Oscar Nominated/Winning Composers
by sammysam-822-945243

Individuals who have been nominated for or who have won an Oscar for work on a film’s soundtrack/score.
54 names

1. John Williams
Composer | Star Wars
As one of the best known, awarded, and financially successful composers in US history, John Williams is as easy to recall as John Philip Sousa, Aaron Copland or Leonard Bernstein, illustrating why he is “America’s composer” time and again. With a massive list of awards that includes over 41 Oscar …
(2017) Star Wars: The Last Jedi – Nominee
(2015) Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Nominee
(2013) The Book Thief – Nominee
(2012) Lincoln – Nominee
(2011) The Adventures of Tintin – Nominee
(2011) War Horse – Nominee
(1997) Amistad – Nominee

2. Alexandre Desplat
Composer | The King’s Speech
Composer and conductor Alexandre Desplat, Oscar winner and seven-time Academy Award nominated, for his prolific filmography and his collaborations with Stephen Frears, Terrence Malick, Ang Lee, Kathryn Bigelow, Jacques Audiard, Wes Anderson, Roman Polanski, George Clooney or Matteo Garrone is one …
(2017) The Shape of Water – Winner
(2014) The Grand Budapest Hotel – Winner
(2014) The Imitation Game – Nominee
(2013) Philomena – Nominee
(2012) Argo – Nominee

3. Hans Zimmer
Composer | Gladiator
German-born composer Hans Zimmer is recognized as one of Hollywood’s most innovative musical talents. He featured in the music video for The Buggles’ single “Video Killed the Radio Star”, which became a worldwide hit and helped usher in a new era of global entertainment as the first music video to …
(2017) Dunkirk – Nominee
(2014) Interstellar – Nominee
(1997) As Good As It Gets – Nominee

4. Carter Burwell
Music_department | Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Carter Burwell was born on November 18, 1954 in New York City, New York, USA as Carter Benedict Burwell. He is known for his work on Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017), Carol (2015) and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 (2011). He has been married to Christine Sciulli since …
(2017) Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – Nominee
(2015) Carol – Nominee

5. Jonny Greenwood
Soundtrack | The Master
Jonny Greenwood was born on November 5, 1971 in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England as Jonathan Richard Guy Greenwood. He has been married to Sharona Katan since 1995. They have three children.
(2017) Phantom Thread – Nominee

6. James Horner
Music_department | Titanic
James Horner began studying piano at the age of five, and trained at the Royal College of Music in London, England, before moving to California in the 1970s. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in music at USC, he would go on to earn his master’s degree at UCLA and teach music theory there. He …
(1997) Titanic – Winner

7. Danny Elfman
Music_department | The Nightmare Before Christmas
As Danny Elfman was growing up in the Los Angeles area, he was largely unaware of his talent for composing. It wasn’t until the early 1970s that Danny and his older brother Richard Elfman started a musical troupe while in Paris; the group “Mystic Knights of Oingo-Boingo” was created for Richard’s …
(1997) Good Will Hunting – Nominee
(1997) Men in Black – Nominee

8. Philip Glass
Soundtrack | The Truman Show
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Glass worked in his father’s radio store and discovered music listening to the offbeat Western classical records customers didn’t seem to want. He studied the violin and flute, and obtained early admission to the University of Chicago. After graduating in mathematics …
(1997) Kudun – Nominee

9. Jerry Goldsmith
Composer | L.A. Confidential
Born on February 10, 1929, Jerry Goldsmith studied piano with Jakob Gimpel and composition, theory, and counterpoint with Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. He also attended classes in film composition given by Miklós Rózsa at the Univeristy of Southern California. In 1950, he was employed as a clerk …
(1997) L.A. Confidential – Nominee

10. Anne Dudley
Composer | The Crying Game
English composer and pop musician. Was a prominent member of the synthpop band The Art of Noise. Now, a critically acclaimed composer. Won an Oscar for Best Original Music or Comedy Score for work in The Full Monty (1997). Since has composed music for more than forty films, including: The Crying …
(1997) The Full Monty – Winner

11. James Newton Howard
Composer | King Kong
James Newton Howard attended the University of Southern California’s music school, but dropped out to tour with Elton John, and eventually compose music for film and television. He started with Head Office (1985) in 1985. He has been nominated for eight Academy Awards. He currently is a songwriter, …
(1997) My Best Friend’s Wedding – Nominee

12. Stephen Flaherty
Soundtrack | Anastasia
Stephen Flaherty was born on September 18, 1960 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
(1997) Anastasia – Nominee (w/ two others)

13. Lynn Ahrens
Soundtrack | Anastasia
Lynn Ahrens was born on October 1, 1948 in New York City, New York, USA.
(1997) Anastasia – Nominee (w/ two others)

14. David Newman
Composer | The Nutty Professor
In his 25 year career, David Newman has scored over 100 films, ranging from War of the Roses, Matilda, Bowfinger and Heathers, to the more recent The Spirit, Serenity, and Alvin and the Chipmonks: The Squeakuel. Newman’s music has brought to life the critically acclaimed dramas Brokedown Palace and…
(1997) Anastasia – Nominee (w/ two others)

15. Justin Hurwitz
Soundtrack | La La Land
Justin Hurwitz was born on January 22, 1985 in Los Angeles, California, USA as Justin Gabriel Hurwitz. He is a writer, known for La La Land (2016), First Man (2018) and Whiplash (2014).
(2016) La La Land – Winner

16. Mica Levi
Composer | Under the Skin
Mica Levi (also known as “Micachu”) was born outside of London to a record collector and professional Cellist in a household where music was not just a hobby, but a starting point for everything. Mica was playing violin as soon as she was old enough to hold one. She was classically trained at the …
(2016) Jackie – Nominee

17. Dustin O’Halloran
Composer | Lion
A self-taught pianist from the age of 7. He has lived in LA, where he studied art at Santa Monica College and formed the much-adored Devics with Sara Lov, Italy (in the depths of rural Emilia Romagna) and Berlin.

He gained recognition and critical acclaim for his studio albums and live performances…
(2016) Lion – Nominee (w/ one other)

18. Volker Bertelmann
Composer | Lion
Volker Bertelmann, also known as Hauschka, is an Academy Award-nominated composer, pianist and experimental musician.

In 2016, Bertelmann collaborated with Dustin O’Halloran on the score for Garth Davis’ Lion, which was nominated for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA for Best Original …
(2016) Lion – Nominee (w/ one other)

19. Nicholas Britell
Composer | Moonlight
Nicholas Britell is a two-time Academy Award-nominated composer, pianist, and producer. His critically acclaimed score for Barry Jenkins’ Oscar-winning film Moonlight was nominated for the 2017 Oscar for Best Original Score and was awarded the 2016 Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best Original …
(2016) Moonlight – Nominee

20. Thomas Newman
Music_department | Skyfall
Thomas Newman is an American film score composer. He was born in Los Angeles. His father was notable film score composer Alfred Newman (1900-1970). The Newman family is of Russian-Jewish descent, and includes several other well-known musicians. Thomas’ mother Martha Louis Montgomery (1920-2005) …
(2016) Passengers – Nominee
(2015) Bridge of Spies – Nominee
(2013) Saving Mr. Banks – Nominee
(2012) Skyfall – Nominee

21. Ennio Morricone
Composer | The Hateful Eight
A classmate of director Sergio Leone with whom he would form one of the great director/composer partnerships (right up there with Eisenstein & Prokofiev, Hitchcock & Herrmann, Fellini & Rota), Ennio Morricone studied at Rome’s Santa Cecilia Conservatory, where he specialized in trumpet. His first …
(2015) The Hateful Eight – Winner

22. Jóhann Jóhannsson
Composer | Sicario
Jóhann Jóhannsson was born on September 19, 1969 in Reykjavík, Iceland. He was a composer, known for Sicario (2015), The Theory of Everything (2014) and Prisoners (2013). He died on February 9, 2018 in Berlin, Germany.
(2015) Sicario – Nominee
(2014) The Theory of Everything – Nominee

23. Gary Yershon
Composer | Another Year
Gary Yershon was born on November 2, 1954 in London, England. He is known for his work on Another Year (2010), Happy-Go-Lucky (2008) and Mr. Turner (2014).
(2014) Mr. Turner – Nominee

24. Steven Price
Composer | Gravity
Steven Price is an Academy Award-winning composer. In 2014 his groundbreaking score for Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity won him not only the Academy Award but also the BAFTA, the Critics’ Choice Award, the Satellite Award, and ASCAP’s first-ever Film Composer of The Year Award. He has since scored Fury, …
(2013) Gravity – Winner

25. William Butler
Writer | Madhouse
Two time winner of World of Wonder’s Wowie “Music Video of the Year” 2017/2018. 15 Year veteran writer producer director for Disney Channel. 22 time Telly Award winner, Annie Award winner for excellence in writing. One time “Scream King” Butler is the only actor in movie history to be killed by …
(2013) Her – Nominee (w/ Owen Pallett in the group Arcade Fire)

26. Owen Pallett
Music_department | Her
Owen Pallett is a composer and actor, known for Her (2013), The Box (2009) and 14 Actors Acting (2010).
(2013) Her – Nominee (w/ William Butler in the group Arcade Fire)

27. Mychael Danna
Composer | Life of Pi
Mychael Danna is an Academy Award-winning film composer recognized for his evocative blending of non-western traditions with orchestral and electronic music. His highly awarded works include the Oscar-winning score for Ang Lee’s Life of Pi (2012), and his many Genie Award-winning scores for …
(2012) Life of Pi – Winner

28. Dario Marianelli
Composer | Atonement
Dario Marianelli was born in Pisa and studied piano and composition in Florence and London. After a year as a postgraduate composer at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, he spent 3 years at the National Film and Television School, from which he graduated in 1997. Dario’s film scores include ‘…
(2012) Anna Karenina – Nominee

29. Ludovic Bource
Composer | The Artist
Ludovic Bource is known for his work on The Artist (2011), OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies (2006) and House Arrest (2018).
(2011) The Artist – Winner

30. Howard Shore
Music_department | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Howard Shore is a Canadian composer, born in Toronto. He was born in a Jewish family. He started studying music when 8-years-old, and played as a member of bands by the time he was 13-years-old. He was interested in a professional career in music as a teenager. He studied music at the Berklee …
(2011) Hugo – Nominee

31. Alberto Iglesias
Composer | La piel que habito
Alberto Iglesias was born in 1955 in Donostia-San Sebastián, Guipúzcoa, País Vasco, Spain as Alberto Iglesias Fernández-Berridi. He is known for his work on The Skin I Live In (2011), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) and The Constant Gardener (2005).
(2011) Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – Nominee

32. Leigh Harline
Composer | Pinocchio
Academy Award-winning composer (score, Pinocchio (1940), conductor, songwriter (“When You Wish Upon a Star” [Academy award, Best Song, 1940) and arranger Leigh Harine was educated at the University of Utah. He was a music student of J. Spencer Cornwall. He arranged the first transcontinental …
(1940) Pinocchio – Winner (along w/ Paul Smith and Ned Washington)

33. Paul J. Smith
Composer | Pinocchio
Paul was the son of J.J. Smith, who was a professor at the College of Idaho in Caldwell, Idaho in the early 1900’s. It was a very musical family. Father J J composed a number of songs for the College. Paul became music director for Disney. His brother Arthur also became a studio musician and played…
(1940) Pinocchio – Winner (along w/ Leigh Harline and Ned Washington)

34. Ned Washington
Music_department | Pinocchio
Prolific American lyricist and songwriter, one of the giants of Tin Pan Alley. He contributed numerous popular standards to jazz and to the big band scene. His catalogue includes such titles as “I’m Getting Sentimental Over You” (theme song for bandleader Tommy Dorsey), the ballad “I Don’t Stand a …
(1940) Pinocchio – Winner (along w/ Leigh Harline and Paul Smith)

35. Victor Young
Composer | The Quiet Man
Violinist and conductor Victor Young was a prolific composer and arranger, who worked on more than 300 film scores over a period of twenty years. He came from an impoverished, but musical background and was trained on the violin at the Warsaw Imperial Conservatory, later studying piano in Paris …
(1940) Arizona – Nominee
(1940) The Dark Command – Nominee
(1940) North West Mounted Police – Nominee
(1940) Arise, My Love – Nominee

36. Louis Gruenberg
Music_department | Stagecoach
Composer (“The Emperor Jones”) and pianist, educated at the Vienna Conservatory (Master Class), and a student of F. E. Koch. He came to the USA in 1885 and made his debut as pianist with the Philadelphia Orchestra in Berlin in 1912. From there and through 1919 he continued giving concert tours …
(1940) The Fight for Life – Nominee

37. Meredith Willson
Soundtrack | The Music Man
Meredith Willson – musician, playwright and composer – was best known for the book, words, and music for The Music Man (1962). He wrote two other musical plays, including The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964). Many of his songs are standards, including “You and I”, “May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You…
(1940) The Great Dictator – Nominee

38. Frank Skinner
Composer | Harvey
The author of the textbook “F.Skinner’s Simplified Method for Modern Arranging” (published 1934) began his musical career as a pianist in vaudeville alongside his brother Carl. He then became a noted arranger for New York dance orchestras in the 1930’s and was briefly active in the field of music …
(1940) The House of the Seven Gables – Nominee

39. Richard Hageman
Music_department | Stagecoach
Composer, songwriter, conductor and pianist, educated at the Brussels Conservatory (Mus. D.) and the Royal Conservatory of Amsterdam, on scholarships. He was a concert pianist at six and accompanist for the Royal Opera Company in Amsterdam, assuming the conductorship in 1899. Coming to the USA with…
(1940) The Howards of Virginia – Nominee
(1940) The Long Voyage Home – Nominee

40. Max Steiner
Composer | The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Austrian composer Max Steiner achieved legendary status as the creator of hundreds of classic American film scores. He was born Maximilian Raoul Walter Steiner in Vienna, Austria, the son of Marie Mizzi (Hasiba) and Gabor Steiner, an impresario, and the grandson of actor and theater director and …
(1940) The Letter – Nominee

41. Alfred Newman
Composer | All About Eve
Alfred Newman was born on March 17, 1901 in New Haven, Connecticut, USA. He is known for his work on All About Eve (1950), Airport (1970) and How the West Was Won (1962). He was married to Martha Montgomery and Mary Lou Dix. He died on February 17, 1970 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA.
(1940) Tin Pan Alley – Winner
(1940) The Mark of Zorro – Nominee

42. Roy Webb
Composer | Notorious
Trained in classical music at Columbia University, Webb worked on Broadway by the time he was in his mid-20’s, not only composing incidental music, but co-writing original plays with his older brother, the director Kenneth S. Webb. By 1923, he worked as conductor/arranger on hit shows like “Music …
(1940) My Favorite Wife – Nominee

43. Werner R. Heymann
Composer | The Shop Around the Corner
Werner Richard Heymann was active as a classical composer in Berlin from 1912. By the end of the decade, he also wrote songs for cabaret and served as musical director for Max Reinhardt from 1918 to 1919. In films with Ufa from 1923, he initially worked as assistant to the head of the music …
(1940) One Million B.C. – Nominee

44. Aaron Copland
Soundtrack | He Got Game
Aaron Copland is an Academy Award-winning composer (The Heiress (1949)), author, conductor, lecturer and educator. He was educated at public schools and was a music student of his sister and later Leopold Wolfson, Victor Wittgenstein, Clarence Adler, Rubin Goldmark and Nadia Boulanger. In 1925, he …
(1940) Our Town – Nominee

45. Franz Waxman
Composer | Sunset Blvd.
Franz Waxman (Wachsmann) pursued his dream of a career in music despite his family’s misgivings. He worked for several years as a bank teller and paid for piano, harmony and composition lessons with his salary. He later moved to Berlin, where he continued his study and progress as a musician. He …
(1940) Rebecca – Nominee

46. Miklós Rózsa
Composer | Ben-Hur
A child prodigy, Miklos Rózsa learned to play the violin at the age of five and read music before he was able to read words. In 1926, he began studying at the Leipzig Conservatory where he was considered a brilliant student. He obtained his doctorate in music in 1930. Moving to Paris the following …
(1940) The Thief of Baghdad – Nominee

47. Herbert Stothart
Music_department | The Wizard of Oz
Of Scottish and German ancestry, Herbert Stothart was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1885. At first, he was slated for a career as a teacher of history. However, he became enamored with music while singing in a school choir, and again, later, while attending the University of Wisconsin. There, he…
(1940) Waterloo Bridge – Nominee

48. Cy Feuer
Producer | Cabaret
Cy Feuer, the Tony Award-winning theatrical impresario who was also an Oscar-nominated producer and music director, made his debut on the world stage on January 15, 1911 in Brooklyn, New York as Seymour Arnold Feuerman. A talented musician, he began earning a living as a professional trumpeter at …
(1940) Hit Parade of 1941 – Nominee

49. Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Composer | The Adventures of Robin Hood
Erich Wolfgang Korngold was the son of a well-known music critic. A child prodigy, he accompanied his father in playing four-handed piano arrangements by the age of five. By the age of eleven he drew his first plaudits from enthusiastic Viennese audiences (including the emperor Franz Josef) with …
(1940) The Sea Hawk – Nominee

50. Artie Shaw
Soundtrack | Second Chorus
Artie Shaw played ukulele at ten and began as an alto saxophonist at the age of twelve. While still in his teens he formed his first band, the Bellevue Ramblers which performed at local gigs. He took up the clarinet in 1926 and spent several years honing his talent playing for various local bands …
(1940) Second Chorus – Nominee

51. Anthony Collins
Music_department | Irene
Anthony Collins was born on September 3, 1893 in Hastings, East Sussex, England as Anthony Vincent Collins. He is known for his work on Irene (1940), Sunny (1941) and Nurse Edith Cavell (1939). He died on December 11, 1963 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
(1940) Irene – Nominee

52. Charles Previn
Music_department | Shadow of a Doubt
Charles Previn was born on January 11, 1888 in Brooklyn [now in New York City], New York, USA. He is known for his work on Shadow of a Doubt (1943), One Hundred Men and a Girl (1937) and It Started with Eve (1941). He died on September 22, 1973 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA.
(1940) Spring Parade – Nominee

53. George Stoll
Music_department | Anchors Aweigh
George Stoll was born on May 7, 1902 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA as George Martin Stoll. He is known for his work on Anchors Aweigh (1945), The Wizard of Oz (1939) and Meet Me in St. Louis (1944). He died on January 18, 1985 in Monterey, California, USA.
(1940) Strike Up the Band – Nominee (along w/ Roger Edens)

54. Roger Edens
Music_department | On the Town
Roger Edens was born on November 9, 1905 in Hillsboro, Texas, USA. He died on July 13, 1970 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
(1940) Strike Up the Band – Nominee (alon