remained one of his personal favorites), the science fiction suspense ''
Coma A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal wake-sleep cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. Coma patients exhi ...
'', the science fiction thriller ''
Capricorn One ''Capricorn One'' is a 1978 British-produced American thriller film in which a reporter discovers that a supposed Mars landing by a crewed mission to the planet has been faked via a conspiracy involving the government and—under duress—the c ...
'' (both 1978), the disaster film '' The Swarm'' (also 1978), the period comedy '' The Great Train Robbery'' (1979), and his Academy Award-nominated score to the science fiction thriller '' The Boys from Brazil'' (1978), in which he utilized lively
waltz The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position. History There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the wa ...
es to juxtapose the film's concept of cloning
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
. Goldsmith composed a score to the science fiction film ''
Alien Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...
'' (1979). His score featured an orchestra augmented by an Indian conch horn,
didgeridoo The didgeridoo (; also spelt didjeridu, among other variants) is a wind instrument, played with vibrating lips to produce a continuous drone while using a special breathing technique called circular breathing. The didgeridoo was developed by ...
,
steel drum The steelpan (also known as a pan, steel drum, and sometimes, collectively with other musicians, as a steelband or steel orchestra) is a musical instrument originating in Trinidad and Tobago. Steelpan musicians are called pannists. Descripti ...
, and
serpent Serpent or The Serpent may refer to: * Snake, a carnivorous reptile of the suborder Serpentes Mythology and religion * Sea serpent, a monstrous ocean creature * Serpent (symbolism), the snake in religious rites and mythological contexts * Serp ...
(a 16th-century instrument), while creating further "alien" sounds by delaying string pizzicati through an
echoplex The Echoplex is a tape delay effect, first made in 1959. Designed by Mike Battle, the Echoplex set a standard for the effect in the 1960s—it is still regarded as "the standard by which everything else is measured." It was used by some of the ...
. Many of the instruments were used in such atypical ways they were virtually unidentifiable. His score was, however, heavily edited during post-production and Goldsmith was required to rewrite music for several scenes. The final score resulted in several pieces being moved, replaced, or cut entirely. Director
Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is a British film director and producer. Directing, among others, science fiction films, his work is known for its atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style. Scott has received many accolades thr ...
and editor Terry Rawlings also, without Goldsmith's consent, purchased the rights to the "Main Title" from ''
Freud Sigmund Freud ( , ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating pathologies explained as originating in conflicts in ...
'' (1962) which they used during the acid blood sequence. Despite the heavy edits and rewrites, Goldsmith's score for the film earned him a
Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
nomination for Best Original Score and was one of the
AFI AFI may refer to: * ''Address-family identifier'', a 16 bit field of the Routing Information Protocol * Ashton Fletcher Irwin, an Australian drummer * AFI (band), an American rock band ** ''AFI'' (2004 album), a retrospective album by AFI rele ...
's 250 nominees for the top twenty-five American film scores. Goldsmith concluded the decade composing the score for '' Star Trek: The Motion Picture'' (1979). Having been
Gene Roddenberry Eugene Wesley Roddenberry Sr. (August 19, 1921 – October 24, 1991) was an American television screenwriter, producer, and creator of ''Star Trek: The Original Series'', its sequel spin-off series ''Star Trek: The Animated Series,'' and ''Sta ...
's initial choice to compose the original ''
Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
'' pilot "
The Cage The Cage may refer to: Sports * West Fourth Street Courts, also known as "The Cage", as of 1978, a public venue for amateur basketball in New York City * Al-Shorta Stadium, 1990-2014, former football stadium of Al-Shorta SC, nicknamed "The Cage ...
" yet being unable to do so due to scheduling conflicts, Goldsmith was the first pick of both
Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...
and director
Robert Wise Robert Earl Wise (September 10, 1914 – September 14, 2005) was an American film director, producer, and editor. He won the Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture for his musical films ''West Side Story'' (1961) and ''The Sound of ...
to compose a score for ''The Motion Picture''. Faced with composing a new ''Star Trek'' theme for the film, Goldsmith initially struggled for inspiration, and proceeded to compose as much of the score as possible before the need to develop the main title theme. His initial score for the scene in which the newly-refit Starship ''
Enterprise Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to: Business and economics Brands and enterprises * Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company * Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company * Enterprise ...
'' is revealed to the audience was not well received by the filmmakers, director Robert Wise feeling that it lacked a strong thematic hook and evoked sailing ships. Though somewhat irked by its rejection, Goldsmith consented to re-work his initial idea and finally arrived at the ''Star Trek'' theme which was ultimately used. The film's soundtrack also provided a debut for the
Blaster Beam The blaster beam is a concept electric musical instrument consisting of a 12 to long metal beam strung with numerous tensed wires under which are mounted electric guitar pickups which can be moved to alter the sound produced. The instrument is ...
, an electronic instrument long, created by musician Craig Huxley. The Blaster had steel wires connected to amplifiers fitted to the main piece of aluminum; the device was played with an artillery shell. Goldsmith heard it and immediately decided to use it for V'Ger's cues.Goldsmith, Jerry. ''Star Trek: The Motion Picture Directors Edition'' isc 2 Special features: Commentary. An enormous pipe organ first plays the V'Ger theme on the ''Enterprise''s approach, a literal indication of the machine's power. His score for ''The Motion Picture'' earned him
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
and
Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
nominations, and was one of the
AFI AFI may refer to: * ''Address-family identifier'', a 16 bit field of the Routing Information Protocol * Ashton Fletcher Irwin, an Australian drummer * AFI (band), an American rock band ** ''AFI'' (2004 album), a retrospective album by AFI rele ...
's 250 nominees for the top twenty-five American film scores. Goldsmith would later compose the scores for '' Star Trek V: The Final Frontier'' (1989) (which included a revised arrangement of the theme from ''The Motion Picture''), '' Star Trek: First Contact'' (1996), '' Star Trek: Insurrection'' (1998), and '' Star Trek: Nemesis'' (2002), as well as the theme to the television series '' Star Trek: Voyager'' in 1995. In addition, his theme for ''The Motion Picture'', as arranged by Dennis McCarthy, was reused as the theme for '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' in 1987.


1980s

Throughout the 1980s, Goldsmith found himself increasingly scoring science fiction and fantasy films in the ongoing wake of ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'' (1977), composing for such films as ''
The Omen ''The Omen'' is a 1976 supernatural horror film directed by Richard Donner and written by David Seltzer. An international co-production of the United Kingdom and the United States, it stars Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Harvey Spencer ...
'' sequels '' Damien: Omen II'' (1978) and '' Omen III: The Final Conflict'' (1981), space western '' Outland'' (1981), animated fantasy ''
The Secret of NIMH ''The Secret of NIMH'' is a 1982 American animated fantasy adventure film directed by Don Bluth in his directorial debut and based on Robert C. O'Brien's 1971 children's novel, '' Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH''. The film features the voices ...
'' (1982), and the film adaptation of The Twilight Zone, which he composed in four different styles to accompany the film's four stories. Goldsmith was hired to compose the music to the
Tobe Hooper Willard Tobe Hooper (; January 25, 1943 – August 26, 2017) was an American director, screenwriter, and producer best known for his work in the horror film, horror genre. The British Film Institute cited Hooper as one of the most influenti ...
-directed horror film ''
Poltergeist In ghostlore, a poltergeist ( or ; German for "rumbling ghost" or "noisy spirit") is a type of ghost or spirit that is responsible for physical disturbances, such as loud noises and objects being moved or destroyed. Most claims or fictional descr ...
'' (1982). He wrote several themes for the film including a gentle lullaby for the protagonist Carol Anne and her family's suburban life, a semi-religious theme for scenes concerning the souls trapped between the two worlds, and bombastic atonal bursts during scenes of horror. The film's score garnered him an Oscar nomination, though he lost again to
John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who wa ...
for Spielberg's '' E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial''. He did, however, still manage to compose for such non-fantasy productions as the period television miniseries ''
Masada Masada ( he, מְצָדָה ', "fortress") is an ancient fortification in the Southern District of Israel situated on top of an isolated rock plateau, akin to a mesa. It is located on the eastern edge of the Judaean Desert, overlooking the Dea ...
'' (1981) winning an
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
, the war film ''
Inchon Incheon (; ; or Inch'ŏn; literally "kind river"), formerly Jemulpo or Chemulp'o (제물포) until the period after 1910, officially the Incheon Metropolitan City (인천광역시, 仁川廣域市), is a city located in northwestern South Kore ...
'' (1982), the action adventure ''
First Blood ''First Blood'' (also known as ''Rambo: First Blood'') is a 1982 American action film directed by Ted Kotcheff, and co-written by Sylvester Stallone, who also stars as Vietnam War veteran John Rambo. It co-stars Richard Crenna as Rambo's mentor ...
'' (also 1982), and his Oscar- and
Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
-nominated score to political drama '' Under Fire'' (1983) in which he used the ethnic sounds of a South American
pan flute A pan flute (also known as panpipes or syrinx) is a musical instrument based on the principle of the closed tube, consisting of multiple pipes of gradually increasing length (and occasionally girth). Multiple varieties of pan flutes have been ...
, synthetic elements, and the prominently featured solo work of jazz guitarist
Pat Metheny Patrick Bruce Metheny ( ; born August 12, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist and composer. He is the leader of the Pat Metheny Group and is also involved in duets, solo works, and other side projects. His style incorporates elements of progre ...
.Clemmensen, Christian
''Under Fire'' soundtrack review
Filmtracks.com Filmtracks.com is a modern film score review website created and maintained by its sole reviewer, Christian Clemmensen. Since the launch of Filmtracks in 1996, the website has reviewed nearly two-thousand soundtracks dating as far back as 1954, t ...
. Retrieved 2011-02-16.
Throughout the decade, many of his compositions became increasingly laced with synthetic elements such as his scores for the horror sequel '' Psycho II'' (1983), the comedy horror film ''
Gremlins ''Gremlins'' is a 1984 American black comedy horror film directed by Joe Dante, written by Chris Columbus, and starring Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton, Polly Holliday, and Frances Lee McCain, with Howie Mandel providing the voice of ...
'' (1984, winning a
Saturn Award The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films be ...
for
Best Music Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporatio ...
), the fantasy superhero adaptation ''
Supergirl Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. The character made her fir ...
'' (1984),
Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is a British film director and producer. Directing, among others, science fiction films, his work is known for its atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style. Scott has received many accolades thr ...
fantasy ''
Legend A legend is a Folklore genre, genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human valu ...
'' (1985, initially heard only in European prints and then years later in a 2002
director's cut A director's cut is an edited version of a film (or video game, television episode, music video, or commercial) that is supposed to represent the director's own approved edit in contrast to the theatrical release. "Cut" explicitly refers to the ...
), action sequel '' Rambo: First Blood Part II'' (1985), family fantasy '' Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend'' (also 1985), and horror movie sequel ''
Poltergeist II ''Poltergeist II: The Other Side'' (also known simply as ''Poltergeist II'') is a 1986 American supernatural horror film directed by Brian Gibson, and starring JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, Heather O'Rourke, Oliver Robins, Zelda Rubinst ...
'' (1986), a more synthetic score than the original and the first of two sequels. He garnered another Oscar nomination for his innovative, critically acclaimed score to sports drama '' Hoosiers'' (1986), though he lost to
Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer. Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he help ...
for ''Round Midnight (film), Round Midnight''. The score incorporates synthesizers, orchestra, and the recorded sounds of basketball hits on a gymnasium floor. During the same period, Goldsmith scored the Michael Crichton film ''Runaway (1984 film), Runaway'' (1984), the composer's first all-electronic score. In an interview with ''Keyboard (magazine), Keyboard'' magazine in 1984, Goldsmith said that in order to simulate the ambiance of a real orchestra, several speakers were set up in an actual orchestra hall similar to how they would be arranged if they were live players. The playback was re-recorded to capture the feel of the hall. Goldsmith finished out the decade with noteworthy scores to such films as the science-fiction fantasy family film ''Explorers (film), Explorers'' (1985), medieval adventure ''Lionheart (1987 film), Lionheart'', science fiction comedy ''Innerspace'' (both 1987), action film ''Rambo III'' (1988), the science fiction horror ''Leviathan (1989 film), Leviathan'', and '' Star Trek V: The Final Frontier'' (both 1989), his second ''
Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
'' film score. Goldsmith's score to ''Leviathan'' incorporated the use of recorded whale sounds during the main titles. His comedy score to ''The 'Burbs'' (1989) made use of pipe organ, recorded dog barking sound effects, and for parodying the trumpet "call to war" triplets on an
echoplex The Echoplex is a tape delay effect, first made in 1959. Designed by Mike Battle, the Echoplex set a standard for the effect in the 1960s—it is still regarded as "the standard by which everything else is measured." It was used by some of the ...
from his previous score to ''
Patton George Smith Patton Jr. (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh United States Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, and the Third United States Army in Franc ...
'' (1970).


1990s

Receiving critical acclaim for his music for the romantic drama ''The Russia House (film), The Russia House'' (1990), Goldsmith's score featured a unique mixture of Music of Russia, Russian music and jazz to complement the nationalities and characteristics of the two main characters. He also composed critically acclaimed music for the science fiction action film '' Total Recall'' (also 1990), which Goldsmith later regarded as one of his best scores. Other scores of the era include ''Gremlins 2: The New Batch'' (also 1990, a film in which Goldsmith also made a brief cameo appearance), the psychological thriller ''Sleeping with the Enemy'' (1991), the family comedy ''Mom and Dad Save the World'', the fantasy romance ''Forever Young (1992 film), Forever Young'' (both 1992), the thriller ''The Vanishing (1993 film), The Vanishing'', and the family comedy ''Dennis the Menace (1993 film), Dennis the Menace'' (both 1993). Goldsmith also composed a critically acclaimed score for the medical drama ''Medicine Man (film), Medicine Man'' (1992). In concert, Goldsmith would later recount a story of how actor Sean Connery copied Goldsmith's signature ponytail hairstyle for his character Robert Campbell in the film. Goldsmith composed and conducted a score to the erotic thriller ''Basic Instinct'' (1992). The soundtrack, an unsettling hybrid of orchestral and electronic elements, garnered him another Oscar nomination as well as a
Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
nomination and was later regarded by the composer as one of his most challenging works. He wrote an acclaimed score for the classic sports film ''Rudy (film), Rudy'' (1993), which has since been used in the trailers for numerous films including ''Angels in the Outfield (1994 film), Angels in the Outfield'' (1994), ''Good Will Hunting'' (1997), ''Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron'' (2002), and ''Seabiscuit (film), Seabiscuit'' (2003). It was also heard on the TV spot of "The Little Vampire (film), The Little Vampire" (2000) and an Arnold Schwarzenegger fitness advert. Goldsmith composed acclaimed scores for such films as the superhero adaptation ''The Shadow (1994 film), The Shadow'', the thriller ''The River Wild'', the romantic comedy ''I.Q. (film), I.Q.'' (all 1994), the science fiction drama ''Powder (1995 film), Powder'', the action film ''Congo (film), Congo'', the fantasy adventure ''First Knight'' (all 1995), the action film ''Executive Decision'', and his third ''
Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
'' film installment '' Star Trek: First Contact'' (both 1996) which he composed with his son Joel Goldsmith.Clemmensen, Christian
''Star Trek: First Contact''
soundtrack review at
Filmtracks.com Filmtracks.com is a modern film score review website created and maintained by its sole reviewer, Christian Clemmensen. Since the launch of Filmtracks in 1996, the website has reviewed nearly two-thousand soundtracks dating as far back as 1954, t ...
. Retrieved 2011-02-16.
Goldsmith also composed the theme for the UPN series '' Star Trek: Voyager'' (which debuted in 1995) for which he won a
Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music, Outstanding Main Title Theme Music. In 2020, ''Newsweek'' magazine said that the ''Voyager'' theme was the best of all ''Star Trek'' television series' theme songs. Goldsmith composed the critically successful score to the horror action film ''The Ghost and the Darkness'' (1996) which featured a traditional Irish folk melody interwoven with African rhythms. He was hired to replace a score by Randy Newman for ''
Air Force One Air Force One is the official air traffic control designated call sign for a United States Air Force aircraft carrying the president of the United States. In common parlance, the term is used to denote U.S. Air Force aircraft modified and used ...
'' (1997). Goldsmith, with the assistance of composer Joel McNeely, completed the brassy, heroic score in only twelve days. Goldsmith also composed a percussive, jazzy score for the critically acclaimed crime drama ''
L.A. Confidential ''L.A. Confidential'' (1990) is a neo-noir novel by James Ellroy and the third of his L.A. Quartet series. It is dedicated to Mary Doherty Ellroy. The epigraph is "A glory that costs everything and means nothing"— Steve Erickson. Plot The s ...
'' (also 1997). His score garnered him Oscar and
Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
nominations, and was also one of the
AFI AFI may refer to: * ''Address-family identifier'', a 16 bit field of the Routing Information Protocol * Ashton Fletcher Irwin, an Australian drummer * AFI (band), an American rock band ** ''AFI'' (2004 album), a retrospective album by AFI rele ...
's 250 nominees for the top twenty-five American film scores. Goldsmith composed a new theme for the Universal Pictures opening logo, first heard in ''The Lost World: Jurassic Park'' (1997). The studio continues to use this theme, with a new arrangement of it scored by Brian Tyler to accompany the studio's current opening logo, introduced with ''The Lorax (film), The Lorax'' (2012) to coincide with the celebration of the studio's 100th anniversary."Jerry Goldsmith Works – Fanfares"
at Jerry Goldsmith Online. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
Goldsmith also continued with scores for such films as the 1997 survival drama ''The Edge (1997 film), The Edge'' (also 1997), his fourth ''
Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
'' film installment, '' Star Trek: Insurrection'' (1998), the science fiction horror ''Deep Rising'', the action thriller ''U.S. Marshals (film), U.S. Marshals'' and the science fiction film ''Small Soldiers'' (all also 1998). He also composed a score of combined Eastern, orchestral, and synthetic elements for the Walt Disney Animation Studios, Disney-animated film ''
Mulan Hua Mulan () is a legendary folk heroine from the Northern and Southern dynasties era (4th to 6th century CE) of Chinese history. According to legend, Mulan took her aged father's place in the conscription for the army by disguising herself as ...
'' (also 1998), which subsequently earned him his final Oscar and
Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
nominations along with songwriter Matthew Wilder and lyricist David Zippel. Goldsmith concluded the decade with critically successful scores to such popular films as action adventure horror ''
The Mummy A mummy is an unusually well preserved corpse. Mummy or The Mummy may also refer to: Places *Mummy Range, a mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of northern Colorado in the United States *Mummy Cave, a rock shelter and archeological site in Par ...
'', the horror film ''The Haunting (1999 film), The Haunting'', and the action adventure ''The 13th Warrior'' (1999). In 1999, he also composed "Fanfare for Oscar" for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.


2000s and final scores

During the early years of the 2000s, Goldsmith composed scores to the science fiction thriller ''Hollow Man'' (2000), the mystery film ''Along Came a Spider (film), Along Came a Spider'', the drama ''The Last Castle'' (both 2001), the action/political thriller ''The Sum of All Fears (film), The Sum of All Fears'', and his last ''
Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
'' film '' Star Trek: Nemesis'' (both 2002). Goldsmith had composed the scores to five of the first ten ''Star Trek'' movies up to that point. Goldsmith also composed an original score to the Simulation, simulator attraction ''Soarin' Over California'' which debuted 8 February 2001 at the Disneyland Resort, and the same attraction ''Soarin'' which opened 5 May 2005 in Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort. It was later said that when Goldsmith first rode the ride, he left in tears and said, "I'd do anything to be part of this project. I'd even score the film for free." Goldsmith's final cinematic score, composed during declining health, was the critically acclaimed music for the live action/animated film ''Looney Tunes: Back in Action'' (2003), directed by long-time Goldsmith collaborator
Joe Dante Joseph James Dante Jr. (; born November 28, 1946) is an American film director, producer, editor and actor. His films—notably ''Gremlins'' (1984) alongside its sequel, '' Gremlins 2: The New Batch'' (1990)—often mix 1950s-style B movies wit ...
. His last work was with another long-time collaborator,
Richard Donner Richard Donner (born Richard Donald Schwartzberg; April 24, 1930 – July 5, 2021) was an American filmmaker whose notable works included some of the most financially-successful films during the New Hollywood era. According to film historian M ...
(for whom Goldsmith had scored ''
The Omen ''The Omen'' is a 1976 supernatural horror film directed by Richard Donner and written by David Seltzer. An international co-production of the United Kingdom and the United States, it stars Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Harvey Spencer ...
'' in 1976), on the science fiction film ''
Timeline A timeline is a display of a list of events in chronological order. It is typically a graphic design showing a long bar labelled with dates paralleling it, and usually contemporaneous events. Timelines can use any suitable scale representi ...
'' (also 2003). However, due to a complicated post-production process, Goldsmith's score had to be replaced. Goldsmith's score was used for the preliminary cuts. But the score didn't fit the later cuts of the film and had to be re-scored. Goldsmith's unavailability led to composer Brian Tyler (composer), Brian Tyler taking over. Goldsmith's unused score was later released on CD, 7 September 2004 through Varèse Sarabande, less than two months after his death in July. The album quickly became out of print.


Studio fanfares

Goldsmith composed the fanfares accompanying the
production logo A production logo, vanity card, vanity plate, or vanity logo is a logo used by movie studios and television production company, production companies to brand what they produce and to determine the production company and the distributor of a tel ...
s for multiple major
film studio A film studio (also known as movie studio or simply studio) is a major entertainment company or motion picture company that has its own privately owned studio facility or facilities that are used to make films, which is handled by the production ...
s. He composed the 1976 fanfare for
Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...
, which was used mainly for their Paramount Home Entertainment, home video label, as well as the 1988 Carolco Pictures fanfare and the Cinergi Pictures fanfare, with Bruce Broughton conducting the fanfare. With the release of ''The Lost World: Jurassic Park'', his 1997 opening fanfare for Universal Pictures debuted. His work on the fanfare would later be re-composed by
John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who wa ...
for the 20th anniversary of '' E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'', a film in which Williams composed the film's score, with a customized fanfare, merging the Universal fanfare and the film's main theme, and the full Universal fanfare, only used in ''The Scorpion King'', and re-arranged by Brian Tyler for the studio's 100th anniversary.


Concert works

* Toccata for Solo Guitar *: In the 1950s, Goldsmith composed "Toccata for Solo Guitar".Jerry Goldsmith Works – Concert Works And Ballet
at Jerry Goldsmith Online. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
The music was later performed and recorded by Gregg Nestor and released through BSX Records 5 January 2010. * ''The Thunder of Imperial Names'' *: In 1957, Goldsmith composed the patriotic piece based on a text by Thomas Wolfe titled ''The Thunder of Imperial Names'' for concert band and narration, which first appeared on the
CBS Radio Workshop ''The CBS Radio Workshop'' was an experimental dramatic radio anthology series that aired on CBS from January 27, 1956, until September 22, 1957. Subtitled “radio’s distinguished series to man’s imagination,” it was a revival of the earlie ...
episode "1489 Words". "The Thunder of Imperial Names" was later performed and re-recorded in 2006 by the U.S. Air Force Tactical Command Band under conductor Lowell E. Graham and narrated by Gary McKenzie. * ''Christus Apollo'' *: In 1969, the California Chamber Symphony commissioned Goldsmith to compose a cantata based on the text "Christus Apollo" by science fiction author Ray Bradbury, with whom Goldsmith had previously worked on dramatic radio and later the 1969 film ''
The Illustrated Man ''The Illustrated Man'' is a 1951 collection of 18 science fiction short stories by American writer Ray Bradbury. A recurring theme throughout the stories is the conflict of the cold mechanics of technology and the psychology of people. It was ...
''. The piece, written in four movements, consisted of orchestra, choir, mezzo-soprano solo, and narration (originally performed by Charlton Heston). Goldsmith composed the piece largely using the Twelve-tone technique, 12-tone system, later stating, "I feel there is a great relationship between Impressionist music, impressionism and dodecaphonicism and that was the musical language I wanted for 'Christus Apollo'."Goldsmith, Jerry (1999). Liner note. "Christus Apollo", composed and conducted by Jerry Goldsmith. For the 2002 Telarc album release, ''Christus Apollo'' was performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, the London Voices, mezzo-soprano Eirian James, and narrated by actor Anthony Hopkins.Coleman, Christopher
"Spiritual Fiction: 'Christus Apollo' by Jerry Goldsmith"
review at Tracksounds.com. Retrieved 2011-03-30.
* Music for Orchestra *: In 1970, Goldsmith was approached by conductor Leonard Slatkin to compose a short piece for the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. The atonal composition was written in three sections developed from one common Twelve-tone technique, 12-tone row including the "turbulent" first section, the "introspective" second section, and climaxing in a "very agitated" third section. Goldsmith later reflected that the piece was a result of much turbulence in his life, stating, "I was going through a divorce and my mother was seriously ill with cancer." Goldsmith continued, "All of my personal turmoil – pain, anger, and sorrow – went into writing 'Music for Orchestra' in strict dodecaphonic form." * ''Fireworks: A Celebration of Los Angeles'' *: In 1999, Goldsmith composed the energetic ''Fireworks: A Celebration of Los Angeles'' to conclude his first concert series with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. Looking back on the experience, Goldsmith later said, "After starting to write what was to be a big fireworks extravaganza, I realized that I was writing about the city where I was born and had lived my entire life. I decided instead to make the piece a grand celebration of my childhood, growing years, my years of maturity, and all the events that climaxed with my first appearance at the Hollywood Bowl."


Personal life and death

Goldsmith was married twice. He was first married to Sharon Hennagin in 1950; they divorced in 1970. He married Carol Heather in 1972, and the couple remained together until his death in 2004. His oldest son Joel Goldsmith (1957–2012) was also a composer and collaborated with his father on the score for '' Star Trek: First Contact'', composing approximately twenty-two minutes of the score. Goldsmith also conducted Joel's theme for ''The Untouchables (1993 TV series), The Untouchables'' and composed the theme for the pilot ''Hollister'', scored by Joel. Goldsmith's daughter, Carrie Goldsmith, went to high school with ''Titanic (1997 film), Titanic'' film score composer James Horner, who also composed music for ''
Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
''s second and third films: ''Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan'' and ''Star Trek III: The Search for Spock''. Carrie Goldsmith was working on a biography of her father, though the book has been suspended indefinitely for unspecified reasons. Ellen Smith, who sang the title song for ''Wild Rovers'', shortened her surname but was actually his daughter, Ellen Goldsmith. Goldsmith died at his Beverly Hills home on July 21, 2004, from colon cancer at the age of 75. He was survived by his wife Carol and his children Aaron, Joel Goldsmith, Joel (who also died of cancer on April 29, 2012), Carrie, Ellen Edson, and Jennifer Goldsmith. He was interred at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery.


Style and influences

Goldsmith was greatly influenced by movements of early 20th-century classical music, notably Modernism (music), modernism, Americana, Impressionist music, impressionism, Twelve-tone technique, dodecaphonism, and early film scores. He has cited Igor Stravinsky, Aaron Copland,
Miklós Rózsa Miklós Rózsa (; April 18, 1907 – July 27, 1995) was a Hungarian-American composer trained in Germany (1925–1931) and active in France (1931–1935), the United Kingdom (1935–1940), and the United States (1940–1995), with extensi ...
, Bernard Herrmann, Béla Bartók, and Alban Berg, among others, as some of the main influences to his style of composition. His style has been noted for its unique instrumentation, utilizing a vast array of ethnic instruments, recorded sounds, synthetic textures, and the traditional orchestra, often concurrently. When asked about his inclination for embracing new techniques and constantly shifting his musical palette throughout his career, Goldsmith said, "It seems like it's me, and that's that! Certain composers are doing the same thing over and over again, which I feel is sort of uninteresting. I don't find that you grow very much in that way. I like to keep changing, trying to do new things. Basically, I'm saying the same thing with a little different twist on it. Once you get caught up in the creative process, something inside takes over, and your subconscious just does it for you." One reason for the consistency of Goldsmith's aural resonance and signature sound is his long time professional association with orchestrator Arthur Morton. Their first collaboration was on the film, ''Take Her, She's Mine'' (1963). Goldsmith was commissioned to score the features, ''Von Ryan's Express'' and ''Morituri (1965 film), Morituri'' (both 1965). He recruited Morton to serve as his orchestrator. Their bond for a unique and expressive sound was born, and their friendship flourished. Goldsmith went on to compose the scores for ''Our Man Flint'', ''The Trouble with Angels'' (with Frank De Vol), ''The Blue Max'', ''The Sand Pebbles'', and ''Stagecoach (1966 film), Stagecoach'' (all 1966). Morton was there providing his orchestration services, assisting Goldsmith in attaining his visionary sounds. Their partnership endured for over 30 years and included the notable scores for ''Planet of the Apes'' (1968), ''Patton'' (1970), ''
Tora! Tora! Tora! ''Tora! Tora! Tora!'' ( ja, トラ・トラ・トラ!) is a 1970 epic film, epic war film that dramatizes the Empire of Japan, Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. The film was produced by Elmo Williams and directed by Richard Fleischer, T ...
'' (1970), ''Papillon'' (1973), ''Chinatown'' (1974), ''The Omen'' (1976), ''MacArthur (1977 film), MacArthur'' (1977), ''Capricorn One'' (1978), ''Alien'' (1979), ''Star Trek: The Motion Picture'' (1979), ''Poltergeist'' (1982), ''First Blood'' (1982), ''Under Fire'' (1983), ''The Russia House'' (1990). The final score that Arthur Morton orchestrated for Goldsmith was ''L.A. Confidential'' (1997).


Legacy

Jerry Goldsmith has been considered one of film music history's most innovative and influential composers. While presenting Goldsmith with a Career Achievement Award from the Society for the Preservation of Film Music in 1993, fellow composer
Henry Mancini Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini, ; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flautist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Award ...
said of Goldsmith, "he has instilled two things in his colleagues in this town. One thing he does, he keeps us honest. And the second one is he scares the hell out of us." In his review of the 1999 re-issue of the '' Star Trek: The Motion Picture'' soundtrack, Bruce Eder highly praised Goldsmith's ability, stating, "one of the new tracks, 'Spock's Arrival', may be the closest that Goldsmith has ever come to writing serious music in a pure Romantic idiom; this could have been the work of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Rimsky-Korsakov or Igor Stravinsky, Stravinsky — it's that good." In a 2001 interview, film composer Marco Beltrami (''3:10 to Yuma (2007 film), 3:10 to Yuma'', ''The Hurt Locker'') stated, "Without Jerry, film music would probably be in a different place than it is now. I think he more than any other composer bridged the gap between the old Hollywood scoring style and the modern film composer." In 2006, upon composing ''The Omen (2006 film), The Omen'' (a remake of the Goldsmith-scored The Omen, 1976 film), Marco Beltrami dedicated his score to Goldsmith, which also included an updated arrangement of "
Ave Satani "Ave Satani" is the theme song to the film ''The Omen'' (1976) composed by Jerry Goldsmith. ''The Omen'' won the Academy Award for Best Original Score, with ''Ave Satani'' nominated for Best Original Song. History The Latinized title translate ...
" titled "Omen 76/06". Likewise, when composer Brian Tyler (composer), Brian Tyler was commissioned in 2012 to update the Universal Studios logo for the Universal centennial, he retained the melody originally composed by Goldsmith in 1997, opting to "bring it into the 21st century."


Awards and nominations

Over the course of his career, Goldsmith received 18 total
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
nominations, making him one of the most nominated composers in the history of the Awards. Despite this, Goldsmith won only one Oscar, his score for ''
The Omen ''The Omen'' is a 1976 supernatural horror film directed by Richard Donner and written by David Seltzer. An international co-production of the United Kingdom and the United States, it stars Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Harvey Spencer ...
'' (1976). This makes Goldsmith the most nominated composer to have won an Oscar only on one occasion. In 1991, Goldsmith received an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music. On May 9, 2017, Goldsmith posthumously received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his achievements in the music industry, located at 6752 Hollywood Boulevard.


AFI

The
American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...
respectively ranked Goldsmith's scores for ''
Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...
'' (1974) and ''
Planet of the Apes ''Planet of the Apes'' is an American science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a world in which humans and intelligent apes clash for control. The franchise is based on Frenc ...
'' (1968) 9 and 18 on AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores, their list of the 25 greatest film scores. He is one of only five composers to have more than one score featured in the list, including Elmer Bernstein, Bernard Herrmann, Max Steiner, and
John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who wa ...
. His scores for the following films were also nominated for inclusion: * ''
Alien Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...
'' (1979) * ''
L.A. Confidential ''L.A. Confidential'' (1990) is a neo-noir novel by James Ellroy and the third of his L.A. Quartet series. It is dedicated to Mary Doherty Ellroy. The epigraph is "A glory that costs everything and means nothing"— Steve Erickson. Plot The s ...
'' (1997) * ''
The Omen ''The Omen'' is a 1976 supernatural horror film directed by Richard Donner and written by David Seltzer. An international co-production of the United Kingdom and the United States, it stars Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Harvey Spencer ...
'' (1976) * '' Papillon'' (1973) * ''
A Patch of Blue ''A Patch of Blue'' is a 1965 American drama film directed by Guy Green about the friendship between an educated black man (played by Sidney Poitier) and an illiterate, blind, white 18-year-old girl (played by Elizabeth Hartman), and the proble ...
'' (1965) * ''
Patton George Smith Patton Jr. (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh United States Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, and the Third United States Army in Franc ...
'' (1970) * ''
The Sand Pebbles ''The Sand Pebbles'' is a 1962 novel by American author Richard McKenna about a Yangtze River gunboat and its crew in 1926. It was the winner of the 1963 Harper Prize for fiction. The book was initially serialized in the ''Saturday Evening Po ...
'' (1966) * '' Star Trek: The Motion Picture'' (1979) * ''
The Wind and the Lion ''The Wind and the Lion'' is a 1975 American epic adventure film written and directed by John Milius and starring Sean Connery, Candice Bergen, Brian Keith, and John Huston. Made in Panavision and Metrocolor and produced by Herb Jaffe and Phil Ra ...
'' (1975)


Accolades


List of movies and series


1950s

* ''The Lineup (TV series), The Lineup'' (TV series, 1954) * ''
Climax! ''Climax!'' (later known as ''Climax Mystery Theater'') is an American television anthology series that aired on CBS from 1954 to 1958. The series was hosted by William Lundigan and later co-hosted by Mary Costa. It was one of the few CBS programs ...
'' (TV series, 1954) * '' Black Patch'' (1957) * ''Westinghouse Studio One'': Tongue of Angels Season 10 episode 24 (live TV drama, 1958) * ''
Face of a Fugitive ''Face of a Fugitive'' is a 1959 American Western film directed by Paul Wendkos. It stars Fred MacMurray, Lin McCarthy, Myrna Fahey, James Coburn and Dorothy Green and was based on the short story "Long Gone" by Peter Dawson, the pen name of Jo ...
'' (1959) * '' City of Fear'' (1959) * ''
Playhouse 90 ''Playhouse 90'' was an American television anthology series, anthology drama series that aired on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. The show was produced at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California. Since live anthology dr ...
'' (TV series, 1959) * ''
The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, su ...
'' (TV series, 1959) * ''Perry Mason (1957 TV series), Perry Mason'' (1959 TV series incidental music, episode 3–75)


1960s

* ''The Gambler, the Nun, and the Radio'' (TV film, 1960) * ''Full Circle (1960 TV series), Full Circle'' (TV series theme, 1960) * ''Pete and Gladys'' (TV series theme, 1960) * ''Studs Lonigan'' (1960) * '' Thriller'' (TV series, 1960) * ''
Dr. Kildare Dr. James Kildare is a fictional American medical doctor, originally created in the 1930s by the author Frederick Schiller Faust under the pen name Max Brand. Shortly after the character's first appearance in a magazine story, Paramount Pictur ...
'' (theme and 7 episode scores, 1961) * ''The Expendables'' (TV film, 1962) * ''The Crimebusters'' (1962) * ''
Lonely Are the Brave ''Lonely Are the Brave'' is a 1962 American black and white Western film adaptation of the Edward Abbey novel ''The Brave Cowboy'' directed by David Miller from a screenplay by Dalton Trumbo and starring Kirk Douglas, Gena Rowlands and Walter ...
'' (1962) * ''
The Spiral Road ''The Spiral Road'' is a 1962 American adventure-drama film directed by Robert Mulligan and starring Rock Hudson, Burl Ives, Gena Rowlands, and Geoffrey Keen. The film was released by Universal-International in the United States in 1962, the same ...
'' (1962) * ''Freud the Secret Passion, Freud'' (1962) * ''The List of Adrian Messenger'' (1963) * ''
The Stripper "The Stripper" is an instrumental composed by David Rose, recorded in 1958 and released four years later. It evinces a jazz influence with especially prominent trombone slides, and evokes the feel of music used to accompany striptease artis ...
'' (1963) * ''A Gathering of Eagles'' (1963) * ''Lilies of the Field (1963 film), Lilies of the Field'' (1963) * ''Take Her, She's Mine'' (1963) * ''The Prize (1963 film), The Prize'' (1963) * ''
Seven Days in May ''Seven Days in May'' is a 1964 American political thriller film about a military-political cabal's planned takeover of the United States government in reaction to the president's negotiation of a disarmament treaty with the Soviet Union. The f ...
'' (1964) * ''Shock Treatment (1964 film), Shock Treatment'' (1964) * ''Fate Is the Hunter (film), Fate Is the Hunter'' (1964) * ''
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' is an American spy fiction television series produced by MGM Television, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television and first broadcast on NBC. The series follows secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who wo ...
'' (TV series theme and 3 episode scores, 1964) * ''Rio Conchos (1964 film), Rio Conchos'' (1964) * ''The Satan Bug'' (1965) * ''The Loner (TV series), The Loner'' (TV series theme and 2 episode scores, 1965) * ''Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (TV series), Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' (TV series: 1 episode, 1965) * ''
In Harm's Way ''In Harm's Way'' is a 1965 American epic war film produced and directed by Otto Preminger and starring John Wayne, Kirk Douglas and Patricia Neal, with a supporting cast featuring Henry Fonda in a lengthy cameo, Tom Tryon, Paula Prentiss, Stanle ...
'' (1965) * ''Von Ryan's Express'' (1965) * ''Morituri (1965 film), Morituri'' (1965) * ''The Agony and the Ecstasy (film), The Agony and the Ecstasy'' (co-composer, 1965) * ''
A Patch of Blue ''A Patch of Blue'' is a 1965 American drama film directed by Guy Green about the friendship between an educated black man (played by Sidney Poitier) and an illiterate, blind, white 18-year-old girl (played by Elizabeth Hartman), and the proble ...
'' (1965) * ''
Our Man Flint ''Our Man Flint'' is a 1966 American spy-fi comedy film that parodies the ''James Bond'' film series. The film was directed by Daniel Mann, written by Hal Fimberg and Ben Starr (from a story by Hal Fimberg), and starred James Coburn as master ...
'' (1966) * '' The Trouble with Angels'' (1966) * ''Stagecoach (1966 film), Stagecoach'' (1966) * ''
The Blue Max ''The Blue Max'' is a 1966 British war film directed by John Guillermin and starring George Peppard, James Mason, Ursula Andress, Karl Michael Vogler, and Jeremy Kemp. The film was made in DeLuxe Color and filmed in CinemaScope. The plot is a ...
'' (1966) * ''Seconds (1966 film), Seconds'' (1966) * ''
The Sand Pebbles ''The Sand Pebbles'' is a 1962 novel by American author Richard McKenna about a Yangtze River gunboat and its crew in 1926. It was the winner of the 1963 Harper Prize for fiction. The book was initially serialized in the ''Saturday Evening Po ...
'' (1966) * ''
Warning Shot In military and police contexts, a warning shot is an intentionally harmless artillery shot or gunshot with intent to enact direct compliance and order to a hostile perpetrator or enemy forces. It is recognized as signalling intended confronta ...
'' (1967) * ''
In Like Flint ''In Like Flint'' is a 1967 American Spy-Fi (subgenre), spy fi comedy film directed by Gordon Douglas (director), Gordon Douglas, the sequel to the parody spy film ''Our Man Flint'' (1966). It posits an international feminist Cabal, conspiracy ...
'' (1967) * ''
The Flim-Flam Man ''The Flim-Flam Man'' (titled ''One Born Every Minute'' in some countries) is a 1967 American comedy film directed by Irvin Kershner, featuring George C. Scott, Michael Sarrazin, and Sue Lyon, based on the 1965 novel ''The Ballad of the Flim-Fla ...
'' (1967) * ''
Hour of the Gun ''Hour of the Gun'' is a 1967 Western film depicting Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday during their 1881 battles against Ike Clanton and his brothers in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and the gunfight's aftermath in and around Tombstone, Arizona, ...
'' (1967) * ''Sebastian (1968 film), Sebastian'' (1968) * ''
Planet of the Apes ''Planet of the Apes'' is an American science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a world in which humans and intelligent apes clash for control. The franchise is based on Frenc ...
'' (1968) * '' The Detective'' (1968) * ''
Bandolero! ''Bandolero!'' is a 1968 American Western film directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and starring James Stewart, Dean Martin, Raquel Welch and George Kennedy. The story centers on two brothers on the run from a posse, led by a local sheriff who want ...
'' (1968) * ''
Room 222 ''Room 222'' is an American comedy-drama television series produced by 20th Century Fox Television that aired on ABC for 112 episodes, from September 17, 1969 until January 11, 1974. The show was broadcast on Wednesday evenings at 8:30 ( EST) fo ...
'' (TV series: theme and 2 episodes, 1969) * ''
100 Rifles ''100 Rifles'' is a 1969 American Western film directed by Tom Gries and starring Jim Brown, Raquel Welch and Burt Reynolds. It is based on Robert MacLeod's 1966 novel ''The Californio''. The film was shot in Spain. The original music score was ...
'' (1969) * ''
The Illustrated Man ''The Illustrated Man'' is a 1951 collection of 18 science fiction short stories by American writer Ray Bradbury. A recurring theme throughout the stories is the conflict of the cold mechanics of technology and the psychology of people. It was ...
'' (1969) * '' The Chairman'' (1969) * ''Justine (1969 film), Justine'' (1969)


1970s

* ''
Patton George Smith Patton Jr. (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh United States Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, and the Third United States Army in Franc ...
'' (1970) * ''The Ballad of Cable Hogue'' (1970) * ''Prudence and the Chief'' (TV film, 1970) * ''The Brotherhood of the Bell'' (TV film, 1970) * ''
Tora! Tora! Tora! ''Tora! Tora! Tora!'' ( ja, トラ・トラ・トラ!) is a 1970 epic film, epic war film that dramatizes the Empire of Japan, Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. The film was produced by Elmo Williams and directed by Richard Fleischer, T ...
'' (1970) * ''The Traveling Executioner'' (1970) * ''Rio Lobo'' (1970) * ''A Step Out of Line'' (TV movie, 1971) * ''The Mephisto Waltz (film), The Mephisto Waltz'' (1971) * ''
Escape from the Planet of the Apes ''Escape from the Planet of the Apes'' is a 1971 American science fiction film directed by Don Taylor and written by Paul Dehn. It stars Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Bradford Dillman and Ricardo Montalbán. It is the third of five films in the or ...
'' (1971) * ''Wild Rovers'' (1971) * ''The Last Run'' (1971) * ''Do Not Fold, Spindle, or Mutilate'' (TV film, 1971) * ''Crosscurrent'' (1971) (TV movie) * ''The Homecoming: A Christmas Story'' (TV film, 1971, basis for ''The Waltons'') * ''Lights Out'' (TV film, 1972) * ''Crawlspace (1972 film), Crawlspace'' (TV film, 1972) * ''The Culpepper Cattle Co.'' (stock music only, 1972) * ''The Other (1972 film), The Other'' (1972) * ''The Man (1972 film), The Man'' (1972) * ''Anna and the King (TV series), Anna and the King'' (TV series theme and pilot score, 1972) * ''Pursuit (1972 TV film), Pursuit'' (TV film, 1972) * ''The Waltons'' (TV series theme and several season 1 episodes, 1972) * ''
Barnaby Jones ''Barnaby Jones'' is an American detective television series starring Buddy Ebsen as a formerly retired investigator and Lee Meriwether as his widowed daughter-in-law, who run a private detective firm in Los Angeles, California. The show was or ...
'' (TV series theme and pilot score, 1973) * ''Shamus (film), Shamus'' (1973) * ''Hawkins (TV series), Hawkins'' (TV movie and series theme, 1973) * ''The Red Pony (1973 film), The Red Pony'' (TV film, 1973) * ''Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies'' (1973) * ''The Going Up of David Lev'' (TV film, 1973) * ''One Little Indian (film), One Little Indian'' (1973) * ''The Don Is Dead'' (1973) * '' Papillon'' (1973) * ''Indict and Convict'' (TV film, 1974) * ''Police Story (1973 TV series), Police Story'' (TV theme and pilot score, 1974) * ''A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1974 film), A Tree Grows in Brooklyn'' (TV film, 1974) * ''Winter Kill'' (TV film, 1974) * ''QB VII (miniseries), QB VII'' (1974) (miniseries) * ''
Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...
'' (1974) * ''S*P*Y*S'' (1974) * ''Ransom (1975 film), Ransom'' (1975) * ''Archer (1975 TV series), Archer'' (1975, TV series theme and pilot score) * ''Breakout (1975 film), Breakout'' (1975) * ''The Reincarnation of Peter Proud'' (1975) * ''
The Wind and the Lion ''The Wind and the Lion'' is a 1975 American epic adventure film written and directed by John Milius and starring Sean Connery, Candice Bergen, Brian Keith, and John Huston. Made in Panavision and Metrocolor and produced by Herb Jaffe and Phil Ra ...
'' (1975) * ''A Girl Named Sooner'' (TV film, 1975) * ''Adams of Eagle Lake'' (TV series theme, 1975) * ''Medical Story'' (1975, TV series theme) * ''Take a Hard Ride'' (1975) * ''Babe'' (TV film, 1975) * ''Breakheart Pass (1975 film), Breakheart Pass'' (1975) * ''The Hemingway Play'' (TV film, 1976) * ''The Last Hard Men (film), The Last Hard Men'' (stock music only, 1976) * ''Logan's Run (1976 film), Logan's Run'' (1976) * ''
The Omen ''The Omen'' is a 1976 supernatural horror film directed by Richard Donner and written by David Seltzer. An international co-production of the United Kingdom and the United States, it stars Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Harvey Spencer ...
'' (1976) * ''High Velocity (film), High Velocity'' (1976) * ''The Cassandra Crossing'' (1976) * ''Twilight's Last Gleaming'' (1977) * '' Islands in the Stream'' (1977) * ''MacArthur (1977 film), MacArthur'' (1977) * ''
Capricorn One ''Capricorn One'' is a 1978 British-produced American thriller film in which a reporter discovers that a supposed Mars landing by a crewed mission to the planet has been faked via a conspiracy involving the government and—under duress—the c ...
'' (1977) * ''Damnation Alley (film), Damnation Alley'' (1977) * ''Contract on Cherry Street'' (TV film, 1977) * ''
Coma A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal wake-sleep cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. Coma patients exhi ...
'' (1978) * '' Damien: Omen II'' (1978) * '' The Swarm'' (1978) * '' The Boys from Brazil'' (1978) * ''Magic (1978 film), Magic'' (1978) * '' The Great Train Robbery'' (1978) * ''
Alien Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...
'' (1979) * ''Players (1979 film), Players'' (1979) * '' Star Trek: The Motion Picture'' (1979)


1980s

* ''Caboblanco'' (1980) * ''The Salamander (1981 film), The Salamander'' (1981) * '' Omen III: The Final Conflict'' (1981) * ''
Masada Masada ( he, מְצָדָה ', "fortress") is an ancient fortification in the Southern District of Israel situated on top of an isolated rock plateau, akin to a mesa. It is located on the eastern edge of the Judaean Desert, overlooking the Dea ...
'' (TV miniseries, first half only, 1981) * '' Outland'' (1981) * ''Raggedy Man'' (1981) * ''Night Crossing'' (1982) * ''
Poltergeist In ghostlore, a poltergeist ( or ; German for "rumbling ghost" or "noisy spirit") is a type of ghost or spirit that is responsible for physical disturbances, such as loud noises and objects being moved or destroyed. Most claims or fictional descr ...
'' (1982) * ''
The Secret of NIMH ''The Secret of NIMH'' is a 1982 American animated fantasy adventure film directed by Don Bluth in his directorial debut and based on Robert C. O'Brien's 1971 children's novel, '' Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH''. The film features the voices ...
'' (1982) * ''The Challenge (1982 film), The Challenge'' (1982) * ''
Inchon Incheon (; ; or Inch'ŏn; literally "kind river"), formerly Jemulpo or Chemulp'o (제물포) until the period after 1910, officially the Incheon Metropolitan City (인천광역시, 仁川廣域市), is a city located in northwestern South Kore ...
'' (1982) * ''
First Blood ''First Blood'' (also known as ''Rambo: First Blood'') is a 1982 American action film directed by Ted Kotcheff, and co-written by Sylvester Stallone, who also stars as Vietnam War veteran John Rambo. It co-stars Richard Crenna as Rambo's mentor ...
'' (1982) * '' Psycho II'' (1983) * ''Twilight Zone: The Movie'' (1983) * '' Under Fire'' (1983) * ''The Lonely Guy'' (1984) * ''
Gremlins ''Gremlins'' is a 1984 American black comedy horror film directed by Joe Dante, written by Chris Columbus, and starring Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton, Polly Holliday, and Frances Lee McCain, with Howie Mandel providing the voice of ...
'' (1984) * ''
Supergirl Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. The character made her fir ...
'' (1984) * ''Runaway (1984 film), Runaway'' (1984) * '' Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend'' (1985) * '' Rambo: First Blood Part II'' (1985) * ''Explorers (film), Explorers'' (1985) * ''
Legend A legend is a Folklore genre, genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human valu ...
'' (1985, European version) * ''King Solomon's Mines (1985 film), King Solomon's Mines'' (1985) * ''Link (film), Link'' (1986) * ''Amazing Stories (1985 TV series), Amazing Stories'' (1986, TV series: episode "Boo!") * ''Poltergeist II: The Other Side'' (1986) * '' Hoosiers'' (1986) * '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (theme only, re-arranged by Dennis McCarthy, 1987) * ''Extreme Prejudice (film), Extreme Prejudice'' (1987) * ''Innerspace'' (1987) * ''Lionheart (1987 film), Lionheart'' (1987) * ''Rent-a-Cop'' (1987) * ''Rambo III'' (1988) * ''Criminal Law (film), Criminal Law'' (1988) * ''Alien Nation (film), Alien Nation'' (rejected, 1988) * ''The 'Burbs'' (1989) * ''Leviathan (1989 film), Leviathan'' (1989) * ''Warlock (1989 film), Warlock'' (1989) * '' Star Trek V: The Final Frontier'' (1989)


1990s

* '' Total Recall'' (1990) * ''Gremlins 2: The New Batch'' (1990) * ''The Russia House (film), The Russia House'' (1990) * ''H.E.L.P.'' (1991, TV series theme) * ''Not Without My Daughter (film), Not Without My Daughter'' (1991) * ''Sleeping with the Enemy'' (1991) * ''Mom and Dad Save the World'' (1992) * ''Medicine Man (film), Medicine Man'' (1992) * ''Basic Instinct'' (1992) * ''Forever Young (1992 film), Forever Young'' (1992) * ''Mr. Baseball'' (1992) * ''Gladiator (1992 film), Gladiator'' (rejected, 1992) * ''The Public Eye (film), The Public Eye'' (rejected, 1992) * ''Hollister'' (TV film theme, 1992) * ''Love Field (film), Love Field'' (1992) * ''Super Mario Bros. (film), Super Mario Bros.'' (rejected, 1993) * ''The Vanishing (1993 film), The Vanishing'' (1993) * ''Dennis the Menace (1993 film), Dennis the Menace'' (1993) * ''Rudy (film), Rudy'' (1993) * ''Six Degrees of Separation (film), Six Degrees of Separation'' (1993) * ''Malice (1993 film), Malice'' (1993) * ''Matinee (1993 film), Matinee'' (1993) * ''Angie (1994 film), Angie'' (1994) * ''Bad Girls (1994 film), Bad Girls'' (1994) * ''The Shadow (1994 film), The Shadow'' (1994) * ''The River Wild'' (1994) * ''I.Q. (film), I.Q.'' (1994) * ''Congo (film), Congo'' (1995) * ''First Knight'' (1995) * '' Star Trek: Voyager'' (TV series theme, 1995) * ''Powder (1995 film), Powder'' (1995) * ''Babe (film), Babe'' (rejected, 1995) * ''City Hall (1996 film), City Hall'' (1996) * ''Executive Decision'' (1996) * ''2 Days in the Valley'' (rejected, 1996) * ''Chain Reaction (1996 film), Chain Reaction'' (1996) * '' Star Trek: First Contact'' (1996, additional music by Joel Goldsmith) * ''The Ghost and the Darkness'' (1996) * ''Fierce Creatures'' (1997) * ''
Air Force One Air Force One is the official air traffic control designated call sign for a United States Air Force aircraft carrying the president of the United States. In common parlance, the term is used to denote U.S. Air Force aircraft modified and used ...
'' (1997, additional music by Joel McNeely) * ''
L.A. Confidential ''L.A. Confidential'' (1990) is a neo-noir novel by James Ellroy and the third of his L.A. Quartet series. It is dedicated to Mary Doherty Ellroy. The epigraph is "A glory that costs everything and means nothing"— Steve Erickson. Plot The s ...
'' (1997) * ''The Edge (1997 film), The Edge'' (1997) * ''Deep Rising'' (1998) * ''U.S. Marshals (film), U.S. Marshals'' (1998) * ''Small Soldiers'' (1998) * ''
Mulan Hua Mulan () is a legendary folk heroine from the Northern and Southern dynasties era (4th to 6th century CE) of Chinese history. According to legend, Mulan took her aged father's place in the conscription for the army by disguising herself as ...
'' (1998) * '' Star Trek: Insurrection'' (1998) * ''
The Mummy A mummy is an unusually well preserved corpse. Mummy or The Mummy may also refer to: Places *Mummy Range, a mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of northern Colorado in the United States *Mummy Cave, a rock shelter and archeological site in Par ...
'' (1999) * ''The Haunting (1999 film), The Haunting'' (1999) * ''The 13th Warrior'' (1999)


2000s

* ''Hollow Man'' (2000) * ''Soarin' Over California'' (simulator ride, 2001) * ''Along Came a Spider (film), Along Came a Spider'' (2001) * ''The Last Castle'' (2001) * ''The Sum of All Fears (film), The Sum of All Fears'' (2002) * '' Star Trek: Nemesis'' (2002) * ''Looney Tunes: Back in Action'' (2003) * ''
Timeline A timeline is a display of a list of events in chronological order. It is typically a graphic design showing a long bar labelled with dates paralleling it, and usually contemporaneous events. Timelines can use any suitable scale representi ...
'' (rejected, 2003) * ''The Kennedy Center Honors'' (song 2003)


Movie Studio Fanfares

*
Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...
(1977-2005) * Universal Pictures (1997-2012)


See also

* List of film score composers * List of Star Trek composers and music, List of ''Star Trek'' composers and music


References


Further reading

* Thomas, Tony: ''Music For The Movies'' (1973) * Thomas, Tony: ''Film Score'' (1979) * Brown, Royal S.: ''Overtones And Undertones'' (1994) * Büdinger, Matthias: "A Patch Of Goldsmith". In: ''Soundtrack'' vol. 8, No. 69, p. 46–48 * Dupuis, Mauricio: ''Jerry Goldsmith – Music Scoring for American Movies'', Rome, Robin, 2013, p. 265 (). * Riedlinger, Stefan: 50 Best Soundtracks. A guide to the music of Jerry Goldsmith, John Williams, Hans Zimmer and many more with an exclusive interview with Michael J. Lewis (2018). . .


External links

*
Jerry Goldsmith Online



Jerry Goldsmith
at Soundtrackguide.net
Jerry Goldsmith
at The Danish Filmmusic Society (DFS)
Jerry Goldsmith Discography
at SoundtrackCollector.com
Jerry Goldsmith
at ''Epdlp''
Jerry Goldsmith Film Music Society


* {{DEFAULTSORT:Goldsmith, Jerry 1929 births 2004 deaths 20th-century American composers 20th-century American conductors (music) 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century classical composers American classical composers American contemporary classical composers American film score composers American male classical composers American male conductors (music) American male film score composers American people of Romanian-Jewish descent American television composers Animated film score composers Annie Award winners Avant-garde composers Best Original Music Score Academy Award winners Burials at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery Classical musicians from California Columbia Records artists Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from colorectal cancer Decca Records artists Emmy Award winners Jewish American classical composers Jewish American film score composers Jewish American television composers La-La Land Records artists Male television composers Monument Records artists Music based on Star Trek Musicians from Los Angeles RCA Victor artists USC Thornton School of Music alumni Varèse Sarabande Records artists Walt Disney Animation Studios people