Elmer Bernstein (April 4, 1922 – August 18, 2004) was an American composer and conductor best known for his many film scores. In a career which spanned fifty years, he composed music for hundreds of film and television productions. His most popular works include the scores to The Magnificent Seven, The Ten Commandments, The Great Escape, To Kill a Mockingbird, Ghostbusters, The Black Cauldron, Airplane!, and The Rookies.
Bernstein won an Oscar for his score to Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967) and was nominated for fourteen Oscars in total. He also won two Golden Globes and was nominated for two Grammy Awards.
Bernstein wrote the theme songs or other music for more than 200 films and TV shows, including The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, The Ten Commandments (1956), The Man with the Golden Arm, To Kill a Mockingbird, Robot Monster, and the fanfare used in the National Geographic television specials. His theme for The Magnificent Seven is also familiar to television viewers, as it was used in commercials for Marlboro cigarettes. Bernstein also provided the score to many of the short films of Ray and Charles Eames.
In 1961 Bernstein co-founded Äva Records an American record label based in Los Angeles together with Fred Astaire, Jackie Mills and Tommy Wolf.
Academy Awards
Best Original Score
Golden Globe Awards
Best Original Score
Golden Raspberry Awards
Worst Musical Score
Known For
Ghostbusters
(1984)
Original Music Composer
The Blues Brothers
(1980)
Original Music Composer
The Ten Commandments
(1956)
Music
Trading Places
(1983)
Original Music Composer
Animal House
(1978)
Music
Stripes
(1981)
Original Music Composer
The Great Escape
(1963)
Original Music Composer
Airplane!
(1980)
Original Music Composer
The Magnificent Seven
(1960)
Original Music Composer
An American Werewolf in London
(1981)
Original Music Composer
Heavy Metal
(1981)
Original Music Composer
¡Three Amigos!
(1986)
Original Music Composer
Cape Fear
(1991)
Conductor
To Kill a Mockingbird
(1962)
Original Music Composer
The Good Son
(1993)
Original Music Composer
Wild Wild West
(1999)
Original Music Composer
Full Filmography
Sound
Saturday's Hero
(1951)
Music
Battles of Chief Pontiac
(1952)
Original Music Composer
Sudden Fear
(1952)
Original Music Composer
Boots Malone
(1952)
Music
Robot Monster
(1953)
Original Music Composer
Cat-Women of the Moon
(1953)
Original Music Composer
Never Wave at a WAC
(1953)
Original Music Composer
Miss Robin Crusoe
(1953)
Original Music Composer
A Communications Primer
(1953)
Music
Make Haste to Live
(1954)
Original Music Composer
Silent Raiders
(1954)
Original Music Composer
The Man with the Golden Arm
(1955)
Original Music Composer
Storm Fear
(1955)
Original Music Composer
The Eternal Sea
(1955)
Original Music Composer
The View from Pompey's Head
(1955)
Original Music Composer
House: After Five Years of Living
(1955)
Music
It's a Dog's Life
(1955)
Original Music Composer
The Ten Commandments
(1956)
Music
Eames Lounge Chair
(1956)
Music
The Naked Eye
(1956)
Music
Sweet Smell of Success
(1957)
Original Music Composer
The Tin Star
(1957)
Original Music Composer
Drango
(1957)
Original Music Composer
Men in War
(1957)
Original Music Composer
Fear Strikes Out
(1957)
Original Music Composer
The Information Machine
(1957)
Music
Toccata for Toy Trains
(1957)
Music
The Buccaneer
(1958)
Original Music Composer
God's Little Acre
(1958)
Original Music Composer
Saddle the Wind
(1958)
Original Music Composer
Anna Lucasta
(1958)
Original Music Composer
Some Came Running
(1958)
Original Music Composer
Desire Under the Elms
(1958)
Original Music Composer
Kings Go Forth
(1958)
Original Music Composer
The Story on Page One
(1959)
Original Music Composer
The Miracle
(1959)
Original Music Composer
The Magnificent Seven
(1960)
Original Music Composer
From the Terrace
(1960)
Original Music Composer
The Rat Race
(1960)
Original Music Composer
An Introduction to Feedback
(1960)
Music
The Fabulous Fifties
(1960)
Original Music Composer
The Comancheros
(1961)
Original Music Composer
Topology: Jordan's Curve Theorem
(1961)
Music
Summer and Smoke
(1961)
Original Music Composer
The Young Doctors
(1961)
Original Music Composer
By Love Possessed
(1961)
Music
To Kill a Mockingbird
(1962)
Original Music Composer
Birdman of Alcatraz
(1962)
Original Music Composer
Walk on the Wild Side
(1962)
Original Music Composer and Songs
A Girl Named Tamiko
(1962)
Original Music Composer
The Great Escape
(1963)
Original Music Composer
Hud
(1963)
Original Music Composer
Love with the Proper Stranger
(1963)
Original Music Composer
The Caretakers
(1963)
Original Music Composer
Kings of the Sun
(1963)
Original Music Composer
Rampage
(1963)
Music
The Making of the President 1960
(1963)
Music
Four Days In November
(1964)
Original Music Composer
The World of Henry Orient
(1964)
Original Music Composer
Hollywood and the Stars
(1964)
Theme Song Performance and Music Arranger
The Carpetbaggers
(1964)
Original Music Composer
The Sons of Katie Elder
(1965)
Original Music Composer
The Hallelujah Trail
(1965)
Music
Baby, the Rain Must Fall
(1965)
Original Music Composer and Conductor
IBM at the Fair
(1965)
Music
The Reward
(1965)
Original Music Composer
The Bold Men
(1965)
Music Supervisor
Cast a Giant Shadow
(1966)
Original Music Composer
Return of the Seven
(1966)
Original Music Composer
The Silencers
(1966)
Original Music Composer
Hawaii
(1966)
Original Music Composer
7 Women
(1966)
Original Music Composer
Thoroughly Modern Millie
(1967)
Original Music Composer
A Rough Sketch for a Proposed Film Dealing with the Powers of Ten and the Relative Size of Things in the Universe
(1968)
Music
A Computer Glossary
(1968)
Music
I Love You, Alice B. Toklas!
(1968)
Original Music Composer
The Scalphunters
(1968)
Original Music Composer
Guns of the Magnificent Seven
(1969)
Original Music Composer
True Grit
(1969)
Original Music Composer
Midas Run
(1969)
Original Music Composer
The Bridge at Remagen
(1969)
Music
Tops
(1969)
Music
The Gypsy Moths
(1969)
Original Music Composer
Where's Jack?
(1969)
Music
Cannon for Cordoba
(1970)
Original Music Composer
The Liberation of L.B. Jones
(1970)
Original Music Composer
A Walk in the Spring Rain
(1970)
Original Music Composer
Big Jake
(1971)
Original Music Composer
See No Evil
(1971)
Original Music Composer
Doctors' Wives
(1971)
Original Music Composer
Appointment With Destiny: The Last Days of John Dillenger
(1971)
Music
The Tell-Tale Heart
(1971)
Music
The Magnificent Seven Ride!
(1972)
Original Music Composer and Conductor
The Amazing Mr. Blunden
(1972)
Original Music Composer
Computer Perspective
(1972)
Music
The Rookies
(1972)
Music
Cahill: United States Marshall
(1973)
Original Music Composer
Incident on a Dark Street
(1973)
Original Music Composer
Nicholas Copernicus
(1973)
Music
Gold
(1974)
Original Music Composer and Music
McQ
(1974)
Original Music Composer
Nightmare Honeymoon
(1974)
Original Music Composer
The Trial of Billy Jack
(1974)
Original Music Composer
Men of the Dragon
(1974)
Music
The Old Curiosity Shop
(1975)
Music
Report to the Commissioner
(1975)
Music
Ellery Queen: Too Many Suspects
(1975)
Original Music Composer
From Noon Till Three
(1976)
Original Music Composer
The Shootist
(1976)
Original Music Composer
The Incredible Sarah
(1976)
Music
Serpico: The Deadly Game
(1976)
Music
Powers of Ten
(1977)
Music
Billy Jack Goes to Washington
(1977)
Original Music Composer
The 3,000 Mile Chase
(1977)
Music
Calypso's Search for the Britannic
(1977)
Music
Animal House
(1978)
Music
Bloodbrothers
(1978)
Original Music Composer
Cezanne
(1978)
Music
The Great Santini
(1979)
Original Music Composer
Zulu Dawn
(1979)
Original Music Composer
Meatballs
(1979)
Original Music Composer
Charleston
(1979)
Music
The Blues Brothers
(1980)
Original Music Composer
Airplane!
(1980)
Original Music Composer
Saturn 3
(1980)
Original Music Composer
This Year's Blonde
(1980)
Original Music Composer
An American Werewolf in London
(1981)
Original Music Composer
Stripes
(1981)
Original Music Composer
Heavy Metal
(1981)
Original Music Composer
The Chosen
(1981)
Original Music Composer
Honky Tonk Freeway
(1981)
Original Music Composer and Music
Going Ape!
(1981)
Original Music Composer
Airplane II: The Sequel
(1982)
Original Music Composer
Five Days One Summer
(1982)
Music
Genocide
(1982)
Music and Conductor
Trading Places
(1983)
Original Music Composer
Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone
(1983)
Original Music Composer
Michael Jackson's Thriller
(1983)
Music
Class
(1983)
Original Music Composer
Ghostbusters
(1984)
Original Music Composer
The Black Cauldron
(1985)
Original Music Composer
Spies Like Us
(1985)
Original Music Composer
Prince Jack
(1985)
Music
¡Three Amigos!
(1986)
Original Music Composer
Legal Eagles
(1986)
Original Music Composer and Conductor
Amazing Grace and Chuck
(1987)
Music
Leonard Part 6
(1987)
Original Music Composer
The Good Mother
(1988)
Original Music Composer
Funny Farm
(1988)
Original Music Composer
Da
(1988)
Music
My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown
(1989)
Original Music Composer
Slipstream
(1989)
Original Music Composer
The Grifters
(1990)
Original Music Composer
The Field
(1990)
Original Music Composer
Oscar
(1991)
Original Music Composer
A Rage in Harlem
(1991)
Original Music Composer
Rambling Rose
(1991)
Original Music Composer
Cape Fear
(1991)
Conductor
The Babe
(1992)
Music
Mad Dog and Glory
(1993)
Original Music Composer
The Age of Innocence
(1993)
Original Music Composer
The Good Son
(1993)
Original Music Composer
The Cemetery Club
(1993)
Original Music Composer
Lost in Yonkers
(1993)
Music
Devil in a Blue Dress
(1995)
Original Music Composer
Frankie Starlight
(1995)
Original Music Composer
Canadian Bacon
(1995)
Original Music Composer
Search and Destroy
(1995)
Original Music Composer
A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies
(1995)
Original Music Composer
Roommates
(1995)
Music
Bulletproof
(1996)
Original Music Composer
The Rainmaker
(1997)
Original Music Composer
Buddy
(1997)
Original Music Composer
Hoodlum
(1997)
Original Music Composer
Twilight
(1998)
Original Music Composer
Wild Wild West
(1999)
Original Music Composer
Bringing Out the Dead
(1999)
Original Music Composer and Conductor
The Deep End of the Ocean
(1999)
Original Music Composer
Introducing Dorothy Dandridge
(1999)
Original Music Composer
Imagining 'Heavy Metal'
(1999)
Music
Keeping the Faith
(2000)
Original Music Composer
Chinese Coffee
(2000)
Music
Far from Heaven
(2002)
Original Music Composer
Cecil B. DeMille: American Epic
(2004)
Original Music Composer
Acting
From Noon Till Three
(1976)
Songwriter (uncredited)
Music for the Movies: Bernard Herrmann
(1992)
Self
Innocence and Experience: The Making of 'The Age of Innocence'
(1993)
Self
The Bible According to Hollywood
(1994)
Self
The Yearbook: An Animal House Reunion
(1998)
Self - Composer
Fearful Symmetry
(1998)
Self
Making 'Taxi Driver'
(1999)
Self
Guns for Hire: The Making of 'The Magnificent Seven'
(2000)
Self
Frank Sinatra Memorial
(2000)
Self
The Making of 'Cape Fear'
(2001)
Self