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Elmer Bernstein

Highest Rated: 100% A Personal Journey With Martin Scorsese Through American Movies (1995)

Lowest Rated: 0% Billy Jack Goes to Washington (1977)

Birthday: Apr 4, 1922

Birthplace: New York, New York, USA

An extremely prolific composer of more than 100 film scores, Elmer Bernstein was a child prodigy, performing professionally as a dancer and actor and winning several prizes for his painting before gravitating by his own choice to music. Henriette Michelsen, a Juilliard teacher who gave him a scholarship and would guide him in his career as a pianist, had the 12 year-old prodigy play some of his improvisations for Aaron Copland, who in turn selected Israel Citkowski to help further the boy's music education. Bernstein began his concert career in 1939, touring as both a pianist and conductor, only to have it interrupted by World War II. By the time he left the armed services, he had composed the scores for more than 80 radio shows for the Armed Forces Radio Network but returned to the concert stage as a civilian until given the opportunity to write the scores for two programs for United Nations Radio in 1949. These broadcasts caught the attention of Columbia Pictures' vice president Sid Buchman who brought Bernstein to Hollywood to score "Saturday's Hero" (1950).

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Highest rated movies

100% 95% A Personal Journey With Martin Scorsese Through American Movies
Watchlist
100% 57% Rambling Rose
Watchlist
98% 91% Sweet Smell of Success
Watchlist
98% 92% My Left Foot
Watchlist
97% 89% Airplane! Watchlist
95% 75% The Great Santini
Watchlist
95% 88% Ghostbusters Watchlist
94% 95% The Great Escape
Watchlist
93% 93% To Kill a Mockingbird Watchlist
92% 84% Sudden Fear
Watchlist

Filmography

Movies

Credit
No Score Yet No Score Yet Cecil B. DeMille: American Epic Original Music - 2004
No Score Yet No Score Yet Twilight Original Music $8.6K 2003
87% 79% Far From Heaven Original Music $15.9M 2002
No Score Yet 74% Chinese Coffee Original Music - 2000
69% 59% Keeping the Faith Original Music $37.0M 2000
73% 70% Bringing Out the Dead Original Music $16.6M 1999
42% 58% The Deep End of the Ocean Original Music $13.4M 1999
61% 31% Twilight Original Music $15.0M 1998
81% 78% John Grisham's The Rainmaker Original Music $45.9M 1997
22% 32% Buddy Original Music $10.0M 1997
43% 66% Hoodlum Original Music $23.5M 1997
8% 44% Bulletproof Original Music $21.3M 1996
33% 41% Search and Destroy Original Music - 1995
29% 56% Roommates Original Music $12.1M 1995
92% 71% Devil in a Blue Dress Original Music $15.9M 1995
100% 95% A Personal Journey With Martin Scorsese Through American Movies Original Music - 1995
79% 45% Mad Dog and Glory Original Music $10.7M 1993
25% 54% The Good Son Original Music $44.4M 1993
88% 75% The Age of Innocence Original Music $31.9M 1993
71% 77% Lost in Yonkers Original Music $9.1M 1993
75% 77% Cape Fear Original Music $76.4M 1991
12% 63% Oscar Original Music $23.5M 1991
100% 57% Rambling Rose Original Music $6.3M 1991
91% 70% The Grifters Original Music $10.1M 1990
98% 92% My Left Foot Original Music $14.5M 1989
43% 23% Slipstream Original Music - 1989
54% 28% The Good Mother Original Music $4.6M 1988
64% 51% Funny Farm Original Music $25.3M 1988
64% 58% Da Original Music $3.3M 1988
43% 70% Amazing Grace and Chuck Original Music - 1987
7% 20% Leonard Part 6 Original Music $4.2M 1987
45% 67% Three Amigos! Original Music $36.2M 1986
41% 32% Legal Eagles Original Music $47.2M 1986
95% 88% Ghostbusters Original Music $298.5M 1984
89% 85% Trading Places Original Music - 1983
29% 50% Class Original Music - 1983
42% 50% Airplane II: The Sequel Original Music - 1982
89% 85% An American Werewolf in London Original Music - 1981
88% 79% Stripes Original Music - 1981
No Score Yet 79% Genocide Original Music - 1981
66% 67% Heavy Metal Original Music $204.7K 1981
No Score Yet 24% Going Ape! Original Music - 1981
31% 30% Saturn 3 Original Music - 1980
71% 92% The Blues Brothers Original Music - 1980
97% 89% Airplane! Original Music - 1980
73% 57% Meatballs Original Music - 1979
50% 61% Zulu Dawn Original Music - 1979
95% 75% The Great Santini Original Music - 1979
59% 43% Moonraker Non-Original Music - 1979
No Score Yet 53% Bloodbrothers Original Music - 1978
91% 89% National Lampoon's Animal House Original Music - 1978
0% 36% Billy Jack Goes to Washington Original Music - 1977
43% 59% From Noon Till Three Original Music - 1976
81% 88% The Shootist Original Music - 1976
43% 63% Report to the Commissioner Original Music - 1975
40% 48% The Trial of Billy Jack Music - 1974
40% 56% McQ Original Music - 1974
No Score Yet 27% Gold Music - 1974
No Score Yet 20% Incident on a Dark Street Original Music - 1973
No Score Yet 25% The Magnificent Seven Ride! Original Music - 1972
63% 54% Blind Terror Original Music - 1971
75% 85% Big Jake Original Music - 1971
No Score Yet 29% Cannon for Cordoba Original Music - 1970
20% 58% The Bridge at Remagen Original Music - 1969
No Score Yet 40% Guns of the Magnificent Seven Original Music - 1969
88% 84% True Grit Original Music - 1969
No Score Yet 42% The Gypsy Moths Original Music - 1969
14% 54% I Love You, Alice B. Toklas Original Music - 1968
70% 58% The Scalphunters Original Music - 1968
85% 81% Thoroughly Modern Millie Original Music - 1967
70% 54% Hawaii Original Music - 1966
No Score Yet 52% The Silencers Original Music - 1966
13% 34% Return of the Seven Original Music - 1966
No Score Yet 51% Cast a Giant Shadow Original Music - 1966
83% 67% Seven Women Original Music - 1966
60% 41% Baby, the Rain Must Fall Original Music - 1965
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Reward Original Music - 1965
91% 58% The World of Henry Orient Original Music - 1964
No Score Yet 23% The Caretakers Original Music - 1963
82% 86% Love With the Proper Stranger Original Music - 1963
No Score Yet 33% Kings of the Sun Original Music - 1963
94% 95% The Great Escape Original Music - 1963
86% 89% Hud Music - 1963
60% 59% Walk on the Wild Side Original Music - 1962
No Score Yet No Score Yet A Girl Named Tamiko Original Music - 1962
93% 93% To Kill a Mockingbird Original Music - 1962
92% 84% Birdman of Alcatraz Original Music - 1962
No Score Yet 55% Summer and Smoke Original Music - 1961
50% 38% By Love Possessed Original Music - 1961
No Score Yet No Score Yet Hollywood: The Golden Years Original Music - 1961
31% 59% From the Terrace Original Music - 1960
89% 87% The Magnificent Seven Original Music - 1960
78% 76% Some Came Running Original Music - 1958
No Score Yet 62% Kings Go Forth Original Music - 1958
No Score Yet 54% Saddle the Wind Original Music - 1958
89% 74% The Tin Star Original Music - 1957
83% 77% Fear Strikes Out Original Music - 1957
98% 91% Sweet Smell of Success Original Music - 1957
84% 87% The Ten Commandments Original Music - 1956
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Naked Eye Original Music - 1956
81% 83% The Man With the Golden Arm Original Music - 1955
No Score Yet No Score Yet Silent Raiders Original Music - 1954
40% 33% Cat-Women of the Moon Original Music - 1953
92% 84% Sudden Fear Original Music - 1952