Date of Birth
4 April 1922,
New York, New York, USA
Date of Death
18 August 2004, Ojai, California, USA
Mini Biography
Elmer Bernstein was educated at the Walden School and New York University. He served in the US Army Air Corps in World War II. A prolific and respected film music composer, he was a protege of Aaron Copland who studied music with Roger Sessions and Stefan Wolpe. He worked in various artistic endeavors including painting and the theatre. He performed not only as a pianist but as an acting-dancing performer as well. Among his early composition work were scores for United Nations radio programs and television and industrial documentaries. His original scores for films range over an enormous variety of film styles, with his ground-breaking jazz score for The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), light musical comedies such as his Oscar-winning Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967) score and perhaps his most familiar, the Western film, The Magnificent Seven (1960).
A few years before before his death, he acquired something of a cult status amongst fans of the England football team when his familiar main theme for The Great Escape (1963) was adopted by them and hummed and played, lustily, during matches.
IMDb Mini Biography By:
Jim Beaver
Spouse
| Eve Adamson |
(? - 18 August 2004) (his death) |
| Pearl Glusman |
(? - ?) (divorced) |
Trivia
Father of Peter Bernstein, Emilie A. Bernstein, writer Gregory Bernstein and Elizabeth.
He was conductor for one season of the San Fernando Valley Symphony Orchestra. It is generally considered to be that orchestra's most successful season, and it is generally considered to show that Bernstein was a very capable conductor. The orchestra was made up of some of the finest musicians in the country, including moonlighting members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and studio musicians. Highlights of the programs included, of course, some of Elmer Bernstein's own film scores. Since then, he helped to found Varese Sarabande, whose best recordings (in this writer's opinion) are of his film scores, but the label also presents music by other composers such as Miklós Rózsa.
In 1953, he was doing scores for such notorious ultra-low budget films as Robot Monster (1953) and Cat-Women of the Moon (1953). Only three years later, he was doing the score for 'Cecil B. deMille''s The Ten Commandments (1956).
He had four children and five grandchildren.
He was nominated for Academy Awards 14 times but won only once, ironically for one of his less acclaimed scores - Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967).
Father-in-law of Sara Bernstein.
Following his death, his family has requested that, in lieu of flowers or other remembrances, a charitable donation be sent to: Young Musicians Foundation 195 South Beverly Drive, #415 Beverly Hills, CA 90212. A special scholarship fund will be established in his name. Since 1955, Young Musicians Foundation (YMF) has provided encouragement and recognition to gifted young musicians from around the country through financial assistance, performance opportunities, and music education programs.
Was nominated for three Tony Awards: two in 1968 for "How Now, Dow Jones." as Best Composer and Lyricist, with his collaborator Carolyn Leigh, and for his music as part of a Best Musical nomination; and in 1983 for "Merlin," as Best Score, his music with lyrics by Don Black.
He is the only individual to be nominated for an Academy Award in each of the last six decades: the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and 00s
The Essential Elmer Bernstein Film ...
True Grit: Elmer Bernstein
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