Elmer Bernstein
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 Lifetime Achievement Award from the ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards in 1990
- 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
- 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