Elmer Bernstein

Elmer Bernstein
Bernstein guest conducting the U.S. Air Force Band in 1981
Bernstein guest conducting the U.S. Air Force Band in 1981
Background information
Born(1922-04-04)April 4, 1922
New York City, U.S.
DiedAugust 18, 2004(2004-08-18) (aged 82)
Ojai, California, U.S.
GenresFilm scores
Occupations
  • Composer
  • conductor
  • songwriter
InstrumentKeyboards
Years active1951–2004
Spouses
  • Rhoda Federgreen
    (m. 1942; div. 1945)
  • Pearl Glusman
    (m. 1946; div. 1965)
  • Eve Adamson
    (m. 1965)

Elmer Bernstein (/ˈbɜːrnstn/ BURN-steen; April 4, 1922 – August 18, 2004)[1][2] was an American composer and conductor. In a career that spanned over five decades, he composed "some of the most recognizable and memorable themes in Hollywood history", including over 150 original film scores, as well as scores for nearly 80 television productions.[3] For his work, he received an Academy Award for Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967) and Primetime Emmy Award. He also received seven Golden Globe Awards, five Grammy Awards, and two Tony Award nominations.

He composed and arranged scores for over 100 film scores, including Sudden Fear (1952), The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), The Ten Commandments (1956), Sweet Smell of Success (1957), The Magnificent Seven (1960), To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), The World of Henry Orient (1964), The Great Escape (1963), Hud (1963), Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), True Grit (1969), My Left Foot (1989), The Grifters (1990), Cape Fear (1991), Twilight (1998), and Far from Heaven (2002). He is known for his work on the comedic films Animal House (1978), Meatballs (1979), Airplane! (1980), The Blues Brothers (1980), Stripes (1981), Trading Places (1983), Ghostbusters (1984), Spies Like Us (1985), and Three Amigos (1986).

He also worked on frequent collaborations with directors Martin Scorsese, Robert Mulligan, John Landis, Ivan Reitman, John Sturges, Bill Duke, George Roy Hill, Richard Fleischer, John Frankenheimer, and Henry Hathaway.

  1. ^ Timm, Larry M. (2003). The Soul of Cinema: An Appreciation of Film Music. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall. p. 153. ISBN 0-13-030465-4. Elmer Bernstein, pronounced 'Burn-steen'...
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference guard was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ ":BIOGRAPHY", Official Site of Elmer Bernstein, The Bernstein Family Trust. Retrieved August 2, 2018.