Thomas Newman
Thomas Newman | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Thomas Montgomery Newman |
Born | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | October 20, 1955
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | Film score composer, conductor |
Instruments | Piano, violin |
Years active | 1979–present |
Spouse(s) | Anne Marie Newman |
Thomas Montgomery Newman (born October 20, 1955) is an American composer and conductor best known for his many film scores. In a career that has spanned over four decades, he has scored numerous films including The Player (1992), The Shawshank Redemption (1994), The Horse Whisperer (1998), American Beauty and The Green Mile (both 1999), Pay It Forward (2000), In the Bedroom (2001), Road to Perdition and White Oleander (both 2002), Finding Nemo (2003) and its sequel Finding Dory (2016), Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004), Cinderella Man (2005), WALL-E (2008), the James Bond films Skyfall (2012) and Spectre (2015), Bridge of Spies (2015), 1917 (2019), and Elemental (2023). He also composed the music for the HBO drama series Six Feet Under (2001) and 2003 miniseries Angels in America. Throughout his career, he has collaborated extensively with directors such as Sam Mendes, Andrew Stanton, Frank Darabont, Steven Soderbergh, Jon Avnet, John Madden and John Lee Hancock.
Personal life
Born in Los Angeles, California, Newman is the youngest son of composer Alfred Newman (1900–1970), who won the Academy Award for Best Original Score nine times, and Martha Louis Montgomery (1920–2005). He is a member of a film-scoring dynasty in Hollywood that includes his father Alfred, older brother David Newman, younger sister Maria Newman, uncles Lionel Newman and Emil Newman, cousin Randy Newman (also known as a singer and songwriter), and his first cousin, once removed, Joey Newman. His paternal grandparents were Russian Jewish immigrants,[1] and his mother was from Mississippi.
During their upbringing, Martha Newman took her sons to violin lessons in the San Fernando Valley every weekend.[2] Newman later studied composition and orchestration for two years at the University of Southern California,[3] before transferring to Yale University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1977 and a Master of Music in 1978.[4] While at Yale, he met composer Stephen Sondheim, who became an early mentor.[2]
Newman and his wife Ann Marie have three children. They reside in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Career
1983–1992
At first, Newman was more interested in musical theater than in film composition, working with Sondheim in
1994–1999
In 1994, he received his first Academy Award nominations with the scores for
2000–2011
His critical and commercial success continued in the years to follow, which included scores for films directed by celebrated independent filmmakers such as Steven Soderbergh (Erin Brockovich), and Todd Field (In the Bedroom). He was nominated consecutively for a further three Academy Awards, for Road to Perdition (2002; his second collaboration with Sam Mendes), Finding Nemo (2003), and Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004). However, he lost on each occasion, to Elliot Goldenthal (for Frida), Howard Shore (for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King), and Jan A. P. Kaczmarek (for Finding Neverland).
In 2006, he teamed once again with Todd Field for Little Children and Steven Soderbergh for The Good German (and was nominated for latter). At the Oscar ceremony, he appeared in the opening segment by Errol Morris, who jokingly stated that Newman had been nominated for and failed to win an Oscar eight times. Newman replied: "No, I've failed seven but this will be my eighth", and indeed, he again lost, this time to Gustavo Santaolalla for Babel.
His first score since The Good German was for Towelhead. In 2008, he scored the animated film WALL-E, collaborating for the second time with director Andrew Stanton (with the first collaboration being Finding Nemo). The film won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature (as had Nemo). Newman received two Oscar nominations: one for Best Original Score, and another for Best Original Song for "Down to Earth", which he co-wrote with Peter Gabriel. He was nominated in the Original Score category with two other veteran composers, James Newton Howard and Danny Elfman, both of whom have also been nominated for several Oscars but each time unsuccessfully. Newman lost both the score and song nominations to A. R. Rahman for his work on Slumdog Millionaire. He and Peter Gabriel did however win a Grammy for "Down to Earth".
In 2008, he also scored
2012–present
In 2012, Newman scored The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, a second collaboration with John Madden after The Debt. He also scored the 23rd James Bond movie Skyfall, released on the film franchise's 50th anniversary.[11] His work on this film earned him his eleventh Oscar nomination and a second BAFTA win. During 2013, he scored Side Effects (working again with director Steven Soderbergh) and Saving Mr. Banks. The latter score was very well received by film music critics, earning Newman BAFTA and Oscar nominations for the second consecutive year, both of which he lost to Steven Price for Gravity.
Newman's 2014 projects included
In 2016, Newman scored Passengers, for which he received his 14th Oscar nomination. Three years later, Newman reunited with Sam Mendes for his war film 1917, for which Newman received his 6th BAFTA and 15th Oscar nominations.
Newman likes to vary the instrumentation in his scores, ranging from full orchestra to percussion-only music. He is also fond of incorporating unusual instruments such as the zither, hurdy-gurdy, psaltery and hammered dulcimer,[6] or unexpected sounds, like Aboriginal chants and the chirping of cicadas. The composer declared that he has "an interest in mundane experimentation."[5]
Filmography
Awards and nominations
Newman has been nominated for fifteen
References
- ^ MacDonald, Laurence E. The Invisible Art of Film Music: A Comprehensive History, Scarecrow Press (2013)
- ^ a b Groves, Martha (December 3, 2009). "A member of a musical dynasty writes a postcard about the past". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
- ^ "OnMusic Dictionary". Music.vt.edu. Archived from the original on April 1, 2013. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
- ^ "YaleNews | Yale Alumni Go to the Oscars". News.yale.edu. March 1, 2010. Archived from the original on April 6, 2014. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
- ^ a b c Wallace, Amy (March 22, 1998). "The Newman Conquests". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 24, 2018. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Richard Kirk Award: Thomas Newman Fulfills the Promise of His Legacy". bmi.com. May 31, 2000. Archived from the original on December 22, 2013. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
- ^ "When John Williams Can't Go, Whom Does Spielberg Call? Thomas Newman". NPR.org. October 17, 2015. Archived from the original on January 30, 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
- ^ "Oscar Watch: 'Skyfall' Builds Academy Support, Composer Thomas Newman Overdue for Oscar|Thompson on Hollywood". Blogs.indiewire.com. January 4, 2013. Archived from the original on May 17, 2014. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
- ^ Burlingame, Jon (January 20, 2000). "Spotlight: Thomas Newman". Variety. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
- ^ Burlingame, Jon (December 16, 2011). "Newman: 'Help,' 'Iron Lady' exhibit contrasting styles". Variety. Archived from the original on March 8, 2014. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
- ^ "Thomas Newman to compose Skyfall score". MI6-HQ.com. January 4, 2012. Archived from the original on December 25, 2014. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
- ^ "Thomas Newman to Return for 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel 2' - Film Music Reporter". Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
External links
- Thomas Newman at IMDb