Jerry Goldsmith facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jerry Goldsmith
Goldsmith conducts the London Symphony Orchestra, 2003
Background information
Birth name	Jerrald King Goldsmith
Born	(1929-02-10)February 10, 1929 Los Angeles, California, United States
Died	July 21, 2004(2004-07-21) (aged 75) Beverly Hills, California, United States
Genres	Film score, contemporary classical music
Occupation(s)	Composer, conductor
Instruments	Synthesizers, Orchestra
Years active	1951–2004

Jerrald King "Jerry" Goldsmith (February 10, 1929 – July 21, 2004) was an American composer and conductor most known for his work in film and television music scores. He composed for such films as Star Trek: The Motion Picture and four other films within the Star Trek franchise, Logan's Run, Planet of the Apes, Patton, Chinatown, The Omen, Alien, Outland, Gremlins, Total Recall, Air Force One, L.A. Confidential, Mulan, The Mummy, three Rambo films and Explorers. He collaborated with some of film history's most accomplished directors.

He has often been considered one of film music history's most innovative and influential composers.

Early life and education

Jerry Goldsmith as a child

Goldsmith, was born in Los Angeles, California. He started playing piano at age six, but only "got serious" by the time he was eleven. At age thirteen, he studied piano privately with legendary concert pianist and educator Jakob Gimpel and by the age of sixteen he was studying both theory and counterpoint under Italian composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco.

At age sixteen, Goldsmith saw the 1945 film Spellbound in theaters and was inspired by veteran composer Miklós Rózsa's soundtrack to pursue a career in music. Goldsmith later enrolled and attended the University of Southern California where he was able to attend courses by Rózsa, but dropped out in favor of a more "practical music program" at the Los Angeles City College. There he was able to coach singers, work as an assistant choral director, play piano accompaniment, and work as an assistant conductor.

Personal life and death

Goldsmith was married twice. He was first married to Sharon Hennagin in 1950; they divorced in 1970. He married Carol Heather in 1972, and the couple remained together until his death in 2004. His oldest son Joel Goldsmith (1957–2012) was also a composer and collaborated with his father on the score for Star Trek: First Contact.

Goldsmith died at his Beverly Hills home on July 21, 2004 at the age of 75. He was survived by his wife Carol and his children Aaron, Joel (who also died from cancer on April 29, 2012), Carrie, Ellen Edson, and Jennifer Grossman.

Style and influences

Goldsmith cited Igor Stravinsky, Aaron Copland, Miklós Rózsa, Bernard Herrmann, Béla Bartók, and Alban Berg, among others, as some of the main influences to his style of composition.

His style has been noted for its unique instrumentation, utilizing a vast array of ethnic instruments, recorded sounds, synthetic textures, and the traditional orchestra, often concurrently. When asked about his inclination for embracing new techniques and constantly shifting his musical palette throughout his career, Goldsmith said, "It seems like it's me, and that's that! Certain composers are doing the same thing over and over again, which I feel is sort of uninteresting. I don't find that you grow very much in that way. I like to keep changing, trying to do new things. Basically, I'm saying the same thing with a little different twist on it. Once you get caught up in the creative process, something inside takes over, and your subconscious just does it for you."

Goldsmith had a longtime professional association with orchestrator Arthur Morton. Their partnership endured for over 30 years and included the notable scores for Planet of the Apes (1968), Patton (1970), Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970), Papillon (1973), Chinatown (1974), The Omen (1976), MacArthur (1977), Capricorn One (1978), Alien (1979), Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), Poltergeist (1982), First Blood (1982), Under Fire (1983), The Russia House (1990). The final score that Arthur Morton orchestrated for Goldsmith was L.A. Confidential (1997).

Awards and nominations

Over the course of his career, Goldsmith received 18 total Academy Award nominations, making him one of the most nominated composers in the history of the Awards. Despite this, Goldsmith won only one Oscar, his score for The Omen (1976). This makes Goldsmith the most nominated composer to have won an Oscar only on one occasion. In 1991, Goldsmith received an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music.

On May 9, 2017, Goldsmith posthumously received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his achievements in the music industry, located at 6752 Hollywood Boulevard.

AFI

The American Film Institute respectively ranked Goldsmith's scores for Chinatown (1974) and Planet of the Apes (1968) No. 9 and No. 18 on their list of the 25 greatest film scores. He is one of only five composers to have more than one score featured in the list, including Elmer Bernstein, Bernard Herrmann, Max Steiner, and John Williams. His scores for the following films were also nominated for inclusion:

• Alien (1979)
• L.A. Confidential (1997)
• The Omen (1976)
• Papillon (1973)
• A Patch of Blue (1965)
• Patton (1970)
• The Sand Pebbles (1966)
• Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
• The Wind and the Lion (1975)

Accolades

Images for kids

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  Crypt of Jerry Goldsmith at Hillside Memorial Park

See also

In Spanish: Jerry Goldsmith para niños