James Horner

Biography

James Roy Horner (August 14, 1953 – June 22, 2015) was an American composer, conductor and orchestrator of film scores. He was known for the integration of choral and electronic elements in many of his film scores, and for his frequent use of motifs associated with Celtic music. Horner was an accomplished concert hall composer before he moved into writing film scores. His first major film score was for the 1979 film The Lady in Red, but did not establish himself as a mainstream composer until he worked on the 1982 film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Horner's score for Titanic is the best selling orchestral film soundtrack of all time while Titanic and Avatar, both directed by James Cameron, are the two highest-grossing films of all time. Horner collaborated on multiple projects with directors including Don Bluth, James Cameron, Walter Hill and Ron Howard; producers including David Kirschner, Jon Landau, Brian Grazer and Steven Spielberg; and songwriters including Will Jennings, Barry Mann andCynthia Weil. Horner composed music for over 100 films; he won two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, three Satellite Awards, and three Saturn Awards, and was nominated for three British Academy Film Awards. Horner died when his single-engine Tucano aircraft crashed in the Los Padres National Forest. He was 61.

Most Famous Work

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8

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Avatar: The Way of Water

(2022) Main Title Theme Composer

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8

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Avatar

(2009) Original Music Composer

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8

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Titanic

(1997) Original Music Composer

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8

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Hacksaw Ridge

(2016) Thanks

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7

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The Amazing Spider-Man

(2012) Original Music Composer

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6

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The Magnificent Seven

(2016) Original Music Composer

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7

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Enemy at the Gates

(2001) Conductor

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7

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Troy

(2004) Conductor

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Acting

Year	Character	Movie/Tv
2021	Himself	Horner 2021-06-22 Movie
2013	Self	Hollywood in Vienna: The World of James Horner 2013-10-11 Movie
2012	Self	Reflections on Titanic 2012-09-10 Movie
2011	Self	Hollywood in Vienna 2011-09-25 TV Show
2010	Self	Avatar: Creating the World of Pandora 2010-02-07 Movie
2007	Self	Alba Gu Brath! The Making of 'Braveheart' 2007-12-18 Movie
2003	Self	Superior Firepower: Making 'Aliens' 2003-12-02 Movie
	Self (archive footage)	Uncovering Wolfen Movie
Year	Character	Movie/Tv

Sound

Year	Role	Movie/Tv
2023	Music	Willow: Behind the Magic 2023-01-25 Movie
2022	Main Title Theme Composer	Avatar: The Way of Water 2022-12-14 Movie
	Music	Willow 2022-11-30 TV Show
2021	Music	Horner 2021-06-22 Movie
2016	Original Music Composer	The Magnificent Seven 2016-09-14 Movie
2015	Original Music Composer	The 33 2015-08-06 Movie
	Music	Living in the Age of Airplanes 2015-04-25 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Southpaw 2015-03-24 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Wolf Totem 2015-02-19 Movie
2012	Original Music Composer	Reflections on Titanic 2012-09-10 Movie
	Original Music Composer	The Amazing Spider-Man 2012-06-23 Movie
	Original Music Composer	For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada 2012-06-01 Movie
2011	Original Music Composer	Black Gold 2011-12-21 Movie
2010	Original Music Composer	The Karate Kid 2010-06-10 Movie
2009	Original Music Composer	Avatar 2009-12-15 Movie
2008	Original Music Composer	The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas 2008-05-07 Movie
	Original Music Composer	The Spiderwick Chronicles 2008-02-14 Movie
2006	Original Music Composer	Apocalypto 2006-12-07 Movie
	Original Music Composer	All the King's Men 2006-09-10 Movie
2005	Original Music Composer	The New World 2005-12-25 Movie
	Conductor	The New World 2005-12-25 Movie
	Original Music Composer	The Legend of Zorro 2005-10-24 Movie
	Orchestrator	Flightplan 2005-09-22 Movie
	Conductor	Flightplan 2005-09-22 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Flightplan 2005-09-22 Movie
	Original Music Composer	The Chumscrubber 2005-06-08 Movie
2004	Original Music Composer	The Forgotten 2004-09-24 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Troy 2004-05-13 Movie
	Conductor	Troy 2004-05-13 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius 2004-04-30 Movie
2003	Original Music Composer	House of Sand and Fog 2003-12-19 Movie
	Music	Superior Firepower: Making 'Aliens' 2003-12-02 Movie
	Original Music Composer	The Missing 2003-11-26 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Radio 2003-10-24 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Beyond Borders 2003-10-23 Movie
2002	Original Music Composer	The Four Feathers 2002-09-08 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Windtalkers 2002-06-14 Movie
2001	Original Music Composer	Iris 2001-12-14 Movie
	Original Music Composer	A Beautiful Mind 2001-12-11 Movie
	Music	Raptor 2001-11-06 Movie
	Conductor	Enemy at the Gates 2001-03-14 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Enemy at the Gates 2001-03-14 Movie
2000	Original Music Composer	How the Grinch Stole Christmas 2000-11-15 Movie
	Songs	How the Grinch Stole Christmas 2000-11-15 Movie
	Orchestrator	The Perfect Storm 2000-06-29 Movie
	Original Music Composer	The Perfect Storm 2000-06-29 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Freedom Song 2000-02-27 Movie
1999	Original Music Composer	Bicentennial Man 1999-12-17 Movie
	Music	Michelle Kwan Skates to Disney's Greatest Hits 1999-03-05 Movie
1998	Original Music Composer	Mighty Joe Young 1998-12-25 Movie
	Original Music Composer	The Mask of Zorro 1998-07-16 Movie
	Conductor	Deep Impact 1998-05-08 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Deep Impact 1998-05-08 Movie
1997	Original Music Composer	Titanic 1997-11-18 Movie
	Original Music Composer	The Devil's Own 1997-03-13 Movie
1996	Original Music Composer	Ransom 1996-11-08 Movie
	Original Music Composer	To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday 1996-10-25 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Courage Under Fire 1996-07-04 Movie
	Original Music Composer	The Spitfire Grill 1996-01-24 Movie
1995	Original Music Composer	Balto 1995-12-22 Movie
	Conductor	Jumanji 1995-12-15 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Jumanji 1995-12-15 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Jade 1995-10-13 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Apollo 13 1995-06-30 Movie
	Orchestrator	Apollo 13 1995-06-30 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Casper 1995-05-26 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Braveheart 1995-05-24 Movie
	Orchestrator	Braveheart 1995-05-24 Movie
	Musician	Braveheart 1995-05-24 Movie
1994	Original Music Composer	Legends of the Fall 1994-12-16 Movie
	Original Music Composer	The Pagemaster 1994-11-23 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Clear and Present Danger 1994-08-03 Movie
	Conductor	Clear and Present Danger 1994-08-03 Movie
1993	Original Music Composer	We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story 1993-11-24 Movie
	Original Music Composer	The Pelican Brief 1993-09-17 Movie
	Original Music Composer	The Man Without a Face 1993-08-25 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Searching for Bobby Fischer 1993-08-13 Movie
	Original Music Composer	House of Cards 1993-06-25 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Once Upon a Forest 1993-06-18 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Jack the Bear 1993-04-02 Movie
	Original Music Composer	A Far Off Place 1993-03-12 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Swing Kids 1993-03-05 Movie
1992	Original Music Composer	Sneakers 1992-09-09 Movie
	Music	Unlawful Entry 1992-06-26 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Patriot Games 1992-06-04 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Thunderheart 1992-04-03 Movie
1991	Original Music Composer	An American Tail: Fievel Goes West 1991-11-21 Movie
	Songs	An American Tail: Fievel Goes West 1991-11-21 Movie
	Original Music Composer	The Rocketeer 1991-06-21 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Class Action 1991-03-15 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Once Around 1991-01-18 Movie
1990	Music	Extreme Close-Up 1990-10-22 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Another 48 Hrs. 1990-06-08 Movie
	Original Music Composer	I Love You to Death 1990-04-06 Movie
1989	Original Music Composer	Glory 1989-12-15 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Dad 1989-10-27 Movie
	Music	In Country 1989-09-15 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Honey, I Shrunk the Kids 1989-06-23 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Tummy Trouble 1989-06-23 Movie
	Music	Tales from the Crypt 1989-06-10 TV Show
	Original Music Composer	Field of Dreams 1989-04-21 Movie
1988	Original Music Composer	The Land Before Time 1988-11-18 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Cocoon: The Return 1988-09-13 Movie
	Songs	Madeline 1988-09-09 TV Show
	Original Music Composer	Vibes 1988-08-05 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Red Heat 1988-06-17 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Willow 1988-05-20 Movie
	Music	Andy Colby’s Incredibly Awesome Adventure 1988-01-01 Movie
1987	Original Music Composer	*batteries not included 1987-12-18 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Project X 1987-04-17 Movie
	Original Music Composer	P.K. and the Kid 1987-01-06 Movie
1986	Songs	An American Tail 1986-11-21 Movie
	Original Music Composer	An American Tail 1986-11-21 Movie
	Original Music Composer	The Name of the Rose 1986-09-24 Movie
	Music	Captain EO 1986-09-12 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Aliens 1986-07-18 Movie
	Music	Off Beat 1986-04-10 Movie
1985	Original Music Composer	Barbarian Queen 1985-11-30 Movie
	Conductor	Commando 1985-10-03 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Commando 1985-10-03 Movie
	Music Producer	Commando 1985-10-03 Movie
	Music	Amazing Stories 1985-09-29 TV Show
	Original Music Composer	The Journey of Natty Gann 1985-09-27 Movie
	Music	Volunteers 1985-08-16 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Cocoon 1985-06-21 Movie
	Music	The Pied Piper of Hamelin 1985-04-05 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Surviving 1985-02-10 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Heaven Help Us 1985-02-08 Movie
1984	Original Music Composer	Star Trek III: The Search for Spock 1984-06-01 Movie
	Original Music Composer	The Stone Boy 1984-04-04 Movie
1983	Original Music Composer	Uncommon Valor 1983-12-16 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Gorky Park 1983-12-15 Movie
	Original Music Composer	The Dresser 1983-12-06 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Testament 1983-11-04 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Brainstorm 1983-09-30 Movie
	Music	Between Friends 1983-09-10 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Krull 1983-07-29 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Space Raiders 1983-07-01 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Something Wicked This Way Comes 1983-04-29 Movie
1982	Original Music Composer	48 Hrs. 1982-12-07 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan 1982-06-04 Movie
	Music	Sorceress 1982-03-01 Movie
	Music	Rascals and Robbers: The Secret Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn 1982-02-27 Movie
	Original Music Composer	A Piano for Mrs. Cimino 1982-02-03 Movie
	Conductor	A Piano for Mrs. Cimino 1982-02-03 Movie
1981	Original Music Composer	The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper 1981-11-13 Movie
	Original Music Composer	A Few Days in Weasel Creek 1981-10-21 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Deadly Blessing 1981-08-14 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Wolfen 1981-07-24 Movie
	Conductor	Wolfen 1981-07-24 Movie
	Original Music Composer	The Hand 1981-04-24 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Angel Dusted 1981-02-11 Movie
1980	Original Music Composer	Battle Beyond the Stars 1980-09-08 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Humanoids from the Deep 1980-05-01 Movie
1979	Original Music Composer	The Lady in Red 1979-07-01 Movie
	Original Music Composer	Up from the Depths 1979-06-01 Movie
Year	Role	Movie/Tv

Crew

Year	Role	Movie/Tv
2016	Thanks	Hacksaw Ridge 2016-10-07 Movie
1988	Additional Music	Young Guns 1988-02-17 Movie
Year	Role	Movie/Tv