Born: February 10, 1929
Died: July 21, 2004
Born in Los Angeles, California, Jerry Goldsmith studied the piano as a child and began taking lessons in music theory and counterpoint by the age of sixteen. Hearing the score to the Hitchcock film Spellbound (1945, score by Miklos Rozsa), inspired the young Goldsmith to enter the field of composition himself. Starting in 1950, Goldsmith found work at CBS, composing music for radio and early television shows. His first feature film credit came in 1957 with the film Black Patch.
From his film debut in 1957, Goldsmith worked continuously until 2003, a span of almost fifty years. He wrote music for science fiction (Star Trek, Planet of the Apes, Alien, Logan's Run), action films (Air Force One, Rambo, The Mummy, Patton) and horror (The Omen (for which Goldsmith earned his sole Oscar) and Poltergeist) among many others. In his final years, most of Goldsmith's work revolved around the Star Trek franchise as he composed the scores to the final three films of the original series (before the 2009 reboot), with Star Trek: Nemesis being considered his final major film score. Truthfully, Goldsmith's final work could be considered the score to Looney Tunes: Back in Action, released in 2003.
Biography of Jerry Goldsmith- Wikipedia
In bad health for years, Jerry Goldsmith passed away in his sleep in 2004. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest film composers of the post-classic Hollywood era.
New York Times Obituary
For further information about Jerry Goldsmith, check out the following two links below:
Jerry Goldsmith Online
Jerry Goldsmith on IMDb
Notable films
Star Trek: The Motion Picture- Memory Alpha
Jerry Goldsmith had quite a task when he was chosen to write the score for the first Star Trek feature film. The release of Star Wars two years earlier had set the overall tone for science fiction for years to come and Goldsmith had to work extra hard to make sure that his music didn't automatically remind the audience of the competition! While many criticize the film itself for (among other things) running overly long, bad dialogue and at times questionable effects; everyone agrees that the score for Star Trek: The Motion Picture is something special. The main "Enterprise" theme (first heard in the title sequence and then in full when Admiral Kirk is being brought over in a shuttle pod) ultimately became the title theme for Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-94).Star Trek V: The Final Frontier- Memory Alpha
The fifth Star Trek film has the dubious reputation of being the worst film featuring the original cast. While some of the directing choices are questionable, Jerry Goldsmith once again turned out a lovely score for a film that, in the eyes of many, fell flat on its face upon its debut. A rather memorable melody can be heard in the beginning when Kirk is climbing El Capitan. This melody reappears in Star Trek: First Contact as the title theme. Unfortunately, for all the merits of the score, The Final Frontier did not exceed any of the critics expectations and Goldsmith was reportedly so crushed by how badly the movie was received that he refused to work on the score for Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country or Star Trek: Generations.Star Trek: First Contact- Memory Alpha
The eighth overall Star Trek film was also the first to solely feature the Next Generation cast (Generations, the previous film, is technically a crossover between the Original and Next Generation series.) Like Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, First Contact found its inspiration in an episode from the television series, specifically the finale of season 3 and the premiere of season 4, known as "The Best of Both Worlds." In a move that sent shockwaves through the Star Trek universe, Captain Picard was not only kidnapped by the Borg, he was forcibly assimilated into their culture, introducing himself to the horrified crew of the Enterprise-D as "Locutus of Borg." While Picard was eventually rescued, he has never quite gotten over his captivity. Fast forward six years and the Borg are invading Federation space once again. Picard, now in command of the Enterprise-E, has been told not to engage the Borg because Starfleet isn't sure he can be trusted (since he was already assimilated once before). Of course, events transpire that require the Enterprise to intervene, and after being sucked back through time, they are placed a position where if they fail, the world as they've known it will cease to exist. Many feel that this is the best of the Next Generation films and certainly Jerry Goldsmith pulled out all the stops in putting together a memorable action film score. Themes that are particularly noteworthy are the main title theme (featured in a post on this blog), the ominous Borg theme, and the "seduction theme" associated with the Borg Queen.Star Trek: Insurrection
With the success of First Contact, Star Trek became more popular than ever and plans for a sequel were begun almost immediately. Released in 1998, Star Trek: Insurrection was noted for taking a decidedly lighter tone than its predecessor. The plot centers on the fate of 600 Ba'Ku aliens, who reside on a ringed planet infused with a "metaphasic radiation" that prevents them from ever growing old (making the residents functionally immortal). Picard finds himself stepping in when he finds evidence that Starfleet is planning to secretly move the Ba'Ku away from their home, even though that violates every principle Starfleet and the Federation has ever stood for. For this film, Goldsmith matched the lighter tone with an equally light score, though the quality is certainly not diminished. There is less emphasis on the brass in this score, and more of the light woodwinds and piano, especially in the main Ba'Ku theme. Goldsmith insisted that he did not write a theme for the villains, but, with all due respect, I think one can be derived from the main Ba'Ku theme (when the duck blind is first revealed to the audience, listen to how the music turns ominous).Star Trek: Nemesis
It was announced well in advance that 2002's Star Trek: Nemesis would be the final film to feature the Star Trek: Next Generation cast. The primary cast had been playing these roles since 1987 and understandably wanted to move on in their careers. Brent Spiner in particular felt that he was now too old to play the android Data believably, so their was a great sense of nostalgia as the launch date of this film approached. Sadly for the franchise, Nemesis was received less than warmly. Though the film features a strong performance by then up-and-comer Tom Hardy (playing the villain Shinzon), many complained that the cast seemed tired and "going through the motions" with a less than stellar story. The score was also criticized, being called "overly simplistic" "not Goldsmith's best work", etc. It proved to be the end of the mainstream Star Trek universe until the entire franchise was rebooted in 2009. As time has passed, reception of the film and its music has gradually improved, with critics now recognizing the qualities that the score possesses.The Secret of NIMH
The Secret of NIMH, based on the children's book "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH", was a movie I grew up watching as a child. I remember that it terrified me (who is not terrified by The Great Owl at that age??) and fascinated me (the whole sequence when Mrs. Brisby is travelling through the rose bush down to where the rats live). It wasn't until I was much older that I discovered that the music for this film had been composed by Jerry Goldsmith (no offense to the late composer, but I hadn't really associated his name with children's films). The score for this film is really charming though, with a beautiful melody for Mrs. Brisby (the "Flying Dreams" theme) and the haunting, rhythmic music as the rats attempt (unsuccessfully) to move the Brisby home while Nicodemus watches. My favorite part though, is when Mrs. Brisby accepts the amulet's power and moves the home herself. If you have never seen this film, I highly recommend it, the animation as well as the music is spectacular.Our Man Flint
Before Austin Powers, there was....Flint!!! Derek Flint is the centerpiece of the ORIGINAL spy parody (brought to life by James Coburn), telling the story of a secret agent who can literally do anything and knows everything (and did I mention he has four girlfriends at the same time and none of them mind sharing?) This wonderfully 60s film parodies every known trick of spy films done at the time (though in my opinion it spoofs James Bond the most, just wait until you meet 0008) and features a wonderful score. One of my favorite sequences is when Flint takes his four ladies out to dinner and takes each of them to dance in turn. The song playing is a rendition of the main title theme, but Goldsmith changes up the tune for each girl Flint dances with (a testament to his composing ability). The hit film was followed up by a sequel In Like Flint and while well received, it didn't do as well as the original and as James Coburn didn't want to be typecast, there were no more films made.Alien
Patton
The Mummy
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