James Newton Howard James Newton Howard

Born: 9 June 1951, Los Angeles, California.

Biography:
James Newton Howard (he uses his middle name, Newton, to distinguish him from various other James Howards in the movie business) is one of the most successful “crossover” artists to have made the transition from pop music to film music. Howard studied at the University of Southern California’s School of Music, and Santa Barbara's Music Academy of the West, before entering the professional music world during the early 1970s. During a successful 15-year period, Howard was one of pop’s top keyboardists, synthesizer players and, later, producers and arrangers, with a star-studded list of collaborators including Yes, Kansas, King Crimson, Genesis, Nilsson, Leo Sayer, Carly Simon, Ringo Starr, Diana Ross, Melissa Manchester, Elton John, Chicago, Olivia Newton-John, Chaka Khan and Earth Wind and Fire. It was through his friendship and collaboration with conductor and orchestrator Marty Paich of Toto that Howard finally entered the movie business, scoring the 1986 Goldie Hawn comedy "Wildcats". Since then, Howard has become one of the most successful and sought-after composers in Hollywood, with hit movies such as "Pretty Woman" (1990), "The Fugitive" (1993), "Space Jam" (1996), "My Best Friend's Wedding" (1997), "The Sixth Sense" (1999), "Runaway Bride" (1999), "Dinosaur" (2000), "Unbreakable" (2000), "America's Sweethearts" (2001) "Signs" (2002), “Batman Begins” (2005, with Hans Zimmer) and “King Kong (2005, a late replacement for Howard Shore) to his name. In recent years Howard has struck up a number of fruitful professional relationships, most notably with cut thriller director M. Night Shyamalan, Kevin Costner ("Wyatt Earp" (1994), "Waterworld" (1995), "The Postman" (1997)), and the Walt Disney animation studio ("Dinosaur", "Atlantis" (2001), "Treasure Planet" (2002)). Howard is a seven-time Oscar nominee, a three-time Golden Globe nominee, and an Emmy winner. He was formerly married to actress Rosanna Arquette.

Reviews:
Batman Begins, Blood Diamond, Charlie Wilson’s War, The Dark Knight, Devil's Advocate, Defiance, Dinosaur, Duplicity, The Emperor's Club, The Great Debaters, I Am Legend, The Interpreter, King Kong, Lady in the Water, The Lookout, Michael Clayton, A Perfect Murder, The Postman, The Prince of Tides, Runaway Bride, The Saint of Fort Washington, The Sixth Sense, Snow Falling on Cedars, Stir of Echoes, Unbreakable, Vertical Limit, The Village, The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep, Waterworld and Wyatt Earp

Filmography:
Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009), Duplicity (2009), The Dark Knight (2008), Defiance (2008), The Happening (2008), Mad Money (2008), Charlie Wilson’s War (2007), Michael Clayton (2007), I Am Legend (2007), The Lookout (2007), The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep (2007), Blood Diamond (2006), Freedomland (2006), Lady in the Water (2006), R.V. (2006), Batman Begins (2005), The Interpreter (2005), King Kong (2005), Collateral (2004), Hidalgo (2004), The Village (2004), Dreamcatcher (2003), Peter Pan (2003), Big Trouble (2002), The Emperor's Club (2002), Signs (2002), Treasure Planet (2002), Unconditional Love (2002), America's Sweethearts (2001), Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001), Dinosaur (2000), Gideon's Crossing (2000), Unbreakable (2000), Vertical Limit (2000), Mumford (1999), Runaway Bride (1999), The Sixth Sense (1999), Snow Falling on Cedars (1999), Stir of Echoes (1999), Wayward Son (1999), A Perfect Murder (1998), Dante's Peak (1997), From the Earth to the Moon (1998), Devil's Advocate (1997), Fathers' Day (1997), Liar Liar (1997), My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), The Postman (1997), Eye for an Eye (1996), The Juror (1996), One Fine Day (1996), Primal Fear (1996), The Rich Man's Wife (1996), The Sentinel (1996), Space Jam (1996), The Trigger Effect (1996), French Kiss (1995), Just Cause (1995), Outbreak (1995), Restoration (1995), Waterworld (1995), Intersection (1994), Junior (1994), Wyatt Earp (1994), Alive (1993), Dave (1993), Falling Down (1993), The Fugitive (1993), The Saint of Fort Washington (1993), American Heart (1992), Diggstown (1992), Glengarry Glen Ross (1992), Night and the City (1992), A Private Matter (1992), Dying Young (1991), Grand Canyon (1991), Guilty by Suspicion (1991), King Ralph (1991), The Man in the Moon (1991), My Girl (1991), The Prince of Tides (1991), Three Men and a Little Lady (1990), Coupe de ville (1990), Descending Angel (1990), Flatliners (1990), The Image (1990), Marked for Death (1990), Pretty Woman (1990), Revealing Evidence: Stalking the Honolulu Strangler (1990), Somebody Has to Shoot the Picture (1990), Major League (1989), The Package (1989), Some Girls (1989), Tap (1989), Off Limits (1988), Promised Land (1988), Five Corners (1987), 8 Million Ways to Die (1986), Head Office (1986), Nobody's Fool (1986), Tough Guys (1986), Wildcats (1986).

Highest Grossing Films as at end of 2008 (adjusted for inflation):
The Dark Knight ($542.4m), The Sixth Sense ($415.9m), The Fugitive ($319.8m), Pretty Woman ($303.7m), Signs ($282.5m), I Am Legend ($268m.3), King Kong ($244.9m), Batman Begins ($230.5m), Runaway Bride ($215.7m), My Best Friend’s Wedding ($199.4m).

Awards:
2008 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Score – Defiance
2007 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Score – Michael Clayton
2004 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Score – The Village
1997 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Musical/Comedy Score - My Best Friend's Wedding
1996 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Song - "For The First Time" from One Fine Day
1994 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Song - "Look What Love Has Done To Me" from Junior
1993 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Score - The Fugitive
1991 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Score - The Prince of Tides
2008 Golden Globes - Nominee, Best Original Score – Defiance
2005 Golden Globes - Nominee, Best Original Score – King Kong
1996 Golden Globes - Nominee, Best Original Song - "For The First Time" from One Fine Day
1994 Golden Globes - Nominee, Best Original Song - "Look What Love Has Done To Me" from Junior
2008 BAFTA Awards - Nominee, Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music – The Dark Knight
2007 Grammy Awards - Nominee, Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media – Blood Diamond
1997 Grammy Awards – Nominee, Best Song Written for a Motion Picture or Television – “For the First Time” from One Fine Day
2001 Emmy Awards – Winner, Outstanding Main Title Music – Gideon’s Crossing
1995 Emmy Awards – Nominee, Outstanding Main Title Music – ER
1989 Emmy Awards – Nominee, Outstanding Main Title Music – Men

Links:
James Newton Howard Site by Emile Brinkman
Howinfo by Chris Caine

Alive America's Sweethearts Atlantis: The Lost Empire Batman Begins Blood Diamond Charlie Wilson’s War Collateral Dante's Peak The Dark Knight Dave Devil's Advocate Defiance Diggstown Dinosaur Dreamcatcher Duplicity Dying Young The Emperor's Club ER Five Corners Flatliners/Falling Down Freedomland French Kiss The Fugitive Glengarry Glen Ross Grand Canyon The Great Debaters Guilty by Suspicion The Happening Hidalgo I Am Legend The Interpreter Intersection Junior Just Cause King Kong King Ralph Lady in the Water Liar Liar The Lookout Major League The Man in the Moon Marked for Death Michael Clayton Mumford My Best Friend's Wedding My Girl Night and the City Off Limits One Fine Day Outbreak The Package A Perfect Murder Peter Pan The Postman Pretty Woman Primal Fear The Prince of Tides Promised Land Restoration Runaway Bride Russkies The Saint of Fort Washington Signs The Sixth Sense Snow Falling on Cedars Space Jam Stir of Echoes Three Men and a Little Lady Treasure Planet The Trigger Effect Unbreakable Vertical Limit The Village The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep Waterworld Wildcats Wyatt Earp


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