Ernest Gold facts for kids

Ernest Gold (born Ernst Sigmund Goldner; July 13, 1921 – March 17, 1999) was an American composer who was born in Austria. He is best known for writing the music for the 1960 movie Exodus.

Ernest Gold: A Life in Music

Ernest Gold was a talented composer whose music brought many movies to life. He wrote scores that helped tell stories on the big screen. His most famous work is the powerful music for the film Exodus.

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Ernest Gold was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1921. His family was very musical. His father played the violin, and his mother enjoyed singing. Ernest learned to read music even before he could read words!

He started playing the violin and piano when he was six years old. By the age of eight, he was already composing his own music. When he was just 13, he had written an entire opera. As a child, he dreamed of going to Hollywood to become a film composer. He loved going to movie theaters to listen to the music in the films.

In 1938, Ernest had to leave Austria with his family. They moved to the United States because of the Nazis coming to power and their family's Jewish background. In New York City, Ernest earned money by playing piano for others and writing popular songs. He also continued his music studies.

Composing for Hollywood

Just one year after moving to the U.S., in 1939, the NBC Orchestra performed Ernest Gold's first symphony. In 1945, another one of his symphonies was played at Carnegie Hall, a very famous music venue. That same year, he moved to Hollywood to work for Columbia Pictures.

His first major movie job was writing music for Girl of the Limberlost (1945). For the next ten years, he mostly worked on smaller films, often arranging music for westerns and dramas.

In 1955, a famous director named Stanley Kramer asked Ernest to work on his film Not as a Stranger. This was a big chance for Ernest. He then worked on almost all of Kramer's movies, including A Child Is Waiting and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.

Ernest wrote his first original movie score in 1958 for Too Much, Too Soon. His biggest opportunity came in 1959. He was asked to score On the Beach when another composer became ill.

The Famous Exodus Score

Ernest Gold is most famous for composing the music for the movie Exodus (1960). He was hired by director Otto Preminger. Ernest was able to watch the movie being filmed, which was unusual for a composer. He even spent time in Israel while writing the music for the film.

Later in his career, Ernest also wrote a Broadway musical called I'm Solomon in 1968. He also composed music for television shows. In his later years, he led the Santa Barbara Symphony Orchestra. He also started the Los Angeles Senior Citizens Orchestra. His concert music includes a piano concerto and a string quartet. The popular musician Moby even used a part of Ernest Gold's "Fight for Survival" from Exodus in his song Porcelain.

Awards and Recognition

Ernest Gold received many awards for his amazing music.

• In 1960, he won a Golden Globe for the music in On the Beach. This film was also nominated for an Academy Award.
• For Exodus, he was nominated for a Golden Globe. He won an Academy Award for Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture. He also won a Grammy for the Best Soundtrack Album.
• Ernest Gold was the first composer to have his name placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. This is a huge honor!

His Family and Legacy

Ernest Gold was married to singer and actress Marni Nixon from 1950 to 1969. They had three children together. One of their children was the musician Andrew Gold, who wrote popular songs like "Lonely Boy" and "Thank You for Being a Friend".

Ernest Gold was married to Jan Keller Gold from 1975 until he passed away.

Ernest Gold died on March 17, 1999, in Santa Monica, California. He was 77 years old. He left behind a wonderful collection of music that continues to be enjoyed today.

Selected Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Ernest Gold para niños