James Roy Horner (August 14, 1953 – June 22, 2015) was an American composer, conductor and orchestrator of film scores. He was known for the integration of choral and electronic elements in many of his film scores, and for his frequent use of motifs associated with Celtic music. Horner was an accomplished concert hall composer before he moved into writing film scores. His first major film score was for the 1979 film The Lady in Red, but did not establish himself as a mainstream composer until he worked on the 1982 film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Horner's score for Titanic is the best selling orchestral film soundtrack of all time while Titanic and Avatar, both directed by James Cameron, are the two highest-grossing films of all time. Horner collaborated on multiple projects with directors including Don Bluth, James Cameron, Walter Hill and Ron Howard; producers including David Kirschner, Jon Landau, Brian Grazer and Steven Spielberg; and songwriters including Will Jennings, Barry Mann andCynthia Weil. Horner composed music for over 100 films; he won two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, three Satellite Awards, and three Saturn Awards, and was nominated for three British Academy Film Awards. Horner died when his single-engine Tucano aircraft crashed in the Los Padres National Forest. He was 61.
Academy Awards
Best Original Dramatic Score
Golden Globe Awards
Best Original Score
Known For
Titanic
(1997)
Original Music Composer
Avatar
(2009)
Original Music Composer
The Amazing Spider-Man
(2012)
Original Music Composer
Aliens
(1986)
Original Music Composer
Sneakers
(1992)
Original Music Composer
A Beautiful Mind
(2001)
Original Music Composer
Apocalypto
(2006)
Original Music Composer
Troy
(2004)
Original Music Composer and Conductor
The Pelican Brief
(1993)
Original Music Composer
Commando
(1985)
Original Music Composer, Music Producer, and Conductor
Braveheart
(1995)
Original Music Composer, Orchestrator, and Musician
Willow
(1988)
Original Music Composer
The Spiderwick Chronicles
(2008)
Original Music Composer
The Karate Kid
(2010)
Original Music Composer
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
(2000)
Original Music Composer and Songs
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
(2008)
Original Music Composer
Full Filmography
Sound
Up from the Depths
(1979)
Original Music Composer
The Lady in Red
(1979)
Original Music Composer
Humanoids from the Deep
(1980)
Original Music Composer
Battle Beyond the Stars
(1980)
Original Music Composer
Wolfen
(1981)
Original Music Composer and Conductor
Deadly Blessing
(1981)
Original Music Composer
Angel Dusted
(1981)
Original Music Composer
The Hand
(1981)
Original Music Composer
A Few Days in Weasel Creek
(1981)
Original Music Composer
The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper
(1981)
Original Music Composer
48 Hrs.
(1982)
Original Music Composer
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
(1982)
Original Music Composer
Rascals and Robbers: The Secret Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn
(1982)
Music
Sorceress
(1982)
Music
A Piano for Mrs. Cimino
(1982)
Original Music Composer and Conductor
Krull
(1983)
Original Music Composer
Space Raiders
(1983)
Original Music Composer
Gorky Park
(1983)
Original Music Composer
Uncommon Valor
(1983)
Original Music Composer
Something Wicked This Way Comes
(1983)
Original Music Composer
Brainstorm
(1983)
Original Music Composer
The Dresser
(1983)
Original Music Composer
Testament
(1983)
Original Music Composer
Between Friends
(1983)
Music
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
(1984)
Original Music Composer
The Stone Boy
(1984)
Original Music Composer
Cocoon
(1985)
Original Music Composer
Commando
(1985)
Original Music Composer, Music Producer, and Conductor
Barbarian Queen
(1985)
Original Music Composer
Surviving
(1985)
Original Music Composer
Heaven Help Us
(1985)
Original Music Composer
Volunteers
(1985)
Music
The Journey of Natty Gann
(1985)
Original Music Composer
The Pied Piper of Hamelin
(1985)
Music
The Name of the Rose
(1986)
Original Music Composer
Aliens
(1986)
Original Music Composer
An American Tail
(1986)
Original Music Composer and Songs
Captain EO
(1986)
Music
Off Beat
(1986)
Music
*batteries not included
(1987)
Original Music Composer
Project X
(1987)
Original Music Composer
P.K. and the Kid
(1987)
Original Music Composer
Willow
(1988)
Original Music Composer
Cocoon: The Return
(1988)
Original Music Composer
Red Heat
(1988)
Original Music Composer
The Land Before Time
(1988)
Original Music Composer
Vibes
(1988)
Original Music Composer
Andy Colby’s Incredibly Awesome Adventure
(1988)
Music
Field of Dreams
(1989)
Original Music Composer
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
(1989)
Original Music Composer
Tummy Trouble
(1989)
Original Music Composer
Glory
(1989)
Original Music Composer
Dad
(1989)
Original Music Composer
In Country
(1989)
Music
Another 48 Hrs.
(1990)
Original Music Composer
I Love You to Death
(1990)
Original Music Composer
Extreme Close-Up
(1990)
Music
The Rocketeer
(1991)
Original Music Composer
An American Tail: Fievel Goes West
(1991)
Original Music Composer and Songs
Class Action
(1991)
Original Music Composer
Once Around
(1991)
Original Music Composer
Sneakers
(1992)
Original Music Composer
Thunderheart
(1992)
Original Music Composer
Patriot Games
(1992)
Original Music Composer
Unlawful Entry
(1992)
Music
Swing Kids
(1993)
Original Music Composer
The Man Without a Face
(1993)
Original Music Composer
Jack the Bear
(1993)
Original Music Composer
A Far Off Place
(1993)
Original Music Composer
We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story
(1993)
Original Music Composer
House of Cards
(1993)
Original Music Composer
The Pelican Brief
(1993)
Original Music Composer
Searching for Bobby Fischer
(1993)
Original Music Composer
Once Upon a Forest
(1993)
Original Music Composer
Legends of the Fall
(1994)
Original Music Composer
Clear and Present Danger
(1994)
Original Music Composer and Conductor
The Pagemaster
(1994)
Original Music Composer
Braveheart
(1995)
Original Music Composer, Orchestrator, and Musician
Apollo 13
(1995)
Original Music Composer and Orchestrator
Jade
(1995)
Original Music Composer
Casper
(1995)
Original Music Composer
Jumanji
(1995)
Original Music Composer and Conductor
Balto
(1995)
Original Music Composer
Ransom
(1996)
Original Music Composer
Courage Under Fire
(1996)
Original Music Composer
To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday
(1996)
Original Music Composer
The Spitfire Grill
(1996)
Original Music Composer
Titanic
(1997)
Original Music Composer
The Devil's Own
(1997)
Original Music Composer
Deep Impact
(1998)
Original Music Composer and Conductor
The Mask of Zorro
(1998)
Original Music Composer
Mighty Joe Young
(1998)
Original Music Composer
Bicentennial Man
(1999)
Original Music Composer
Michelle Kwan Skates to Disney's Greatest Hits
(1999)
Music
The Perfect Storm
(2000)
Original Music Composer and Orchestrator
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
(2000)
Original Music Composer and Songs
Freedom Song
(2000)
Original Music Composer
A Beautiful Mind
(2001)
Original Music Composer
Enemy at the Gates
(2001)
Original Music Composer and Conductor
Iris
(2001)
Original Music Composer
Raptor
(2001)
Music
The Four Feathers
(2002)
Original Music Composer
Windtalkers
(2002)
Original Music Composer
House of Sand and Fog
(2003)
Original Music Composer
Beyond Borders
(2003)
Original Music Composer
The Missing
(2003)
Original Music Composer
Radio
(2003)
Original Music Composer
Superior Firepower: Making 'Aliens'
(2003)
Music
The Making of ‘Sneakers’
(2003)
Music
Troy
(2004)
Original Music Composer and Conductor
The Forgotten
(2004)
Original Music Composer
Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius
(2004)
Original Music Composer
The Legend of Zorro
(2005)
Original Music Composer
The New World
(2005)
Original Music Composer and Conductor
Flightplan
(2005)
Original Music Composer, Conductor, and Orchestrator
The Chumscrubber
(2005)
Original Music Composer
Apocalypto
(2006)
Original Music Composer
All the King's Men
(2006)
Original Music Composer
The Spiderwick Chronicles
(2008)
Original Music Composer
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
(2008)
Original Music Composer
Avatar
(2009)
Original Music Composer
The Karate Kid
(2010)
Original Music Composer
Black Gold
(2011)
Original Music Composer
The Amazing Spider-Man
(2012)
Original Music Composer
Outlaws - For Greater Glory
(2012)
Original Music Composer
Reflections on Titanic
(2012)
Original Music Composer
Wolf Totem
(2015)
Original Music Composer
Southpaw
(2015)
Original Music Composer
The 33
(2015)
Original Music Composer
Living in the Age of Airplanes
(2015)
Music
The Magnificent Seven
(2016)
Original Music Composer
Horner
(2021)
Music
Willow: Behind the Magic
(2023)
Music
Acting
Superior Firepower: Making 'Aliens'
(2003)
Self
Alba Gu Brath! The Making of 'Braveheart'
(2007)
Self
Avatar: Creating the World of Pandora
(2010)
Self
Reflections on Titanic
(2012)
Self
Hollywood in Vienna: The World of James Horner
(2013)
Self
Horner
(2021)
Himself
Crew