A name that has passed through countless films since the mid-1980s, James Newton Howard (born June 9, 1951) is an American film music composer.
He is one of the most important music composers in Hollywood, even though he has been obscured by big names such as Hans Zimmer, Danny Elfman or James Horner.
Frequently collaborates with M. Night Shyamalan (at least before his Career Resurrection), Lawrence Kasdan, Francis Lawrence and Tony Gilroy.
Filmography
- Dune (1984) (1984) co-writer (with Toto's David Paich) of the cue "Trip to Arrakis"
- Head Office (1985) with Alan Howarth
- Wildcats (1986) (1986)
- 8 Million Ways to Die (1986)note
- Major League (1989)
- Pretty Woman (1990)
- Flatliners (1990)
- Three Men and a Baby (1990)
- Dying Young (1991)
- Grand Canyon (1991)
- The Prince of Tides (1991)
- My Girl (1991)
- Diggstown (1992)
- Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
- The Fugitive (1993)
- Alive (1993)
- Falling Down (1993)
- Dave (1993)
- Junior (1994)
- Wyatt Earp (1994)
- Waterworld (1995)
- Just Cause (1995)
- French Kiss (1995)
- Outbreak (1995)
- Space Jam (1996)
- Primal Fear (1996)
- Dante's Peak (1997) main theme and some cues; score by John Frizzell.
- Liar Liar (1997) main theme only; score by John Debney.
- My Best Friend's Wedding (1997)
- The Devil's Advocate (1997)
- The Postman (1997)
- A Perfect Murder (1998)
- The Sixth Sense (1999)
- Runaway Bride (1999)
- Mumford (1999)
- Snow Falling on Cedars (1999)
- Unbreakable (2000)
- Dinosaur (2000)
- Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
- Signs (2002)
- Treasure Planet (2002)
- Big Trouble (2002)
- Peter Pan (2003)
- Dreamcatcher (2003)
- The Village (2004)
- Collateral (2004)
- Hidalgo (2004)
- The Interpreter (2005)
- King Kong (2005) (
he replaced Howard Shore due to creative differences with Peter Jackson) - The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005-2008) in collaboration with Hans Zimmer:
- Batman Begins (2005)
- The Dark Knight (2008)
- Lady in the Water (2006)
- Blood Diamond (2006)
- RV (2006)
- I Am Legend (2007)
- Charlie Wilson's War (2007)
- Michael Clayton (2007)
- The Lookout (2007)
- The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep (2007)
- The Happening (2008)
- Defiance (2008)
- Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009)
- It's Complicated (2009)
- Duplicity (2009)
- The Last Airbender (2010)
- Salt (2010)
- The Tourist (2010)
- Love & Other Drugs (2010)
- Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang (2010)
- Gnomeo & Juliet (2011) in collaboration with Chris P. Bacon
- Green Lantern (2011) (2011)
- The Green Hornet (2011)
- Larry Crowne (2011)
- Water for Elephants (2011)
- The Bourne Legacy (2012)
- Snow White & the Huntsman (2012)
- The Huntsman: Winter's War (2016)
- The Hunger Games (2012-2015):
- The Hunger Games (2012)
- The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
- The Hunger Games: Mockingjay (2014, Part One-2015, Part Two)
- The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023)
- After Earth (2013)
- Maleficent (2014)
- Nightcrawler (2014)
- Pawn Sacrifice (2014)
- Concussion (2015)
- Fantastic Beasts (2016-Present):
- Detroit (2017)
- Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017)
- Red Sparrow (2018)
- The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018)
- News of the World (2020) (2020)
- Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)
- Jungle Cruise (2021)
Television
- Emily in Paris (2020-) - Series theme only.
- ER (1994-2009) - Main Theme, and also the score for the pilot episode.
- From the Earth to the Moon (1998) - score for the episode "Mare Tranquilitatis"
- The Sentinel (1996-1999) - Main Theme only.
- A Series of Unfortunate Events (2017) - Composer for 5 episodes in Season One
- Willow (2022) (2022) - score on the first three episodes.
Tropes associated with this composer:
- Associated Composer: For M. Night Shyamalan, Lawrence Kasdan, Francis Lawrence and Tony Gilroy.
- Leitmotif: If one were to listen to Howard's soundtrack to Treasure Planet, there are several distinct leitmotifs throughout; there's a soft and tender melody for some of the more heartwarming scenes between Jim and Silver, an energizing and exciting one for Jim's solar surfing, and a triumphant one for the
moments you want to cheer. - Recycled Trailer Music: The theatrical trailer
for Nell used Howard's end theme from Wyatt Earp. This music gets used a lot for inspiring stories, especially depicting rural life.
