Cast & creator
Elmer Bernstein
Best known for The Oscars, Cape Fear, Ghostbusters
Elmer Bernstein (April 4, 1922 – August 18, 2004) was an American composer and conductor best known for his many film scores. In a career which spanned fifty years, he composed music for hundreds of film and television productions. His most popular works include the scores to The Magnificent Seven, The Ten Commandments, The Great Escape, To Kill a Mockingbird, Ghostbusters, The Black Cauldron, Airplane!, and The Rookies. Bernstein won an Oscar for his score to Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967) and was nominated for fourteen Oscars in total. He also won two Golden Globes and was nominated for two Grammy Awards. Bernstein wrote the theme songs or other music for more than 200 films and TV shows, including The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, The Ten Commandments (1956), The Man with the Golden Arm, To Kill a Mockingbird, Robot Monster, and the fanfare used in the National Geographic television specials. His theme for The Magnificent Seven is also familiar to television viewers, as it was used in commercials for Marlboro cigarettes. Bernstein also provided the score to many of the short films of Ray and Charles Eames. In 1961 Bernstein co-founded Äva Records an American record label based in Los Angeles together with Fred Astaire, Jackie Mills and Tommy Wolf.
Also known as: Elmer Bernstien
225
film credits
8
television credits
15
1951–2026 · acting roles
6.5
average across scored titles
Signature credits
Known for
Across film & television
Filmography (233)
Showing 233 of 233 credits
The Oscars
Self
1953
Cape Fear
Music
2026
Ghostbusters
Original Music Composer
1984
Airplane!
Original Music Composer
1980
Trading Places
Original Music Composer
1983
Fallen Angels
Main Title Theme Composer
1993
The Ten Commandments
Original Music Composer
1956
The Great Escape
Original Music Composer
1963
The Black Cauldron
Original Music Composer
1985
The Magnificent Seven
Original Music Composer
1960
An American Werewolf in London
Original Music Composer
1981An American Werewolf in London
Conductor
1981
Wild Wild West
Original Music Composer
1999
The Blues Brothers
Original Music Composer
1980
To Kill a Mockingbird
Original Music Composer
1962
Cape Fear
Conductor
1991Cape Fear
Original Music Composer
1991
The Rainmaker
Original Music Composer
1997
Airplane II: The Sequel
Original Music Composer
1982
Animal House
Original Music Composer
1978
True Grit
Original Music Composer
1969True Grit
Songs
1969
The Shootist
Original Music Composer
1976
The Age of Innocence
Original Music Composer
1993
My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown
Original Music Composer
1989
Michael Jackson's Thriller
Music
1983
Devil in a Blue Dress
Original Music Composer
1995
Bringing Out the Dead
Original Music Composer
1999Bringing Out the Dead
Conductor
1999
Stripes
Original Music Composer
1981
¡Three Amigos!
Original Music Composer
1986
Birdman of Alcatraz
Original Music Composer
1962
A Rage in Harlem
Original Music Composer
1991
The Good Son
Original Music Composer
1993
The Deep End of the Ocean
Original Music Composer
1999
Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones
Music
1980
General Electric Theater
Original Music Composer
1953
Meatballs
Original Music Composer
1979
Heavy Metal
Original Music Composer
1981
Spies Like Us
Original Music Composer
1985
Sweet Smell of Success
Original Music Composer
1957Sweet Smell of Success
Conductor
1957
Saturn 3
Original Music Composer
1980
Hoodlum
Original Music Composer
1997
The Sons of Katie Elder
Original Music Composer
1965
Mad Dog and Glory
Original Music Composer
1993
Bulletproof
Original Music Composer
1996
Oscar
Original Music Composer
1991
Far from Heaven
Original Music Composer
2002
The Man with the Golden Arm
Original Music Composer
1955
Little Women
Music
1978
The Bridge at Remagen
Original Music Composer
1969
Guns of the Magnificent Seven
Original Music Composer
1969Guns of the Magnificent Seven
Conductor
1969
Return of the Seven
Original Music Composer
1966
Hud
Original Music Composer
1963
The Comancheros
Original Music Composer
1961
Cast a Giant Shadow
Original Music Composer
1966
The Tin Star
Original Music Composer
1957
Keeping the Faith
Original Music Composer
2000
The Magnificent Seven Ride!
Original Music Composer
1972The Magnificent Seven Ride!
Conductor
1972
Funny Farm
Original Music Composer
1988
Zulu Dawn
Original Music Composer
1979
Canadian Bacon
Original Music Composer
1995
The Silencers
Original Music Composer
1966
Legal Eagles
Original Music Composer
1986Legal Eagles
Conductor
1986
McQ
Original Music Composer
1974
Class
Original Music Composer
1983
From Noon Till Three
Songwriter (uncredited)
1976From Noon Till Three
Original Music Composer
1976
A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies
Original Music Composer
1995
Monty and the Movies
Self (archive footage)
Cahill: United States Marshal
Original Music Composer
1973
Twilight
Original Music Composer
1998
Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone
Original Music Composer
1983Appointment With Destiny
Original Music Composer
1971
The Grifters
Original Music Composer
1990
Kings of the Sun
Original Music Composer
1963
Big Jake
Original Music Composer
1971
The Hallelujah Trail
Original Music Composer
1965
Buddy
Original Music Composer
1997
Thoroughly Modern Millie
Original Music Composer
1967
Some Came Running
Original Music Composer
1958
The Buccaneer
Original Music Composer
1958
Walk on the Wild Side
Original Music Composer
1962Walk on the Wild Side
Conductor
1962Walk on the Wild Side
Songs
1962
The Scalphunters
Original Music Composer
1968
The Babe
Original Music Composer
1992
7 Women
Original Music Composer
1965
Five Days One Summer
Original Music Composer
1982
The Liberation of L.B. Jones
Original Music Composer
1970
Saddle the Wind
Original Music Composer
1958
The Cemetery Club
Original Music Composer
1993
The Good Mother
Original Music Composer
1988
Rambling Rose
Original Music Composer
1991
Love with the Proper Stranger
Original Music Composer
1963
Desire Under the Elms
Original Music Composer
1958
I Love You, Alice B. Toklas!
Original Music Composer
1968
The Gypsy Moths
Original Music Composer
1969
Cannon for Cordoba
Original Music Composer
1970
Torrente 4: Lethal crisis
Music
2011
Honky Tonk Freeway
Original Music Composer
1981
Gold
Original Music Composer
1974Gold
Music
1974Gold
Songs
1974
See No Evil
Original Music Composer
1971
Report to the Commissioner
Original Music Composer
1975
Roommates
Conductor
1995Roommates
Original Music Composer
1995
The World of Henry Orient
Original Music Composer
1964
Going Ape!
Original Music Composer
1981
The Field
Original Music Composer
1990
The Carpetbaggers
Original Music Composer
1964
The Young Doctors
Original Music Composer
1961
Introducing Dorothy Dandridge
Original Music Composer
1999
The Story on Page One
Original Music Composer
1959
Men in War
Original Music Composer
1957Men in War
Conductor
1957
The Rat Race
Original Music Composer
1960
The Old Curiosity Shop
Original Music Composer
1975
Hawaii
Original Music Composer
1966
Kings Go Forth
Original Music Composer
1958
The Chosen
Original Music Composer
1981
Fear Strikes Out
Original Music Composer
1957
God's Little Acre
Original Music Composer
1958
Make Haste to Live
Original Music Composer
1954
Baby the Rain Must Fall
Original Music Composer
1965Baby the Rain Must Fall
Conductor
1965
The Great Santini
Original Music Composer
1979
Incident on a Dark Street
Original Music Composer
1973
This Year's Blonde
Original Music Composer
1980
A Storm in Summer
Music Producer
2000
The Fabulous Fifties
Original Music Composer
1960
Guns for Hire: The Making of 'The Magnificent Seven'
Self
2000
Never Wave at a WAC
Original Music Composer
1953
The Amazing Mr. Blunden
Original Music Composer
1972
Gulag
Original Music Composer
1985
Amazing Grace and Chuck
Conductor
1987Amazing Grace and Chuck
Original Music Composer
1987
The Miracle
Original Music Composer
1959The Hollywood Soundtrack Story
Self
1995
It's a Dog's Life
Original Music Composer
1955
The View from Pompey's Head
Original Music Composer
1955
Innocence and Experience: The Making of 'The Age of Innocence'
Self
1993
Ellery Queen: Too Many Suspects
Original Music Composer
1975
By Love Possessed
Original Music Composer
1961
A Rough Sketch for a Proposed Film Dealing with the Powers of Ten and the Relative Size of Things in the Universe
Music
1968
Doctors' Wives
Original Music Composer
1971
Sudden Fear
Original Music Composer
1952
Serpico: The Deadly Game
Music
1976
A Walk in the Spring Rain
Original Music Composer
1970
From the Terrace
Original Music Composer
1960All About Alfred
Self
The 3,000 Mile Chase
Original Music Composer
1977
Leonard Part 6
Original Music Composer
1987
Cecil B. DeMille: American Epic
Original Music Composer
2004
Summer and Smoke
Original Music Composer
1961
The Trial of Billy Jack
Original Music Composer
1974
Slipstream
Original Music Composer
1989
The Rookies
Music
1972
The Eternal Sea
Original Music Composer
1955
The Yearbook: An Animal House Reunion
Self - Composer
1998
Music for the Movies: Bernard Herrmann
Self
1992
Storm Fear
Original Music Composer
1955
Cat-Women of the Moon
Original Music Composer
1953
The Bible According to Hollywood
Self
1994
Frankie Starlight
Original Music Composer
1995
Bloodbrothers
Original Music Composer
1978
The Reward
Original Music Composer
1965
The Making of 'Cape Fear'
Self
2001
A Girl Named Tamiko
Original Music Composer
1962
Da
Original Music Composer
1988
Chinese Coffee
Original Music Composer
2000
The Tell-Tale Heart
Music
1971
Battles of Chief Pontiac
Original Music Composer
1952
Making 'Taxi Driver'
Self
1999
Where's Jack?
Original Music Composer
1969
Billy Jack Goes to Washington
Original Music Composer
1977
Walt Whitman: Poet for a New Age
Music
1971
Lost in Yonkers
Original Music Composer
1993Lost in Yonkers
Conductor
1993
Robot Monster
Original Music Composer
1953
Midas Run
Original Music Composer
1969
Nightmare Honeymoon
Original Music Composer
1974
Appointment With Destiny: The Last Days of John Dillinger
Music
1971
Men of the Dragon
Original Music Composer
1974
Marie Ward - Zwischen Galgen und Glorie
Original Music Composer
1985
Saturday's Hero
Original Music Composer
1951
The Incredible Sarah
Original Music Composer
1976
Four Days In November
Original Music Composer
1964
Genocide
Conductor
1982Genocide
Music
1982
Drango
Original Music Composer
1957
Nicholas Copernicus
Music
1973
The Caretakers
Original Music Composer
1963
Prince Jack
Original Music Composer
1985
Fearful Symmetry
Self
1998
Boots Malone
Original Music Composer
1952
Return Of The Ghostbusters
Compositor
2007
Search and Destroy
Original Music Composer
1995Tops
Music
1969
Miss Robin Crusoe
Original Music Composer
1953
Rampage
Original Music Composer
1963
Frank Sinatra Memorial
Self
2000
Charleston
Original Music Composer
1979
Anna Lucasta
Original Music Composer
1958Metropolitan Overview
Music
1975
Topology: Jordan's Curve Theorem
Music
1961
The Making of the President 1960
Music
1963
Imagining 'Heavy Metal'
Music
1999
Powers of Ten
Music
1977Taking The Wheel
Music
An Introduction to Feedback
Music
1960View from the People Wall
Music
1966
2ⁿ: A Story of the Power of Numbers
Original Music Composer
1961Far from Heaven: "Making of"
2003Puppies for Sale
Music
1998
The Bold Men
Music Supervisor
1965
Silent Raiders
Original Music Composer
1954
The Naked Eye
Music
1956
Calypso's Search for the Britannic
Music
1977
IBM at the Fair
Music
1965
A Computer Glossary
Music
1968
Toccata for Toy Trains
Music
1957
A Communications Primer
Music
1953
House: After Five Years of Living
Music
1955The Information Machine
Music
1957
Computer Perspective
Music
1972The Smithsonian Institution
Music
1965
Cezanne
Music
1978