American composer; primarily of musical scores and themes for movies and TV shows, but also of orchestral pieces. Goldsmith from time to time conducted symphony orchestras around the world, including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London. In addition to composing and conducting, he taught music composition at the University of Southern California.
A classically trained musician, he began his music studies at age 6. After college graduation, he got a job with CBS as a clerk-typist but by 1950 was composing his first pieces for TV shows like “Playhouse 90, ” “Perry Mason,” “Have Gun Will Travel” and “The Man From U.N.C.L.E” and “The Twilight Zone.”
He left CBS in 1960 and went on to compose scores for such movies as “Planet of the Apes” (1968), “The Blue Max” (1966), “Patton” (1970), “Chinatown” (1974), “Basic Instinct” (1992) and “L.A. Confidential” (1997). His prolific work showed an eclectic style, and Goldsmith was willing to try new things to get the desired effects. He won an Academy Award for best musical score for the 1976 film “The Omen” in which he used Latin chants. In addition to receiving 18 nominations for an Academy, he won five Emmy Awards for his television work.
He and his wife had five children. His son Joel was also a composer.
Goldsmith died from colon cancer on 21 July 2004 at his home in Beverly Hills, California. He was 75.
Link to Wikipedia biography