James Newton Howard facts for kids

Quick facts for kids James Newton Howard
Howard at the premiere of The Dark Knight, 2008
Background information
Born	(1951-06-09) June 9, 1951 (age 74) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres	Film score rock pop
Occupation(s)	Composer music producer arranger
Instruments	Keyboards
Years active	1975–present

James Newton Howard (born June 9, 1951) is an American composer, orchestrator, and music producer. He is famous for creating music for over 100 movies. He has won a Grammy Award and an Emmy Award. He has also been nominated nine times for an Academy Award (Oscar).

Some of his well-known movie scores include Pretty Woman (1990) and The Fugitive (1993). He also composed music for Dinosaur (2000) and King Kong (2005). He worked with Hans Zimmer on Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008). More recently, he scored the Fantastic Beasts movies (2016–2022). He often works with directors M. Night Shyamalan and Francis Lawrence.

James Newton Howard's Early Life and Music Career

James Newton Howard was born in Los Angeles, California. He comes from a family of musicians. His grandmother was a violinist. James started learning music when he was very young. He began classical piano lessons at age four.

He went to the Thacher School and the Music Academy of the West. He also attended the University of Southern California to study piano. However, he left college after only six weeks. He wanted to explore other types of music.

Starting in Rock and Pop Music

After college, James joined a rock band called Mama Lion. They recorded two albums. He also played with another band called Heavy Cruiser. Later, he worked as a session musician. This meant he played instruments for other artists. He worked with famous singers like Diana Ross and Ringo Starr.

In 1975, he got a big chance. He auditioned for Elton John's band. He joined as a keyboardist and toured with them. He played with Elton John in Central Park, New York, in 1980. James also arranged strings for Elton John's hit songs. These included "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" and "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word". He played on Elton John's albums too.

In 1982, James worked with the band Toto. He conducted and arranged strings for their album Toto IV. A year later, he released his own live album. It was called James Newton Howard and Friends. Members of Toto played on this album.

First Steps into Film Music

In 1984, James composed his first movie music. He co-wrote a piece for the film Dune. After touring with Crosby, Stills & Nash, he decided to focus on film music. This decision helped him become a very successful film composer. He did return briefly to work with Elton John in 1986. He conducted music for Elton John's Australian tour.

Composing for Movies in the 1990s and 2000s

James Newton Howard scored the popular movie Pretty Woman (1990). He received his first Oscar nomination for The Prince of Tides (1991). Throughout the 1990s, he composed music for many different types of films.

Oscar Nominations and Big Films

He earned four more Oscar nominations for Best Original Score. These were for The Fugitive (1993) and My Best Friend's Wedding (1997). He also got nominations for The Village (2004) and Michael Clayton (2007). He scored big Hollywood movies like Waterworld (1995) and Space Jam (1996).

He also composed for four Disney animated movies. These include Dinosaur (2000) and Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001). He also scored Treasure Planet (2002) and Raya and the Last Dragon (2021).

Music for Television Shows

Besides movies, James also created music for TV. He was nominated for an Emmy Award in 1995. This was for his theme music for the hit show ER. He also wrote themes for The Sentinel and Gideon's Crossing. He won an Emmy for Gideon's Crossing. His original theme for ER returned for the show's final episode.

Working with M. Night Shyamalan

James has scored many of M. Night Shyamalan's suspense movies. These include The Sixth Sense (1999), Unbreakable (2000), and Signs (2002). He also scored The Village (2004) and The Last Airbender (2010).

Notable Projects in the Mid-2000s

In 2005, James took over as composer for King Kong. His work on this film earned him a Golden Globe nomination. He also collaborated with Hans Zimmer on the scores for Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. In 2008, he received his eighth Oscar nomination for Defiance.

Highlights of the 2010s

In 2010, James Newton Howard became a visiting professor. He taught media composition at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

The Hunger Games and Other Film Scores

From 2012 to 2015, James composed the music for The Hunger Games movies. This film series was very popular. In 2014, he scored The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1. This movie included the song "The Hanging Tree". Actress Jennifer Lawrence sang the vocals. The song became a big hit, reaching number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

In 2014, he also scored two movies nominated for Oscars: Nightcrawler and Maleficent. He composed the music for the Fantastic Beasts film series. This series is a spin-off from the Harry Potter movies. He scored Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) and its sequels.

Other Musical Contributions

In 2015, James became the artistic director of the Henry Mancini Institute. This is a music program at the University of Miami. In 2019, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra performed his new piece. It was a concerto for cello and orchestra.

Personal Life

James Newton Howard learned about his family history later in life. He discovered that his father was Jewish. Although James was raised Protestant, he later became a practicing Reconstructionist Jew.

He was married to actress Rosanna Arquette in 1986, but they later divorced. He was also in a relationship with Barbra Streisand. He is currently married to Sophie Howard. They have a son together.

Awards and Recognition

James Newton Howard has received many awards for his music.

• In 2008, he became an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music.
• In 2009, he won a Grammy Award with Hans Zimmer. This was for the soundtrack of The Dark Knight.
• In 2015, he received the Max Steiner Film Music Achievement Award. This award honors great film composers.

Images for kids

• 

  Howard at the premiere of The Dark Knight, 2008

See also

In Spanish: James Newton Howard para niños

• List of film director and composer collaborations