Born February 10th, 1929, Jerry Goldsmith studied piano with Jacob Gimpel and composition, theory and counterpoint with Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. He also attended classes in film composition given by Miklos Rozsa at the Univeristy of Southern California. In 1950, he was employed as a clerk typist in the music department at CBS. There, he was given his first embryonic assignments as a composer for radio shows such as "Romance" and "CBS Radio Workshop." He wrote one score every week for these shows and they were performed live on transmission. He stayed with CBS until 1960, having already scored "The Twilight Zone." He was hired by Revue Studios to score their "Thriller" series. At the same time, he met and became acquinted with the influential film composer Alfred Newman. Newman, recognizing Goldsmith's talents, hired him to score the film Lonely Are The Brave in 1963, and this was his first major feature film score. He quickly burst onto the popular scene with magnificent scores to A Patch of Blue (1965), The Blue Max (1966), and The Sand Pebbles (1966), his first epic. An experimentalist, Goldsmith is constantly pushing forward the bounds of film music. In 1968, Planet of The Apes included horns blown without mouthpieces and a bass clarinetist fingering the notes but not blowing. Meanwhile, Patton and The Wind and the Lion, both nominated for Academy Awards, showed Goldsmith as an expert of the massive Hollywood theme, capturing every motif from reincarnation and militaristic joy to Allah and the mysteries of the heart. After winning his first Academy Award with The Omen in 1976, Goldsmith began a new type of experimentation: electronics. He is unafraid to use the wide variety of electronic sounds and instruments which are now available, although he does not use them for their own sake. In the late 1970's and 1980's, in such critical successes as Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Under Fire, and Hoosiers, Goldsmith utilizes the best of synthesized accompaniment. By the 1990's, Goldsmith, father of upcoming composer Joel Goldsmith, began composing more scores than ever before, proving that he hasn't lost his magical touch over his 40+ year career. His scores for The Russia House, Rudy, The Ghost and the Darkness, and The 13th Warrior highlight his recent efforts.
Known for his amiable personality, Goldsmith is one of the best composers to work with. Many directors and producers request his services, and he isn't particular in the types of projects he will accept. His sense of humor is also noted; he wore an ape mask, for instance, when conducting the score for Planet of The Apes. His only recent rejections (scores that were thrown out by the producers/director in post-production) are Alien Nation (1988), Gladiator (1992), The Public Eye (1992), and his final film score, Timeline (2003).
Goldsmith died at the age of 75 on July 21st, 2004, after a long battle with cancer. He passed away peacefully in his sleep at his Beverly Hills home. He is survived by his wife, Carol, children Aaron, Joel, Carrie, Ellen Edson and Jennifer Grossman, six grandchildren and a great-grandchild.I am Just a fan of Jerry Goldsmith a very big one at that. I hope this profile doesn't get deleted because i just want everyone to have a chance to listen to the man's great music.
Layout by CoolChaser
