Dimitri Tiomkin
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․"
- 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
- 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
- Returned to his home country Russia for the first time in over 45 years, while producing the U․S․ and Russian film, "Tchaikovsky․"
- 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
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