Elmer Bernstein American film composer Date of Birth: 04.04.1922 Country: USA

Biography of Elmer Bernstein

Elmer Bernstein, an American composer known for his work in film, began his career as a concert conductor. He made his contribution to World War II with his dramatic music for the radio show 'Army Air Corps'. In 1949, Bernstein caught the attention of Sidney Buchman, then vice-president of Columbia Pictures, who offered him the opportunity to compose music for the films 'Saturday's Hero' and 'Boots Malone' in 1952.

Born in 1922 in New York City, Elmer Bernstein grew up in a family of musicians. At the age of 12, he received a scholarship to study piano. His career was greatly influenced by composer Aaron Copland, who recommended him to Israel Citkowitz. Citkowitz became Bernstein's teacher, and he credited him for his achievements.

Although Bernstein started as a concert conductor, it was his work in film that brought him recognition. In the early 1950s, he faced difficulties finding work due to the infamous "blacklists" of the era. Bernstein had to compose music for low-budget science fiction films such as 'Cat-Women of the Moon' and 'Robot Monster'. However, his career took a turning point with Cecil B. DeMille's drama 'The Ten Commandments'. Initially asked to compose only dance music for the film, Bernstein was later commissioned to create the entire score.

Another significant moment in Bernstein's career was the 1955 drama film 'The Man With the Golden Arm', directed by Otto Preminger. In this film, Bernstein took the risk of introducing jazz elements into American film music. This bold move continued in films such as 'Sweet Smell of Success' (1957) and 'Walk on the Wild Side' (1962), both incorporating jazz-inspired scores.

In the 1960s, Bernstein achieved a breakthrough with his memorable music for the western film 'The Magnificent Seven'. The iconic march gallop from the film became widely recognized and was later used in a Marlboro cigarette commercial. Bernstein continued to compose music for westerns, including 'True Grit' and 'The Shootist', both starring John Wayne.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Bernstein collaborated with emerging filmmakers, composing music for films such as 'National Lampoon's Animal House', 'Airplane!', 'Stripes', 'Ghostbusters', and many others. He also had a long-standing partnership with director Martin Scorsese, scoring films like 'Cape Fear', 'The Age of Innocence', and 'Bringing Out the Dead'.

In 2002, Bernstein's last major film work was composing the music for Todd Haynes' drama 'Far From Heaven'. For this score, he received his 14th Academy Award nomination. Remarkably, Bernstein won the prestigious Oscar only once in his career. Since the 1950s, he had composed over 200 compositions for film and television in various genres.

Elmer Bernstein passed away on September 18, 2004, after a long illness. His family, including his wife Eve and their two daughters, Emily and Elizabeth, were by his side during his final moments. Bernstein also left behind two sons, Peter and Gregory.