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Dimitri Tiomkin Biography

Birth Name:Dimitri Zinovievich Tiomkin

Birth Place:Kremenchuk, Poltava, Ukraine

Profession Soundtrack, Music department, Producer, Actor

Fast Facts

Became well recognized in Hollywood after writing the score for Frank Capra’s film "Lost Horizon," and would go on to write other popular films for Capra like "It’s a Wonderful Life" and "Mr․ Smith Goes to Washington․"
Started playing the piano and studying music at a young age, taught by his mother who was a Russian pianist, and became a child pianist prodigy appearing on Russian performance stages
Quote: "My fight․․․is just for certain amount of dignity․ Not only for composer, but for all artists responsible for picture․"
His career in New York started when he received an offer to play with a Broadway dance studio, ater putting on a concert at the Carnegie Hall
After moving to Berlin to live with his father, he studied under famous pianist Ferruccio Busoni and went on to make his Berlin debut playing with the Berlin Philharmonic
Upon receiving his Oscar for "The High and the Mighty," he was the first composer to thank the great European musicians like Beethoven and Brahms
Returned to his home country Russia for the first time in over 45 years, while producing the U․S․ and Russian film, "Tchaikovsky․"

Awards

1940Oscar-Best Music, Scoring: nominated
1943Oscar-Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture: nominated
1944Oscar-Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture: nominated
1945Oscar-Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture: nominated
1950Oscar-Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture: nominated
1952Golden Globe-Best Original Score: nominated
1953Oscar-Best Music, Original Song: winner
1953Oscar-Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture: winner
1953Golden Globe-Best Original Score: winner
1955Oscar-Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture: winner
1955Oscar-Best Music, Original Song: nominated
1957Oscar-Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture: nominated
1957Oscar-Best Music, Original Song: nominated
1958Oscar-Best Music, Original Song: nominated
1959Oscar-Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture: winner
1959Golden Laurel-Top Score: nominated
1960Oscar-Best Music, Original Song: nominated
1961Oscar-Best Music, Original Song: nominated
1961Oscar-Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture: nominated
1961Golden Globe-Best Original Score: winner
1961Golden Laurel-Top Musical Score: winner
1962Oscar-Best Music, Original Song: nominated
1962Oscar-Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture: nominated
1962Golden Globe-Best Original Score: winner
1962Golden Globe-Best Original Song: winner
1962Grammy-Best Soundtrack Album or Recording of Score from Motion Picture or Television: nominated
1962Golden Laurel-Top Song: nominated
1964Oscar-Best Music, Original Song: nominated
1964Oscar-Best Music, Score - Substantially Original: nominated
1964Golden Laurel-Top Song: nominated
1965Oscar-Best Music, Substantially Original Score: nominated
1965Golden Globe-Best Song: winner
1965Golden Globe-Best Original Score: winner
1972Oscar-Best Music, Scoring Adaptation and Original Song Score: nominated
2005IFMCA Award-Best New Release, Re-Release or Re-Recording of an Existing Score: nominated
2011IFMCA Award-Best Archival Release of an Existing Score: nominated
2012IFMCA Award-Best Archival Re-Recording of an Existing Score: nominated
2018IFMCA Award-Best New Release, Re-Release or Re-Recording of an Existing Score: nominated
2020IFMCA Award-Best Archival Release of an Existing Score - Re-Release or Re-Recording: winner
2025IFMCA Award-Best Archival Release: nominated