- Joined
- Jul 31, 2010
- Messages
- 8,874
James Horner: 10 unforgettable film scores
Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY 1:53 a.m. EDT June 23, 2015
(Photo: Georg Hochmuth, EPA)
Oscar-winning composer James Horner tragically died in a plane crash Monday at age 61, according to multiple reports. While it's impossible to whittle down three decades of more than 150 film scores into a mere "10 best" list, we spotlight a few of his most memorably heart-tugging compositions:
USA TODAY
Report: Composer's plane crashes; one dead
Titanic (1997)
Horner won the only two Academy Awards of his career for James Cameron's blockbuster period romance, picking up best score and original song (My Heart Will Go On, with co-writer Will Jennings and performed by Celine Dion).
Braveheart (1995)
The medieval Scottish epic was the second of three films Horner scored for director Mel Gibson, preceded by 1993's The Man Without a Face and followed a decade later by Apocalypto in 2006.
Avatar (2009)
Horner was due to return to James Cameron's billion-dollar franchise for its upcoming sequels, recently discussing plans for the sci-fi saga in an interview with film site HeyUGuys this spring.
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Tragically, Horner is not the only one connected to the best-picture winner to pass away this year: Beautiful Mind inspiration, mathematician John Nash, and his wife, Alicia, died in a car accident last month at ages 86 and 82, respectively.
Field of Dreams (1989)
Despite knowing nothing about baseball, Horner jumped at the chance to score the Kevin Costner sports drama. "I think I may have lied to get the movie," he joked in an undated video interview with director Phil Alden Robinson. " 'Oh yeah, yeah, love (baseball). Fifty-yard line.' "
Apollo 13 (1995)
Scottish singer Annie Lennox lent her ethereal vocals to two tracks of Horner's score: Dark Side of the Moon and the end titles of Ron Howard's astronaut drama.
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
Horner was only 28 when he was hand-picked by director Nicholas Meyer to score the now-beloved sci-fi classic, and went on to compose the music two years later for Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, directed by the late Leonard Nimoy.
An American Tail (1986)
Thanks in part to Horner, an animated mouse has brought us all to tears. He picked up a song of the year Grammy Award for Feivel's wistful Somewhere Out There, which he shared with co-writers Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.
Legends of the Fall (1994)
Many will remember this Western drama as the first time they fell in love with Brad Pitt, but for others of us, Horner's sweeping, romantic score is what's stuck more than two decades later.
Aliens (1986)
Horner earned his first of 10 Oscar nominations for his thrilling, sinister work on the Alien sequel, receiving nods later in his career for Apollo 13, House of Sand and Fog, and Avatar, among others.
Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY 1:53 a.m. EDT June 23, 2015
(Photo: Georg Hochmuth, EPA)
Oscar-winning composer James Horner tragically died in a plane crash Monday at age 61, according to multiple reports. While it's impossible to whittle down three decades of more than 150 film scores into a mere "10 best" list, we spotlight a few of his most memorably heart-tugging compositions:
USA TODAY
Report: Composer's plane crashes; one dead
Titanic (1997)
Horner won the only two Academy Awards of his career for James Cameron's blockbuster period romance, picking up best score and original song (My Heart Will Go On, with co-writer Will Jennings and performed by Celine Dion).
Braveheart (1995)
The medieval Scottish epic was the second of three films Horner scored for director Mel Gibson, preceded by 1993's The Man Without a Face and followed a decade later by Apocalypto in 2006.
Avatar (2009)
Horner was due to return to James Cameron's billion-dollar franchise for its upcoming sequels, recently discussing plans for the sci-fi saga in an interview with film site HeyUGuys this spring.
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Tragically, Horner is not the only one connected to the best-picture winner to pass away this year: Beautiful Mind inspiration, mathematician John Nash, and his wife, Alicia, died in a car accident last month at ages 86 and 82, respectively.
Field of Dreams (1989)
Despite knowing nothing about baseball, Horner jumped at the chance to score the Kevin Costner sports drama. "I think I may have lied to get the movie," he joked in an undated video interview with director Phil Alden Robinson. " 'Oh yeah, yeah, love (baseball). Fifty-yard line.' "
Apollo 13 (1995)
Scottish singer Annie Lennox lent her ethereal vocals to two tracks of Horner's score: Dark Side of the Moon and the end titles of Ron Howard's astronaut drama.
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
Horner was only 28 when he was hand-picked by director Nicholas Meyer to score the now-beloved sci-fi classic, and went on to compose the music two years later for Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, directed by the late Leonard Nimoy.
An American Tail (1986)
Thanks in part to Horner, an animated mouse has brought us all to tears. He picked up a song of the year Grammy Award for Feivel's wistful Somewhere Out There, which he shared with co-writers Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.
Legends of the Fall (1994)
Many will remember this Western drama as the first time they fell in love with Brad Pitt, but for others of us, Horner's sweeping, romantic score is what's stuck more than two decades later.
Aliens (1986)
Horner earned his first of 10 Oscar nominations for his thrilling, sinister work on the Alien sequel, receiving nods later in his career for Apollo 13, House of Sand and Fog, and Avatar, among others.
