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Elmer Bernstein Biography

Birth Name:Elmer Bernstein

Birth Place:New York City, New York, United States

Profession Soundtrack, Music department, Actor, Production manager

Fast Facts

  • Won a Golden Laurel Award for Top Score for "Some Came Running" in 1959
  • Won a Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Music for "Far from Heaven" in 2002
  • Won an Online Film Critics Society Award and a Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Original Score for "Far from Heaven" in 2003
  • Won a Lifetime Achievement Award from the ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards in 1990
  • Was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Five Towns College in 1999
  • Became interested in music at the age of 12, when he won a piano scholarship with Henriette Michelson
  • Started out as a virtuoso concert pianist, performing worldwide between 1939 and 1950
  • Best known as a conductor and composer who created the film scores for "The Magnificent Seven," "Ghostbusters," and "The Black Cauldron․"
  • Scored an incredibly wide variety of projects during his career, from ballet music in a 1954 stage production of "Peter Pan" to the music video for Michael Jackson's "Thriller․"
  • Worked as a film composer for more than 50 years and wrote music for over 200 films and television series

Awards

  • 1956Oscar-Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture: nominated
  • 1959Golden Laurel-Top Score: winner
  • 1961Oscar-Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture: nominated
  • 1961Golden Laurel-Top Musical Score: nominated
  • 1962Oscar-Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture: nominated
  • 1962Golden Globe-Best Original Score: nominated
  • 1962Golden Laurel-Top Musical Score: nominated
  • 1963Oscar-Best Music, Score - Substantially Original: nominated
  • 1963Oscar-Best Music, Original Song: nominated
  • 1963Golden Globe-Best Original Score: winner
  • 1967Oscar-Best Music, Original Song: nominated
  • 1967Oscar-Best Music, Original Music Score: nominated
  • 1967Oscar-Best Music, Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment: nominated
  • 1967Golden Globe-Best Original Score: winner
  • 1967Golden Laurel-Song: nominated
  • 1968Oscar-Best Music, Original Music Score: winner
  • 1968Golden Globe-Best Original Score: nominated
  • 1970Oscar-Best Music, Original Song: nominated
  • 1970Golden Globe-Best Original Song: nominated
  • 1975Oscar-Best Music, Original Song: nominated
  • 1977Golden Globe-Best Original Song - Motion Picture: nominated
  • 1977Primetime Emmy-Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore): nominated
  • 1981Stinker Award-Most Intrusive Musical Score: nominated
  • 1984Oscar-Best Music, Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Best Adaptation Score: nominated
  • 1985ACE-Musical Score: nominated
  • 1985Grammy-Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special: nominated
  • 1985Razzie Award-Worst Musical Score: winner
  • 1994Oscar-Best Music, Original Score: nominated
  • 1994Grammy-Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television: nominated
  • 1998FMCJ Award-Best Re-Release of a Previously Existing Score: nominated
  • 2000ASCAP Award-Top Box Office Films: winner
  • 2000OFTA Television Award-Best Music in a Motion Picture or Miniseries: winner
  • 2000OFTA Television Award-Best New Theme Song in a Motion Picture or Miniseries: nominated
  • 2002LAFCA Award-Best Music: winner
  • 2002Seattle Film Critics Award-Best Music: winner
  • 2003Oscar-Best Music, Original Score: nominated
  • 2003COFCA Award-Best Score: nominated
  • 2003CFCA Award-Best Original Score: winner
  • 2003Gold Derby Film Award-Original Score: winner
  • 2003Golden Globe-Best Original Score - Motion Picture: nominated
  • 2003INOCA-Best Original Score: nominated
  • 2003OFTA Film Award-Best Music, Original Score: nominated
  • 2003OFCS Award-Best Original Score: winner
  • 2003PFCS Award-Best Original Score: winner
  • 2003World Soundtrack Award-Soundtrack Composer of the Year: nominated
  • 2004GoldSpirit Awards-Best Edition of a Classic Soundtrack: nominated
  • 2004IFMCA Award-Best New Release, Re-Release or Re-Recording of an Existing Score: nominated
  • 2008IFMCA Award-Best New Release or Re-Release of an Existing Score: nominated
  • 2014Felix-Best Original Score: nominated
  • 2017IFMCA Award-Best Re-Release or Re-Recording of an Existing Score: winner