View source for James Newton Howard

{{Short description|American composer and music producer (born 1951)}}
{{About||the jazz musician|James Newton|other persons with the same name|James Howard (disambiguation){{!}}James Howard}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = James Newton Howard
| image             = James Newton Howard.jpg
| caption           = Howard at the premiere of ''[[The Dark Knight]]'', 2008
| alias             = 
| birth_date        = {{Birth date and age|1951|6|9}}
| birth_place       = [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], [[United States]]
| genre             = {{hlist|[[Film score]]|[[rock music|rock]]|[[pop rock]]}}
| occupation        = {{hlist|Composer|music producer|arranger}}
| instrument        = Keyboards
| years_active      = 1973–present
| label             = 
| past_member_of    = {{hlist|[[Elton John Band]]|[[Toto (band)|Toto]]|[[Crosby, Stills & Nash]]}}
| associated_acts   = 
| spouse            = {{Unbulleted list|{{marriage|[[Brie Howard]]|1974|1977|reason=div}}|{{marriage|[[Rosanna Arquette]]|1986|1987|reason=div}}|{{marriage|Sofie Lena Barron|1992}}}}
| website           = {{URL|jamesnewtonhoward.com}}
}}

'''James Newton Howard''' (born June 9, 1951)<ref>{{Cite web |title=James Newton Howard – I turn 70 today! |date=June 9, 2021 |url=https://www.instagram.com/james_newtonhoward/p/CP6Gep3BGLg/ |access-date=19 January 2025 |website=Instagram |language=en-US}}</ref> is an American film composer, orchestrator and music producer. He has scored over 100 films and is the recipient of a [[Grammy Award]], an [[Emmy Award]], and nine nominations for [[Academy Awards]].

His film scores include ''[[Pretty Woman]]'' (1990), ''[[The Prince of Tides]]'' (1991), ''[[The Fugitive (1993 film)|The Fugitive]]'' (1993), ''[[Space Jam]]'' (1996), ''[[Dinosaur (2000 film)|Dinosaur]]'' (2000), ''[[Atlantis: The Lost Empire]]'' (2001), ''[[Treasure Planet]]'' (2002), ''[[The Village (2004 film)|The Village]]'' (2004), ''[[King Kong (2005 film)|King Kong]]'' (2005), ''[[Batman Begins]]'' (2005) and its sequel ''[[The Dark Knight]]'' (2008) (both composed with [[Hans Zimmer]]), ''[[Michael Clayton]]'' (2007), [[The Hunger Games (franchise)|''The Hunger Games'' series]] (2012–2015, 2023), the [[Fantastic Beasts|''Fantastic Beasts'' trilogy]] (2016–2022), and ''[[Raya and the Last Dragon]]'' (2021). He has collaborated extensively with directors [[M. Night Shyamalan]] and [[Francis Lawrence]], having scored eight of Shyamalan's films since ''[[The Sixth Sense]]'' (1999) and all of Lawrence's films since ''[[I Am Legend (film)|I Am Legend]]'' (2007). He has also worked with other directors such as [[Edward Zwick]], [[Michael Hoffman (director)|Michael Hoffman]], [[P. J. Hogan]], [[Andrew Davis (director)|Andrew Davis]], [[Lawrence Kasdan]], [[Joe Johnston]], [[Taylor Hackford]], [[Ivan Reitman]], [[Joel Schumacher]], and [[David Yates]].

== Early life and career ==
Howard was born in Los Angeles.<ref>{{Cite web |title=James Newton Howard |url=https://www.laco.org/people/james-newton-howard/ |access-date=2024-12-17 |website=Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra |language=en-US}}</ref> He is from a musical family; his grandmother was a violinist. His father was Jewish but he did not want his children to know he was, so he changed his last name from Horowitz to Howard.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuhihoyqDuM|title=Score: The Podcast S4E10 {{!}} James Newton Howard says to be great at making a demo (30:30-)|date=September 8, 2021 |via=[[YouTube]]}}</ref>

Howard began studying music as a child, taking classical piano lessons at the age of four.<ref name="billboard1">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/artist/304123/james-newton-howard/biography |title=James Newton Howard |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=January 28, 2014}}</ref> He went on to attend the [[Thacher School]] in [[Ojai, California]] and the [[Music Academy of the West]]<ref name="MAotW">{{cite web|title=Alumni Roster|url=http://www.musicacademy.org/school/alumni/alumni-roster/piano|website=musicacademy.org|access-date=January 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120605021001/http://www.musicacademy.org/school/alumni/alumni-roster/piano|archive-date=June 5, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> in [[Montecito, California]] with Reginald Stewart and Leon Fleischer.<ref name="billboard1" /> He then attended the [[University of Southern California]], studying at the School of Music as a piano performance major, but dropped out after 6 weeks because "He wanted to do other things than practicing the piano."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usc.edu/schools/music/about/board/newtonhoward.html |title=USC Thornton School of Music : About Us: Board of Advisors: James Newton Howard |publisher=Usc.edu |access-date=January 2, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101227092843/http://www.usc.edu/schools/music/about/board/newtonhoward.html |archive-date=December 27, 2010 }}</ref>

After Howard left college, he joined a short-lived rock band called [[Mama Lion]].  The band was led by [[Neil Merryweather]] (bass, backing vocals) and featured lead singer [[Lynn Carey]], Coffi Hall on drums, and Rick Gaxiola on guitar.  Mama Lion recorded two full-length albums.  Members of Mama Lion also formed the band Heavy Cruiser with Merryweather now on lead vocals, recording two albums whose genre was closer to hard rock but also displayed psychedelic and progressive influences. He then worked for a couple of years as a session musician with artists including [[Diana Ross]], [[Ringo Starr]], and [[Harry Nilsson]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Elton's 'Tour de Force' Remembered|url=https://www.eltonjohn.com/stories/eltons-tour-de-force-remembered|access-date=December 26, 2020|website=Elton John|language=en}}</ref> In the early 70s, he described himself as being "dirt poor", until his big break in 1975 when his manager got him an audition with [[Elton John]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3goGcCxl5Y |title=James Newton Howard – Elton John Story |date=December 21, 2010 |via=[[YouTube]] |access-date=January 28, 2014}}</ref> He joined John's band and toured with them as keyboardist during the late 70s and early 80s. He was part of the band that played [[Central Park]], [[New York City|New York]], on September 13, 1980.<ref>{{Cite web|title=James Newton Howard Facts|url=https://www.britannica.com/factsJames-Newton-Howard|access-date=December 26, 2020|website=Encyclopædia Britannica|language=en}}</ref> Howard also arranged strings for several of John's songs during this period including the hits "[[Don't Go Breaking My Heart]]" and "[[Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word]]", along with "Tonight" (featuring the London Symphony Orchestra). He played additional keyboards and synthesizers on studio albums including ''[[Rock of the Westies]]'' (1975), ''[[Blue Moves]]'' (1976), ''[[21 at 33]]'' (1980), and ''[[The Fox (Elton John album)|The Fox]]'' (1981).

In 1982, Howard was featured on ''[[Toto IV]]'' as the strings conductor and orchestrator for "I Won't Hold You Back", "Afraid of Love", and "Lovers in the Night". In 1984 the Sheffield Lab direct-to-disc album ''James Newton Howard and Friends'', was released, which featured [[Toto (band)|Toto]]'s [[David Paich]] (keyboards), [[Steve Porcaro]] (keyboards), [[Jeff Porcaro]] (drums), and [[Joe Porcaro]] (percussion).<ref>{{Citation|title=James Newton Howard and Friends – James Newton Howard {{!}} Credits {{!}} AllMusic|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/james-newton-howard-and-friends-mw0000190237/credits|language=en|access-date=December 26, 2020}}</ref> Howard's track "L'daddy" was used as benchmark testing in International Auto Sound Challenge Association (IASCA) [[Sound pressure#Sound pressure level|SPL]] testing.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.facebook.com/groups/IJustWannaBANG/posts/2857330447798963 | title=Changes in Car Stereo Competitions | website=[[Facebook]] | date=June 21, 2025}}</ref>

In 1983, Howard was co-producer, musician (keyboards), and orchestrator of [[Riccardo Cocciante]]'s album ''Sincerità''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=James Newton Howard {{!}} Credits|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/james-newton-howard-mn0000786126/credits|access-date=December 26, 2020|publisher=AllMusic|language=en}}</ref> He also created five arrangements for the album "Aznavour '83" by [[Charles Aznavour]], which was recorded in California.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.discogs.com/release/2971504-Charles-Aznavour-Ill-Be-There | title=Charles Aznavour – I'll be There | website=[[Discogs]] | date=October 17, 1983 }}</ref>

In 1984, Howard composed his first piece of score for a film, receiving a co-writing credit with David Paich for the cue "Trip to Arrakis" in Toto's music for the [[David Lynch]] film ''[[Dune (1984 film)|Dune]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Desert Song: The Music of Dune by Charlie Brigden|url=https://www.arrowfilms.com/blu-ray/dune-limited-edition/13130138.html|access-date=February 12, 2021|website=Arrow Films|language=en}}</ref>

After briefly touring with [[Crosby, Stills, and Nash]], he took an opportunity brought to him by his manager to write a score for a film. This career move would lead to his becoming a successful film music composer.{{citation needed|date=January 2015}} During this early foray into film music, Howard returned for a brief collaboration with Elton John on his Tour De Force of Australia in the fall of 1986. He conducted both his own and [[Paul Buckmaster]]'s arrangements during the second half of the set, which focused on orchestrated performances of selected songs from the Elton John catalog.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.eltonjohn.com/timelines/1980s|title=1980s|website=Eltonjohn.com|access-date=December 11, 2023}}</ref>

== 1990s–2000s ==
Howard scored the [[romantic comedy]] ''[[Pretty Woman]]'' (1990) and received his first [[Academy Award]] nomination for his score for [[Barbra Streisand]]'s drama ''[[The Prince of Tides]]'' (1991). Setting the musical mood for numerous films throughout the decade, Howard's skills encompassed a plethora of genres, including four more [[Academy Award for Original Music Score|best original score Oscar]] nominations, for the [[Harrison Ford]] action feature ''[[The Fugitive (1993 film)|The Fugitive]]'' (1993), the [[Julia Roberts]] romantic comedy ''[[My Best Friend's Wedding]]'' (1997), [[M. Night Shyamalan]]'s ''[[The Village (2004 film)|The Village]]'' (2004), and ''[[Michael Clayton]]'' (2007). In addition, Howard scored the Western epic ''[[Wyatt Earp (film)|Wyatt Earp]]'' (1994), [[Kevin Costner]]'s ''[[Waterworld]]'' (1995), and ''[[Primal Fear (film)|Primal Fear]]'' (1996).  His collaborations on songs for ''[[One Fine Day (1996 film)|One Fine Day]]'' (1996) and ''[[Junior (1994 film)|Junior]]'' (1994) garnered Oscar nominations for [[Academy Award for Best Song|Best Song]]. Along with scoring small-scaled, independent films such as ''[[Five Corners (film)|Five Corners]]'' (1988), ''[[Glengarry Glen Ross (film)|Glengarry Glen Ross]]'' (1992), and ''[[American Heart (film)|American Heart]]'' (1993), Howard proved equally skilled at composing for big-budget Hollywood spectacles, including ''[[Space Jam]]'' (1996), ''[[Dante's Peak]]'' (1997) (theme only – score was composed by [[John Frizzell (composer)|John Frizzell]]), and ''[[Collateral (film)|Collateral]]'' (2004). He has also scored four Disney animated feature films: ''[[Dinosaur (2000 film)|Dinosaur]]'' (2000), ''[[Atlantis: The Lost Empire]]'' (2001), ''[[Treasure Planet]]'' (2002), and ''[[Raya and the Last Dragon]]'' (2021). Although he concentrates primarily on films, Howard has also contributed music for TV, earning an [[Emmy Awards|Emmy]] nomination in 1995 for his theme to [[NBC]]'s ratings smash ''[[ER (TV series)|ER]]'' (Howard also scored the two-hour pilot); he also provided the themes for ''[[The Sentinel (TV series)|The Sentinel]]'' and ''[[Gideon's Crossing]]'', winning an Emmy for the latter.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Browser Unsupported – Academy Awards Search {{!}} Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences|url=http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/|access-date=December 26, 2020|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences}}</ref>

He has scored many of Shyamalan's suspense thrillers, ''[[The Sixth Sense]]'' (1999), ''[[Unbreakable (film)|Unbreakable]]'' (2000), ''[[Signs (2002 film)|Signs]]'' (2002), ''The Village'' (2004), ''[[Lady in the Water]]'' (2006), ''[[The Happening (2008 film)|The Happening]]'' (2008), and ''[[The Last Airbender (2010 film)|The Last Airbender]]'' (2010), notably dropping the intense, yet subtle, opening credit music for ''The Sixth Sense'' from the corresponding soundtrack album.<ref name=":0" />

On October 14, 2005, Howard replaced [[Howard Shore]] as composer for ''[[King Kong (2005 film)|King Kong]]'', due to "differing creative aspirations for the score" between Shore and director [[Peter Jackson]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.soundtrack.net/news/article/?id=670 |title=James Newton Howard replaces Howard Shore on King Kong |publisher=Soundtrack.net |date=October 14, 2005 |access-date=January 2, 2011}}</ref> The resultant score earned Howard his first [[Golden Globe]] nomination for [[Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=James Newton Howard|url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/james-newton-howard|access-date=September 13, 2021|website=goldenglobes.com}}</ref> His work on ''Michael Clayton'' earned him an Oscar nomination. He followed in 2008 with his eighth Oscar nomination for [[Edward Zwick]]'s ''[[Defiance (2008 film)|Defiance]]''.<ref name=":0" /> He also collaborated with [[Hans Zimmer]] on the scores for ''[[Batman Begins]]'' and its record-breaking sequel ''[[The Dark Knight]]''.<ref name=":1" />

Further works were ''The Happening'', his sixth film with M. Night Shyamalan, ''[[Blood Diamond]]'', ''Michael Clayton'', ''[[The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep]]'', ''[[I Am Legend (film)|I Am Legend]]'', ''[[Charlie Wilson's War (film)|Charlie Wilson's War]]'', and Shyamalan's 2010 film adaptation of the Nickelodeon series ''[[Avatar: the Last Airbender]].''

Howard debuted his work for symphony orchestra, ''I Would Plant A Tree,'' in February 2009 as part of the Pacific Symphony's annual American Composers Festival. The debut took place at the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa, California, with the Symphony under the direction of Carl St.Clair.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pacificsymphony.org/show_details.php?shid=201|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090215162420/http://www.pacificsymphony.org/show_details.php?shid=201|url-status=dead|title=Pacificsymphony.org|archive-date=February 15, 2009}}</ref>

After being replaced in later seasons, his original theme song for the hit TV show ''ER'' returned for the final episode of the series.<ref>{{Cite web|date=April 5, 2009|title='ER': The series finale, but life goes on – It Happened Last Night – Zap2it|url=http://blog.zap2it.com/ithappenedlastnight/2009/04/er-the-series-finale-but-life-goes-on.html|access-date=December 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090405001614/http://blog.zap2it.com/ithappenedlastnight/2009/04/er-the-series-finale-but-life-goes-on.html|archive-date=April 5, 2009}}</ref>

== 2010s ==
In September 2010, he was appointed visiting professor of media composition at the [[Royal Academy of Music]] in London.<ref name="New Appointments">{{cite web | title=New Appointments| url=http://www.ram.ac.uk/whatsnew/Pages/Newappointments.aspx| publisher=Royal Academy of Music | access-date=October 2, 2010}}</ref>

He composed the [[Legendary Entertainment]] fanfare from 2010 to 2017, and he also composed the 2011 [[FilmDistrict]] fanfare.

From 2012 to 2023, James Newton Howard scored the music for the critically acclaimed ''[[The Hunger Games]]'' franchise.

From 2014 to 2015, Howard saw major success with ''[[The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1]]'' when he composed the score for the movie, which included "[[The Hanging Tree (The Hunger Games song)|The Hanging Tree]]", featuring vocals from actress [[Jennifer Lawrence]]. The song peaked at number 12 on the [[Billboard Hot 100]], becoming the highest-charting single from ''The Hunger Games'' movies and both Howard's and Lawrence's first chart single.<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Jennifer Lawrence|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/jennifer-lawrence/chart-history/hsi/|access-date=December 26, 2020|magazine=Billboard}}</ref>

In 2014, Howard scored two [[Academy Award]]-nominated films, ''[[Nightcrawler (film)|Nightcrawler]]'' and ''[[Maleficent (film)|Maleficent]]''.

Howard composed the score for the fantasy drama ''[[Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (film)|Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them]]'', a spin-off/prequel of the ''[[Harry Potter (film series)|Harry Potter]]'' film series, and for its sequels, ''[[Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald]]'' and ''[[Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore]]''.

In 2015, James Newton Howard was named the new artistic director of the Henry Mancini Institute (HMI) at the [[Frost School of Music]] at the [[University of Miami]] in Coral Gables, Florida.<ref>[https://eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=13&sid=9e1a0eee-84ef-4e6f-9984-014a8c5bbf9f%40sessionmgr103&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#AN=201504171055PR.NEWS.USPR.DC81081&db=bwh] {{dead link|date=October 2019}}</ref>

On March 23–24, 2019, ''[[Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra]]'' gave the world premiere of Howard's Concerto for Cello & Orchestra with LACO principal cello [[Andrew Shulman]] as the soloist. The ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' described the work as having "an elegiac tone, along with thematic material from the beginning and closing titles of ''[[Red Sparrow]]''" the score of which Howard was working on while first composing the concerto.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-laco-kahane-review-20190325-story.html|title=Review: Jeffrey Kahane returns to L.A. Chamber Orchestra with Mozart and more|date=March 26, 2019|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=October 9, 2019}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
When delving into his family history, 25 years after the death of his father, Howard learned that his father was [[Jewish]]  (the family's original surname was ''Horowitz''). Although raised [[Protestant]], Howard later became a practicing [[Reconstructionist Jew]] after learning that his father was Jewish.<ref>Commentary track of [[Defiance (2008 film)|Defiance]], 42:10</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jewishjournal.com/oscars/article/family_secret_persistent_bias_inspire_soul_of_defiance_score_20090218/ |title=Family Secret, Persistent Bias Inspire Soul of 'Defiance' Score|first=Lilly|last=Fowler|date=February 19, 2009|work=Jews and Oscars |access-date=August 4, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/a-great-morning-reflect-rejoice-124325/|title=A great morning to reflect, rejoice|date=December 12, 2008|magazine=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|access-date=September 5, 2021}}</ref>

Howard was married to [[Rosanna Arquette]] in 1986; they are divorced. From 1990 to 1991, he was in a relationship with [[Barbra Streisand]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/89614%7C203452/James-Newton%20Howard#family-companions|title=James Newton Howard|publisher=[[Turner Classic Movies]]|access-date=August 5, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240806003039/https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/89614%7C203452/James-Newton%20Howard#family-companions|archive-date=August 6, 2024|url-status=dead}}</ref> He is married to Sophie Howard, with whom he has a son.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/28/magazine/the-quest-for-the-holy-grill.html|title=The Quest For The Holy Grill|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=March 28, 2004|access-date=August 5, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150922100909/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/28/magazine/the-quest-for-the-holy-grill.html|archive-date=September 22, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1997/voices/columns/malick-toes-line-remake-1117863089/|title=Malick toes 'Line' remake|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=June 19, 1997|access-date=August 5, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240806004535/https://variety.com/1997/voices/columns/malick-toes-line-remake-1117863089/|archive-date=August 6, 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Awards ==
In May 2008, he was made an Honorary Member of the [[Royal Academy of Music]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ram.ac.uk/public/uploads/documents/be29ec_hon-ram.pdf|title=Honorary Members (Hon RAM)|work=[[Royal Academy of Music]]|access-date=April 7, 2017}}</ref>

In 2009, he was awarded a Grammy alongside Hans Zimmer for the score soundtrack album to ''[[The Dark Knight]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=James Newton Howard {{!}} Artist |url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/james-newton-howard |publisher=National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences |access-date=March 13, 2020}}</ref>

In October 2015, he was honored with the Max Steiner Film Music Achievement Award<ref>{{cite web|title=The Max Steiner Award|url=http://hollywoodinvienna.com/en/award|website=Hollywoodinvienna.com|access-date=October 9, 2019|archive-date=October 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191021050714/http://hollywoodinvienna.com/en/award|url-status=dead}}</ref> during the annual [[Hollywood in Vienna]] concert.

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;"
! Award
! Year
! Project
! Category
! Outcome
|-
| rowspan="9" | '''[[Academy Award]]s'''
| [[64th Academy Awards|1992]]
| ''[[The Prince of Tides]]''
| rowspan="2" | [[Academy Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[66th Academy Awards|1994]]
| ''[[The Fugitive (1993 film)|The Fugitive]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[67th Academy Awards|1995]]
| ''[[Junior (1994 film)|Junior]]'' <small>(shared with [[Carole Bayer Sager]], [[James Ingram]] and [[Patty Smyth]])</small>
| rowspan="2" | [[Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[69th Academy Awards|1997]]
| ''[[One Fine Day (1996 film)|One Fine Day]]'' <small>(shared with Jud Friedman and Allan Dennis Rich)</small>
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[70th Academy Awards|1998]]
| ''[[My Best Friend's Wedding]]''
| rowspan="5" | [[Academy Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[77th Academy Awards|2005]]
| ''[[The Village (2004 film)|The Village]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[80th Academy Awards|2008]]
| ''[[Michael Clayton]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[81st Academy Awards|2009]]
| ''[[Defiance (2008 film)|Defiance]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[93rd Academy Awards|2021]]
| ''[[News of the World (film)|News of the World]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2" | '''[[Annie Award]]s'''
| [[List of Annie Awards ceremonies|2000]]
| ''[[Dinosaur (2000 film)|Dinosaur]]''
| rowspan="2" | [[Annie Award for Music in a Feature Production|Music in a Feature Production]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[List of Annie Awards ceremonies|2001]]
| ''[[Atlantis: The Lost Empire]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| '''[[BAFTA Awards]]'''
| [[63rd British Academy Film Awards|2009]]
| ''[[The Dark Knight]]'' <small>(shared with [[Hans Zimmer]])</small>
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Film Music|Anthony Asquith Award for Best Film Music]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="7" | '''[[Emmy Award]]s'''
| [[41st Primetime Emmy Awards|1989]]
| ''[[Men (TV series)|Men]]''
| [[Outstanding Main Title Theme Music]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[47th Primetime Emmy Awards|1995]]
| ''[[ER (TV Series)|ER]]''
| [[Outstanding Main Title Theme Music]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[53rd Primetime Emmy Awards|2001]]
| ''[[Gideon's Crossing]]''
| [[Outstanding Main Title Theme Music]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[68th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards|2016]]
| ''[[All the Way (2016 film)|All the Way]]''
| [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie, or a Special|Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited Series, Movie, or Special (Original Dramatic Score)]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[69th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards|2017]]
| ''[[A Series of Unfortunate Events (TV series)|A Series of Unfortunate Events]]: The Bad Beginning''
| [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series|Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score)]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[75th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards|2023]]
| ''[[Light & Magic (TV series)|Light & Magic]]: Gang of Outsiders''
| [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special|Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special (Original Dramatic Score)]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[76th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards|2024]]
| ''[[All the Light We Cannot See (miniseries)|All the Light We Cannot See]]: Episode 4''
| [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie, or a Special|Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited Series, Movie, or Special (Original Dramatic Score)]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="5" | '''[[Golden Globe Award]]s'''
| [[53rd Golden Globe Awards|1995]]
| ''[[Junior (1994 film)|Junior]]'' <small>(shared with [[Carole Bayer Sager]], [[James Ingram]] and [[Patty Smyth]])</small>
| rowspan="2" | [[Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[55th Golden Globe Awards|1997]]
| ''[[One Fine Day (1996 film)|One Fine Day]]'' <small>(shared with Jud Friedman and Allan Dennis Rich)</small>
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[64th Golden Globe Awards|2006]]
| ''[[King Kong (2005 film)|King Kong]]''
| rowspan="3"|[[Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[67th Golden Globe Awards|2009]]
| ''[[Defiance (2008 film)|Defiance]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[78th Golden Globe Awards|2021]]
| ''[[News of the World (film)|News of the World]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="5" |'''[[Grammy Award]]s'''
|[[40th Annual Grammy Awards|1998]]
|''For The First Time (from [[One Fine Day (1996 film)|One Fine Day]])'' <small>(shared with Jud Friedman and Allan Dennis Rich)</small>
|[[Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media|Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television]]
| {{nom}}
|-
|[[45th Annual Grammy Awards|2003]]
|[[Signs (2002 film)|Signs – Main Titles]]
| rowspan="2" |[[Best Instrumental Composition]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[43rd Annual Grammy Awards|2001]]
| ''The Egg Travels''
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[50th Annual Grammy Awards|2008]]
| ''[[Blood Diamond]]''
| rowspan="2" |[[Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media|Best Score Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or other Visual Media]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[51st Annual Grammy Awards|2009]]
| ''[[The Dark Knight]]'' <small>(shared with [[Hans Zimmer]])</small>
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="4" |'''[[Satellite Awards]]'''
| [[12th Satellite Awards|2007]]
| ''[[The Lookout (2007 film)|The Lookout]]''
| rowspan="4" |[[Satellite Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[15th Satellite Awards|2010]]
| ''[[Salt (2010 film)|Salt]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[16th Satellite Awards|2011]]
| ''[[Water for Elephants (film)|Water for Elephants]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[25th Satellite Awards|2020]]
| ''News of the World''
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="4" | '''[[Saturn Award]]s'''
| [[27th Saturn Awards|2000]]
| ''[[Dinosaur (2000 film)|Dinosaur]]''
| rowspan="4" | [[Saturn Award for Best Music|Best Music]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[32nd Saturn Awards|2006]]
| ''[[Batman Begins]]'' <small>(shared with [[Hans Zimmer]])</small>
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[35th Saturn Awards|2009]]
| ''[[The Dark Knight]]'' <small>(shared with [[Hans Zimmer]])</small>
| {{won}}
|-
| [[43rd Saturn Awards|2017]]
| ''[[Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (film)|Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="9" | '''[[World Soundtrack Awards]]'''
| [[World Soundtrack Awards 2001|2001]]
| ''[[Atlantis: The Lost Empire]]'' <small>(shared with [[Diane Warren]])</small>
| Best Original Song Written for a Film
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[World Soundtrack Awards 2005|2005]]
| ''[[Batman Begins]]'' <small>(shared with [[Hans Zimmer]])</small>
| rowspan="2"|Best Original Soundtrack of the Year
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2" | [[World Soundtrack Awards 2006|2006]]
| rowspan="2" | ''[[King Kong (2005 film)|King Kong]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| Soundtrack Composer of the Year
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2008
| ''[[I Am Legend (film)|I Am Legend]]''
| rowspan="3" | Soundtrack Composer of the Year
| {{won}}
|-
| ''[[Michael Clayton]]''
| {{won}}
|-
| ''[[Charlie Wilson's War (film)|Charlie Wilson's War]]''
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2013
| ''[[The Bourne Legacy (film)|The Bourne Legacy]]''
| rowspan="2" | Film Composer of the Year
| {{nom}}
|-
| ''[[After Earth]]''
| {{nom}}
|}
<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=48th Annual Annie Awards|url=https://annieawards.org/|access-date=December 26, 2020|website=annieawards.org|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=August 18, 2017|title=BAFTA Conversations with Screen Composers: James Newton Howard|url=https://www.bafta.org/whats-on/bafta-conversations-with-screen-composers-james-newton-howard|access-date=December 26, 2020|website=bafta.org|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=James Newton Howard|url=https://www.emmys.com/bios/james-newton-howard|access-date=December 26, 2020|website=Television Academy|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=James Newton Howard|url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/james-newton-howard|access-date=December 26, 2020|website=goldenglobes.com|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=James Newton Howard {{!}} Recipients |website=Pressacademy.com|url=https://www.pressacademy.com/recipient/james-newton-howard/|access-date=December 26, 2020|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Kilday|first=Gregg|date=June 25, 2009|title="Dark Knight" tops Saturn Awards|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-darkknight-idUSTRE55O0JZ20090625|access-date=December 26, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Awards|first=World Soundtrack|title=Film Composer of the Year – Awards|url=https://www.worldsoundtrackawards.com/en/awards/film-composer-of-the-year/6|access-date=December 26, 2020|website=World Soundtrack Awards|archive-date=December 25, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191225114128/https://www.worldsoundtrackawards.com/en/awards/film-composer-of-the-year/6|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Discography==
=== Albums ===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Musician
! Notes
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1974 || ''[[Goodnight Vienna]]'' || [[Ringo Starr]] || Synthesizer for "[[Snookeroo]]"
|-
| ''Rock 'n' Roll Survivors'' || [[Fanny (band)|Fanny]] || Synthesizer and clavinet
|-
| ''James Newton Howard'' || ||
|-
| rowspan="5" | 1975 || ''[[Playing Possum]]'' || [[Carly Simon]] || Electric piano and synthesizer for "Look Me in the Eyes"
|-
| ''He Don't Like You, Like I Love You'' || [[Tony Orlando and Dawn]] || Keyboards
|-
| ''[[Melissa (Melissa Manchester album)|Melissa]]'' || [[Melissa Manchester]] || Electric piano, [[clavinet]], [[ARP Instruments|ARP]] synthesizer, organ, piano, [[Celesta|celeste keyboards]]
|-
| ''It's in Everyone of Us'' || [[David Pomeranz]] || Electric piano and synthesizer for "The Hit Song of All Time" and "If You Walked Away"<br />Synthesizer for "Flying" and "Greyhound Mary"
|-
| ''[[Rock of the Westies]]'' || [[Elton John]] || Clavinet, ARP synthesizer, [[Elka Synthex]], [[harpsichord]], [[Mellotron]], electric piano
|-
| rowspan="9" | 1976 || ''[[...That's the Way It Is]]'' || [[Harry Nilsson]] || Keyboards
|-
| ''[[Blue Moves]]'' || [[Elton John]] || Conductor/arrangement for "Tonight", "[[Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word]]", and "[[Bite Your Lip (Get Up and Dance!)]]"<br />Co-writer for "One Horse Town" and "The Wide-Eyed and Laughing"<br />Synthesizer, electric piano, organ, Mellotron
|-
| ''The Faragher Brothers'' || [[The Faragher Brothers]] || ARP synthesizer for "Never Get Your Love Behind Me"
|-
| ''Help Is on the Way'' || [[Melissa Manchester]] || String arrangement for "Be Somebody", "Help Is on the Way", "Dirty Work", and "There's More Where That Came From"<br />Electric piano for "Be Somebody"
|-
| ''[[The Movies (The Movies album)|The Movies]]'' || [[The Movies (UK band)|The Movies]] || Synthesizer on "Satellite Touchdown"
|-
| ''[[Endless Flight (album)|Endless Flight]]'' || [[Leo Sayer]] || Synthesizer on "Reflections" and "[[When I Need You]]"
|-
| ''Better Days & Happy Endings'' || [[Melissa Manchester]] || ARP synthesizer
|-
| ''[[Beautiful Noise]]'' || [[Neil Diamond]] || ARP synthesizer on "[[If You Know What I Mean]]", "Home Is a Wounded Heart", and "Jungletime"
|-
| ''Something New'' || [[Barbi Benton]] || Keyboards
|-
| 1977 || ''Kiki Dee'' || [[Kiki Dee]] || Piano for all tracks except "Standing Room Only" and "First Thing in the Morning, Last Thing at Night"<br />Writer for "Sweet Creation"<br />Arrangement for "Sweet Creation", "Night Hours", and "In Return"<br />ARP synthesizer for "Sweet Creation" and "Standing Room Only"<br />Mellotron for "Into Eternity"<br />Organ for "Standing Room Only", "Keep Right On", and "In Return"<br />Electric piano and strings for "Night Hours"
|-
| 1978 ||  ''Wild Child'' || [[Valerie Carter]] || Producer, various keyboards,
co-writer (Taking the Long Way Home, Lady In The Dark)
|-
| 1980 || ''[[Black Rose (Cher album)|Black Rose]]'' || [[Black Rose (Cher album)|Black Rose]] / [[Cher]] || Producer of the album, co-writer of the song (and first single) "Never Should've Started".
|-
| 1982 || ''[[Toto IV]]'' || [[Toto (band)|Toto]] || Orchestral arrangements and Conductor on "[[I Won't Hold You Back]]", "It's a Feeling", "Afraid of Love" and "Lovers in the Night".
|-
| rowspan="5" | 1983 || ''James Newton Howard and Friends'' || James Newton Howard<br />David Paich (keyboards)<br />Steve Porcaro (keyboards)<br />Jeff Porcaro (drums)<br />Joe Porcaro (percussion) || Recorded live, [[Direct-to-disc recording|direct-to-disc]]
|-
| ''[[In Your Eyes (George Benson album)|In Your Eyes]]'' || [[George Benson]] || Co-producer, co-writer, keyboards, synthesizer and string arrangements on "[[Lady Love Me (One More Time)]] with [[David Paich]]
|-
| ''[[Allies (Crosby, Stills & Nash album)|Allies]]'' || [[Crosby, Stills & Nash]] || keyboards
|-
| ''[[What A Feelin']]'' || [[Irene Cara]] || Producer and keyboards on "You Were Made For Me"
|-
| ''[[Stompin' at the Savoy]]'' || [[Chaka Khan]] || Additional keyboards and synthesizer on "[[Ain't Nobody]]"
|-
| rowspan="6" | 1984 || ''[[I Feel for You (album)|I Feel for You]]'' || [[Chaka Khan]] || Producer and co-writer with [[David "Hawk" Wolinski]] on "Hold Her", keyboards, synthesizer
|-
| ''[[20/20 (George Benson album)|20/20]]'' || [[George Benson]] || Co-writer of "Please Don't Walk Away" with [[Steve Lukather]], keyboards, synthesizer, string arrangements
|-
| ''[[Emotion (Barbra Streisand album)|Emotion]]'' || [[Barbra Streisand]] || keyboards, string arrangements on "Clear Sailing"
|-
| ''[[Solid (Ashford & Simpson album)|Solid]]'' || [[Ashford & Simpson]] || Producer, keyboards and drum programming on "Closest to Love"
|-
| ''[[1100 Bel Air Place]]'' || [[Julio Iglesias]] || keyboards
|-
| ''[[Isolation (Toto album)|Isolation]]'' || [[Toto (band)|Toto]] || Orchestral arrangements on "How Does it Feel" and "Change of Heart".
|-
| rowspan="5" | 1985 || ''[[Eaten Alive]]'' || [[Diana Ross]] || keyboards
|-
| ''[[Anywhere You Go]]'' || [[David Pack]] || Producer on "Prove Me Wrong", keyboards, synthesizer, string arrangements
|-
| ''[[The Magazine (album)|The Magazine]]'' || [[Rickie Lee Jones]] || Producer, keyboards, synthesizer, string arrangements
|-
| ''[[Perspective (America album)|Perspective]]'' || [[America (band)|America]] || synthesizer on "(It's Like You) Never Left At All" with [[Randy Kerber]]
|-
| ''[[Behind the Sun (Eric Clapton album)|Behind the Sun]]'' || [[Eric Clapton]] || Producer, synthesizer on "Something's Happening"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1986 || ''[[East of Midnight]]'' || [[Gordon Lightfoot]] || keyboards, synthesizer, arrangements
|-
| ''[[Abstract Emotions]]'' || [[Randy Crawford]] || Producer, keyboards, synthesizer on "Don't Wanna Be Normal"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1987 || ''Flash In Japan'' || [[Eikichi Yazawa]] || Producer, keyboards, synthesizer
|-
| ''[[Collaboration (George Benson & Earl Klugh album)|Collaboration]]'' || [[George Benson]] & [[Earl Klugh]] || synthesizer on "Since You're Gone"
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1988 || ''[[The Seventh One]]'' || [[Toto (band)|Toto]] || String arrangements on "Anna".
|-
| ''[[The Rumour (Olivia Newton-John album)|The Rumour]]'' || [[Olivia Newton-John]] || Producer, keyboards, synthesizer, drum programming on "The Rumour"
|-
| ''[[Land of Dreams (Randy Newman album)|Land of Dreams]]'' || [[Randy Newman]] || Producer, keyboards, synthesizer
|-
| ''[[Soul Searchin' (Glenn Frey album)|Soul Searchin']]'' || [[Glenn Frey]] || Producer and co-writer of "Two Hearts" with [[David "Hawk" Wolinski]]
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1989 || ''Somebody Loves You'' || [[Paul Anka]] || Additional keyboards, synth horns on "A Steel Guitar and A Glass of Wine"
|-
| ''Vonda Shepard'' || [[Vonda Shepard]] || Producer, keyboards, synthesizer, co-writer of "Baby, Don't You Break My Heart Slow"
|-
| ''[[Larger than Life (Jody Watley album)|Larger than Life]]'' || [[Jody Watley]] || Co-writer of "[[Everything (Jody Watley song)|Everything]]" with [[Gardner Cole]]
|-
| ''Can't Escape the Rhythm'' || [[Gregory Hines]] || Producer and co-writer with [[Glen Ballard]]
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1990 || ''[[To Be Continued... (box set)|To Be Continued...]]'' || [[Elton John]] || keyboards, synthesizer and string arrangements on "Made for Me"
|-
| ''[[Simple Mission]]'' || [[Glass Tiger]] || string arrangements on "Where Did Our Love Go"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1991 || ''It's Your Life'' || [[Gardner Cole]] || Producer, keyboards, synthesizer
|-
| ''[[The Fire Inside (Bob Seger album)|The Fire Inside]]'' || [[Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band]] || Synthesizer and strings on "[[The Real Love]]"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1992 || ''[[Start the Car]]'' || [[Jude Cole]] || Producer, keyboards, synthesizer, Co-writer of "[[Tell the Truth (Jude Cole song)|Tell the Truth]]"
|-
| ''The Radical Light'' || [[Vonda Shepard]] || Synth string arrangements on "Clean Rain"
|-
| 1993 || ''[[American Matador]]'' || [[Marc Bonilla]] || Keyboards, acoustic piano, orchestration on American Matador track
|-
| 1994 || ''[[Look What Love Has Done]]'' || [[Patty Smyth]] || Producer, keyboards, synthesizer
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1995 || ''[[One Clear Voice]]'' || [[Peter Cetera]] || Co-writer and keyboards on "The Lucky Ones"
|-
| ''[[A Spanner in the Works]]'' || [[Rod Stewart]] || Producer and keyboards on "[[Leave Virginia Alone]]"
|-
| ''Feel The Healing'' || Pamela Thum || Co-writer and synth strings on "The Other Side"
|-
| 1996 || ''[[If We Fall in Love Tonight]]'' || [[Rod Stewart]] || Producer (both tracks) and keyboards on "[[Sometimes When We Touch]]", co-writer of "[[For the First Time (Kenny Loggins song)|For the First Time]]" with Allan Rich and Jud Friedman
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1997 || ''[[The Other Side (Wynonna Judd album)|The Other Side]]'' || [[Wynonna Judd]] || Co-writer of "Why Now" with [[David Pack]] and Cliff Downs
|-
| ''[[The Heart of Chicago 1967–1997]]'' || [[Chicago (band)|Chicago]] || Producer, keyboards, string arrangements and co-writer of "[[Here in My Heart (Chicago song)|Here in My Heart]]" with [[Glen Ballard]]
|}

== Film ==
=== 1980s ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Director
! Studio(s)
! Notes
|-
| 1984
| ''[[Dune (1984 film)|Dune]]''
| [[David Lynch]]
| [[Dino De Laurentiis Corporation]]<br />[[Universal Pictures]]
| Film scoring debut<br />Composed with [[David Paich]] – Howard co-wrote cue "Trip to Arrakis"
|-
| 1985
| ''[[Head Office]]''
| [[Ken Finkleman]]
| [[HBO Pictures]]<br />[[TriStar Pictures]]
| Composed with [[Alan Howarth (composer)|Alan Howarth]]
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1986
| ''[[Wildcats (film)|Wildcats]]''
| [[Michael Ritchie (film director)|Michael Ritchie]]
| [[Warner Bros.]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Warner Bros. Records]] with songs co-written by Howard and one score cue<br />with [[Hawk Wolinski]]
|-
| ''[[8 Million Ways to Die]]''
| [[Hal Ashby]]
| [[Producers Sales Organization]]<br />[[TriStar Pictures]]
| {{n/a}}
|-
| ''[[Tough Guys]]''
| [[Jeff Kanew]]
| [[Touchstone Pictures]]<br />[[Silver Screen Partners]] II<br />[[The Bryna Company]]
| {{n/a}}
|-
| ''[[Nobody's Fool (1986 film)|Nobody's Fool]]''
| Evelyn Purcell
| Island Pictures
| {{n/a}}
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1987
| ''[[Campus Man]]''
| Ron Casden
| [[RKO Pictures]]<br />[[Paramount Pictures]]
| {{n/a}}
|-
| ''[[Five Corners (film)|Five Corners]]''
| [[Tony Bill]]
| [[HandMade Films]]<br />[[Cineplex Odeon Films]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Varèse Sarabande]]<br />First score by Howard to have an album release
|-
| ''[[Russkies]]''
| [[Rick Rosenthal]]
| New Century Vista Film Company
| Soundtrack released by [[Varèse Sarabande]]
|-
| ''[[Promised Land (1987 film)|Promised Land]]''
| [[Michael Hoffman (director)|Michael Hoffman]]
| [[Vestron Pictures]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Private Music]]
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1988
| ''[[Off Limits (1988 film)|Off Limits]]''
| Christopher Crowe
| [[20th Century Fox]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Varèse Sarabande]]
|-
| ''[[Some Girls (film)|Some Girls]]''
| [[Michael Hoffman (director)|Michael Hoffman]]
| [[United Artists]]<br />[[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]]
| {{n/a}}
|-
| ''[[Everybody's All-American (film)|Everybody's All-American]]''
| [[Taylor Hackford]]
| [[Warner Bros.]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Capitol Records]] with one song co-written by Howard; no score included
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1989
| ''[[Tap (film)|Tap]]''
| [[Nick Castle]]
| [[TriStar Pictures]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Epic Records]] with one song co-written by Howard; no score included
|-
| ''[[Major League (film)|Major League]]''
| [[David S. Ward]]
| [[Morgan Creek Productions]]<br />[[Paramount Pictures]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Curb Records]] with two songs co-written by Howard and two score cues
|-
| ''[[The Package (1989 film)|The Package]]''
| [[Andrew Davis (director)|Andrew Davis]]
| [[Orion Pictures]]
| Soundtrack released by Prometheus Records
|}

=== 1990s ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Director
! Studio(s)
! Notes
|-
| rowspan="5" | 1990
| ''[[Coupe de Ville (film)|Coupe de Ville]]''
| [[Joe Roth]]
| [[Morgan Creek Productions]]<br />[[Universal Pictures]]
| {{n/a}}
|-
| ''[[Pretty Woman]]''
| [[Garry Marshall]]
| [[Touchstone Pictures]]<br />[[Silver Screen Partners]] IV
| Cue "She Rescues Him Right Back" written by [[Thomas Pasatieri]]<br />Soundtrack released by [[EMI America]]; no score included
|-
| ''[[Flatliners]]''
| [[Joel Schumacher]]
| [[Columbia Pictures]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Intrada Records]]
|-
| ''[[Marked for Death]]''
| [[Dwight H. Little]]
| [[Steamroller Productions]]<br />[[20th Century Fox]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Delicious Vinyl]] with one score cue
|-
| ''[[Three Men and a Little Lady]]''
| [[Emile Ardolino]]
| [[Touchstone Pictures]]<br />[[Interscope Communications]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Hollywood Records]] with 20 minutes of score
|-
| rowspan="7" | 1991
| ''[[King Ralph]]''
| [[David S. Ward]]
| [[Universal Pictures]]
| {{n/a}}
|-
| ''[[Guilty by Suspicion]]''
| [[Irwin Winkler]]
| [[Warner Bros.]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Varèse Sarabande]] with 13 minutes of score<br />End title song composed with [[Alan and Marilyn Bergman]]<br />One of the few James Newton Howard film scores to be conducted by the composer
|-
| ''[[Dying Young]]''
| [[Joel Schumacher]]
| [[20th Century Fox]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Arista Records]] with 28 minutes of score
|-
| ''[[The Man in the Moon (1991 film)|The Man in the Moon]]''
| [[Robert Mulligan]]
| [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Reprise Records]]
|-
| ''[[My Girl (film)|My Girl]]''
| [[Howard Zieff]]
| [[Imagine Entertainment]]<br />[[Columbia Pictures]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Columbia Records]] with one score cut
|-
| ''[[Grand Canyon (1991 film)|Grand Canyon]]''
| [[Lawrence Kasdan]]
| [[20th Century Fox]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Milan Records|Milan]]<br />Expanded edition later released by La-La Land Records
|-
| ''[[The Prince of Tides]]''
| [[Barbra Streisand]]
| [[Columbia Pictures]]
| Replaced [[John Barry (composer)|John Barry]]<br />Soundtrack released by Columbia Records with 44 minutes of score<br />Includes song co-written by Howard and performed by [[Barbra Streisand]] not used in the film<br />
Nominated:
* [[Academy Award for Best Original Score]]
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1992
| ''[[Diggstown]]''
| [[Michael Ritchie (film director)|Michael Ritchie]]
| [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Varèse Sarabande]]; conducted by Howard
|-
| ''[[Glengarry Glen Ross (film)|Glengarry Glen Ross]]''
| [[James Foley (director)|James Foley]]
| [[New Line Cinema]]<br />[[LIVE Entertainment]] <small>(US)</small> <br />[[Rank Organisation]] <small>(International)</small>
| Soundtrack released by [[Elektra Records|Elektra]] with just over 16 minutes of score; conducted by Howard
|-
| ''[[American Heart (film)|American Heart]]''
| [[Martin Bell (director)|Martin Bell]]
| Triton Pictures
| Independent film
|-
| ''[[Night and the City (1992 film)|Night and the City]]''
| [[Irwin Winkler]]
| [[20th Century Fox]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Hollywood Records]] with two songs co-written by Howard and one score cue
|-
| rowspan="5" | 1993
| ''[[Alive (1993 film)|Alive]]''
| [[Frank Marshall (producer)|Frank Marshall]]
| [[The Kennedy/Marshall Company]]<br />[[Touchstone Pictures]] <small>(US/Canada)</small> <br />[[Paramount Pictures]] <small>(International)</small>
| Soundtrack released by [[Hollywood Records]]; 2-CD expansion released by [[Intrada Records]]
|-
|''[[Falling Down]]''
| [[Joel Schumacher]]
| [[Le Studio Canal+]]<br />[[Regency Enterprises]]<br />[[Warner Bros.]]
| Replaced [[Graeme Revell]]<br />Soundtrack released by [[Intrada Records]]
|-
| ''[[Dave (film)|Dave]]''
| [[Ivan Reitman]]
| [[Ivan Reitman|Northern Lights Entertainment]]<br />[[Warner Bros.]]
| Soundtrack released by Big Screen Records – cover erroneously credits Howard as the conductor (score actually conducted by [[Marty Paich]]); expanded edition later released by La-La Land
|-
| ''[[The Fugitive (1993 film)|The Fugitive]]''
| [[Andrew Davis (director)|Andrew Davis]]
| [[Warner Bros.]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Elektra Records|Elektra]]; complete score later released by La-La Land Records<br />
Nominated:
* [[Academy Award for Best Original Score]]
|-
| ''[[The Saint of Fort Washington]]''
| [[Tim Hunter (director)|Tim Hunter]]
| [[Warner Bros.]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Varèse Sarabande]]
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1994
| ''[[Intersection (1994 film)|Intersection]]''
| [[Mark Rydell]]
| [[Paramount Pictures]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Milan Records]]; complete score later released by Quartet Records
|-
| ''[[Wyatt Earp (film)|Wyatt Earp]]''
| [[Lawrence Kasdan]]
| Tig Productions<br />Kasdan Pictures<br />[[Warner Bros.]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Warner Bros. Records]]; complete score later released by La-La Land Records
|-
| ''[[Junior (1994 film)|Junior]]''
| [[Ivan Reitman]]
| [[Ivan Reitman|Northern Lights Entertainment]]<br />[[Universal Pictures]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Varèse Sarabande]]<br />
Nominated:
* [[Academy Award for Best Original Song]] <small>(for "[[Look What Love Has Done]]")</small>
* [[Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song]] <small>(for "Look What Love Has Done")</small>
|-
| rowspan="5" | 1995
| ''[[Just Cause (film)|Just Cause]]''
| [[Arne Glimcher]]
| [[Warner Bros.]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Varèse Sarabande]]
|-
| ''[[Outbreak (1995 film)|Outbreak]]''
| [[Wolfgang Petersen]]
| [[Warner Bros.]]
| Soundtrack and subsequent 2-CD expansion released by [[Varèse Sarabande]]
|-
| ''[[French Kiss (1995 film)|French Kiss]]''
| [[Lawrence Kasdan]]
| [[PolyGram Filmed Entertainment]]<br />[[Working Title Films]]<br />[[20th Century Fox]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Mercury Records]] with one score cue
|-
| ''[[Waterworld]]''
| [[Kevin Reynolds (director)|Kevin Reynolds]]
| Gordon Company<br />[[Davis Entertainment]]<br />Licht/Mueller Film Corporation<br />[[Universal Pictures]]
| Replaced [[Mark Isham]] (who did only demos; his music box melody remains in the movie)<br />Soundtrack released by [[MCA Records|MCA]]; complete score later released by La-La Land Records
|-
| ''[[Restoration (1995 film)|Restoration]]''
| [[Michael Hoffman (director)|Michael Hoffman]]
| [[Miramax]] Films
| Soundtrack released by [[Milan Records]] with 44 minutes of score
|-
| rowspan="7" | 1996
| ''[[Eye for an Eye (1996 film)|Eye for an Eye]]''
| [[John Schlesinger]]
| [[Paramount Pictures]]
| Soundtrack released by La-La Land Records
|-
| ''[[The Juror]]''
| [[Brian Gibson (director)|Brian Gibson]]
| [[Columbia Pictures]]
| Replaced [[John Barry (composer)|John Barry]]
|-
| ''[[Primal Fear (film)|Primal Fear]]''
| [[Gregory Hoblit]]
| [[Rysher Entertainment]]<br />[[Paramount Pictures]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Milan Records]] with 28 and a half minutes of score; complete score later released by La-La Land Records
|-
| ''[[The Trigger Effect]]''
| [[David Koepp]]
| [[Amblin Entertainment]]<br />[[Gramercy Pictures]] <small>(US/Canada)</small> <br />[[Universal Pictures]] <small>(International)</small>
| {{n/a}}
|-
| ''[[The Rich Man's Wife]]''
| [[Amy Holden Jones]]
| [[Hollywood Pictures]]<br />[[Caravan Pictures]]<br />[[Roger Birnbaum|Roger Birnbaum Productions]]
| Theme only; score by [[John Frizzell (composer)|John Frizzell]]
|-
| ''[[Space Jam]]''
| [[Joe Pytka]]
| [[Ivan Reitman|Northern Lights Entertainment]]<br />Courtside Seats Productions<br />[[Warner Bros. Feature Animation]]<br />[[Warner Bros. Family Entertainment]]
| Separate score and song albums released by [[Atlantic Records]]<br />Song album includes one track co-written by Howard
|-
| ''[[One Fine Day (1996 film)|One Fine Day]]''
| [[Michael Hoffman (director)|Michael Hoffman]]
| [[Lynda Obst]] Productions<br />[[20th Century Fox]]
| Soundtrack released by Columbia Records with a song co-written by Howard and one score suite<br />
Nominated:
* [[Academy Award for Best Original Song]] <small>(for "For the First Time")</small>
* [[Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song]] <small>(for "For the First Time")</small>
* [[Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media|Grammy Award for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television]] <small>(for "For the First Time")</small>
|-
| rowspan="6" | 1997
| ''[[Dante's Peak]]''
| [[Roger Donaldson]]
| [[Pacific Western Productions]]<br />[[Universal Pictures]]
| Theme and some cues; majority of score by [[John Frizzell (composer)|John Frizzell]]<br />Soundtrack and subsequent 2-CD expansion released by [[Varèse Sarabande]]
|-
| ''[[Liar Liar]]''
| [[Tom Shadyac]]
| Imagine Entertainment<br />Universal Pictures
| Theme only; score by [[John Debney]]<br />Soundtrack released by [[MCA Records|MCA]]
|-
| ''[[Fathers' Day (1997 film)|Fathers' Day]]''
| Ivan Reitman
| [[Silver Pictures]]<br />[[Ivan Reitman|Northern Lights Entertainment]]<br />[[Warner Bros.]]
| {{n/a}}
|-
| ''[[My Best Friend's Wedding]]''
| [[P.J. Hogan]]
| [[Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker|Zucker Brothers Productions]]<br />[[TriStar Pictures]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Sony Music|Sony]]/[[Work Group|Work]] with one score suite<br />For Your Consideration promo with just over 24 minutes issued<br />
Nominated:
* [[Academy Award for Best Original Musical or Comedy Score]]
|-
| ''[[The Devil's Advocate (1997 film)|The Devil's Advocate]]''
| [[Taylor Hackford]]
| [[Regency Enterprises]]<br />[[Warner Bros.]]
| Soundtrack released by [[TVT Records|TVT]] with just over 39 minutes of score
|-
| ''[[The Postman (film)|The Postman]]''
| [[Kevin Costner]]
| Tig Productions<br />[[Warner Bros.]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Warner Bros. Records]] with just under 50 minutes of score
|-
| 1998
| ''[[A Perfect Murder]]''
| [[Andrew Davis (director)|Andrew Davis]]
| Kopelson Entertainment<br />[[Warner Bros.]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Varèse Sarabande]]
|-
| rowspan="6" | 1999
| ''[[Runaway Bride (film)|Runaway Bride]]''
| [[Garry Marshall]]
| [[Lakeshore Entertainment]]<br />[[Interscope Communications]]<br />[[Paramount Pictures]] <small>(US/Canada)</small> <br />[[Touchstone Pictures]] <small>(International)</small>
| Soundtrack released by [[Sony Music|Sony]]; no score
|-
| ''[[Stir of Echoes]]''
| [[David Koepp]]
| [[Artisan Entertainment]] <small>(US/Canada)</small> <br />[[20th Century Fox]] <small>(International)</small>
| Soundtrack released by [[Nettwerk]] with 17-and-a-half minutes of score
|-
| ''[[The Sixth Sense]]''
| [[M. Night Shyamalan]]
| [[The Kennedy/Marshall Company]]<br />[[Barry Mendel]] Productions<br />[[Hollywood Pictures]]<br />[[Spyglass Entertainment]]
| Replaced a yet unknown composer<br />Soundtrack released by [[Varèse Sarabande]]
|-
| ''[[Mumford (film)|Mumford]]''
| [[Lawrence Kasdan]]
| [[Touchstone Pictures]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Hollywood Records]] with just under 25 minutes of score
|-
| ''[[Snow Falling on Cedars (film)|Snow Falling on Cedars]]''
| [[Scott Hicks (director)|Scott Hicks]]
| [[The Kennedy/Marshall Company]]<br />[[Universal Pictures]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Decca Records]]<br />
Nominated:
* [[Satellite Award for Best Original Score]]
|-
| ''[[Wayward Son (film)|Wayward Son]]''
| Randall Harris
| Avenue Pictures <small>(International; The movie had no distributor in the United States)</small>
| Composed with [[Steve Porcaro]]
|}

=== 2000s ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Director
! Studio(s)
! Notes
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2000
| ''[[Dinosaur (2000 film)|Dinosaur]]''
| [[Ralph Zondag]]<br />Eric Leighton
| [[The Secret Lab]]<br />[[Walt Disney Feature Animation]]<br />[[Walt Disney Pictures]]
| First score for an animated film. Soundtrack released by [[Walt Disney Records]]<br />2-CD expansion released by [[Intrada Records]]<br />
Nominated:
* [[Annie Award for Music in a Feature Production|Annie Award Nominee for Individual Achievement for Music Score]]
* [[Saturn Award for Best Music]]
|-
| ''[[Unbreakable (film)|Unbreakable]]''
| [[M. Night Shyamalan]]
| [[Barry Mendel Productions]]<br />[[Blinding Edge Pictures]]<br />[[Touchstone Pictures]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Hollywood Records]]
|-
| ''[[Vertical Limit]]''
| [[Martin Campbell]]
| [[Columbia Pictures]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Varèse Sarabande]]
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2001
| ''[[Atlantis: The Lost Empire]]''
| [[Gary Trousdale]]<br />[[Kirk Wise]]
| [[Walt Disney Feature Animation]]<br />[[Walt Disney Pictures]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Walt Disney Records]]<br />73-minute FYC promo issued<br />
Nominated:
* [[Annie Award for Music in a Feature Production|Annie Award Nominee for Individual Achievement for Music Score]]
* [[World Soundtrack Awards|World Soundtrack Award for Best Original Song Written for a Film]]
|-
| ''[[America's Sweethearts]]''
| [[Joe Roth]]
| [[Revolution Studios]]<br />[[Columbia Pictures]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Atlantic Records]] with one score suite
|-
| rowspan="5" | 2002
| ''[[Big Trouble (2002 film)|Big Trouble]]''
| [[Barry Sonnenfeld]]
| [[Touchstone Pictures]]
| {{n/a}}
|-
| ''[[Signs (2002 film)|Signs]]''
| [[M. Night Shyamalan]]
| [[The Kennedy/Marshall Company]]<br />[[Blinding Edge Pictures]]<br />[[Touchstone Pictures]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Hollywood Records]]
|-
|''[[Unconditional Love (2002 film)|Unconditional Love]]''
| [[P.J. Hogan]]
| [[New Line Cinema]]
| {{n/a}}
|-
| ''[[The Emperor's Club]]''
| [[Michael Hoffman (director)|Michael Hoffman]]
| [[Beacon Pictures|Beacon Communications]]<br />[[Fine Line Features]]<br />[[Sidney Kimmel Entertainment]]<br />[[Universal Pictures]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Varèse Sarabande]]
|-
|''[[Treasure Planet]]''
| [[John Musker]]<br />[[Ron Clements]]
| [[Walt Disney Feature Animation]]<br />[[Walt Disney Pictures]]
| Replaced [[Alan Silvestri]]<br />Soundtrack released by [[Walt Disney Records]] with about 47 and a half minutes of score
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2003
| ''[[Dreamcatcher (2003 film)|Dreamcatcher]]''
| [[Lawrence Kasdan]]
| [[Castle Rock Entertainment]]<br />[[Village Roadshow Pictures]]<br />[[Warner Bros.]]
| Soundtrack and subsequent 2-CD expansion released by [[Varèse Sarabande]]
|-
| ''[[Peter Pan (2003 film)|Peter Pan]]''
| [[P.J. Hogan]]
| [[Revolution Studios]]<br />[[Red Wagon Productions]]<br />[[Allied Stars Ltd]]<br />[[Universal Pictures]] <small>(US/Canada/Australia/UK)</small> <br />Columbia Pictures <small>(International)</small>
| "Flying" later used in commercials for [[Disneyland Paris]]<br /> 15th Anniversary's Anthem<br />Soundtrack released by Varèse Sarabande<br />2-CD expansion released by [[Intrada Records]]
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2004
| ''[[Hidalgo (film)|Hidalgo]]''
| [[Joe Johnston]]
| [[Casey Silver Productions]]<br />[[Touchstone Pictures]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Hollywood Records]]
|-
| ''[[The Village (2004 film)|The Village]]''
| [[M. Night Shyamalan]]
| [[Blinding Edge Pictures]]<br />[[Touchstone Pictures]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Hollywood Records]]<br />
Nominated:
* [[Academy Award for Best Original Score]]
|-
| ''[[Collateral (film)|Collateral]]''
| [[Michael Mann]]
| [[DreamWorks Pictures]] <small>(US/Canada)</small> <br />[[Paramount Pictures]] <small>(International)</small>
| Soundtrack released by [[Hip-O Records]] with three Howard cues<br />Composed with [[Tom Rothrock]] and [[Antonio Pinto (composer)|Antonio Pinto]] Complete score issued by [[Intrada Records]]
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2005
| ''[[The Interpreter (2005 film)|The Interpreter]]''
| [[Sydney Pollack]]
| [[Working Title Films]]<br />[[Mirage Enterprises]]<br />[[Universal Pictures]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Varèse Sarabande]]
|-
| ''[[Batman Begins]]''
| [[Christopher Nolan]]
| [[DC Comics]]<br />[[Syncopy Inc.]]<br />[[Legendary Pictures]]<br />[[Warner Bros.]]
| Composed with [[Hans Zimmer]]<br />Soundtrack released by [[Warner Bros. Records]]<br />
Nominated:
* [[Saturn Award for Best Music]]
* [[World Soundtrack Awards|World Soundtrack Award for Best Original Soundtrack of the Year]]
|-
| ''[[Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D]]''
| Mark Cowen
| [[Playtone]]<br />[[IMAX]]
| Theme only; score by [[Blake Neely]]
|-
| ''[[King Kong (2005 film)|King Kong]]''
| [[Peter Jackson]]
| [[WingNut Films]]<br />[[Universal Pictures]]
| Replaced [[Howard Shore]]<br />Soundtrack released by [[Decca Records]]<br />
Nominated:
* [[Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score]]
* [[World Soundtrack Awards|World Soundtrack Award for Best Original Soundtrack of the Year]]
* [[World Soundtrack Awards|World Soundtrack Award for Soundtrack Composer of the Year]]
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2006
| ''[[Freedomland (film)|Freedomland]]''
| [[Joe Roth]]
| [[Revolution Studios]]<br />[[Columbia Pictures]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Varèse Sarabande]]<br />Composed with [[Mel Wesson]]
|-
| ''[[RV (film)|RV]]''
| [[Barry Sonnenfeld]]
| [[Relativity Media]]<br />[[Red Wagon Entertainment]]<br />[[Intermedia Films]]<br />[[Columbia Pictures]]
| Composed with [[Stuart Michael Thomas]] and [[Blake Neely]]
|-
| ''[[Lady in the Water]]''
| [[M. Night Shyamalan]]
| [[Legendary Pictures]]<br />[[Blinding Edge Pictures]]<br />[[Warner Bros.]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Decca Records]]
|-
| ''[[Blood Diamond]]''
| [[Edward Zwick]]
| [[Bedford Falls Productions]]<br />[[Virtual Studios]]<br />[[Initial Entertainment Group]]<br />[[Warner Bros.]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Varèse Sarabande]] with 51-and-a-half minutes of score<br />
Nominated:
* [[Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media]]
|-
| rowspan="6" | 2007
| ''[[The Lookout (2007 film)|The Lookout]]''
| [[Scott Frank]]
| [[Spyglass Entertainment]]<br />[[Miramax Films]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Hollywood Records]] as an [[iTunes]] exclusive<br />Composed with [[Clay Duncan]] and [[Stuart Michael Thomas]]<br />
Nominated:
* [[Satellite Award for Best Original Score]]
|-
| ''[[Michael Clayton]]''
| [[Tony Gilroy]]
| [[Section Eight Productions]]<br />[[Mirage Enterprises]]<br />[[Castle Rock Entertainment]]<br />[[Warner Bros.]]
| [[Michael Clayton (soundtrack)|Soundtrack]] released by [[Varèse Sarabande]]<br />
Won:
* [[World Soundtrack Awards|World Soundtrack Award for Soundtrack Composer of the Year]]
Nominated:
* [[Academy Award for Best Original Score]]
|-
| ''[[I Am Legend (film)|I Am Legend]]''
| [[Francis Lawrence]]
| [[Weed Road Pictures]]<br />[[Overbrook Entertainment]]<br />[[Heyday Films]]<br />[[Original Film]]<br />[[Village Roadshow Pictures]]<br />[[Warner Bros.]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Varèse Sarabande]]<br />
Won:
* [[World Soundtrack Awards|World Soundtrack Award for Soundtrack Composer of the Year]]
|-
| ''[[The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep]]''
| [[Jay Russell]]
| [[Revolution Studios]]<br />[[Walden Media]]<br />[[Beacon Pictures|Beacon Communications]]<br />[[Columbia Pictures]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Sony Classical]] with 46 minutes of score<br />[[iTunes]] release includes 12 more minutes of score
|-
| ''[[Charlie Wilson's War (film)|Charlie Wilson's War]]''
| [[Mike Nichols]]
| [[Relativity Media]]<br />[[Participant Productions]]<br />[[Playtone]]<br />[[Universal Pictures]]
| Replaced [[Ry Cooder]]<br />Soundtrack released by [[Varèse Sarabande]]<br />One track co-written by [[Gingger Shankar]]<br />
Won:
* [[World Soundtrack Awards|World Soundtrack Award for Soundtrack Composer of the Year]]
|-
| ''[[The Great Debaters]]''
| [[Denzel Washington]]
| [[Harpo Productions]]<br />[[The Weinstein Company]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Varèse Sarabande]]<br />Composed with Peter Golub
|-
| rowspan="5" | 2008
| ''[[Mad Money (film)|Mad Money]]''
| [[Callie Khouri]]
| [[Millennium Films]]<br />[[Overture Films]]
| Composed with Marty Davich
|-
| ''[[The Happening (2008 film)|The Happening]]''
| [[M. Night Shyamalan]]
| [[Spyglass Entertainment]]<br />[[Blinding Edge Pictures]]<br />[[UTV Motion Pictures]]<br />[[Dune Entertainment]]<br />[[20th Century Fox]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Varèse Sarabande]]
|-
| ''[[The Dark Knight]]''
| [[Christopher Nolan]]
| [[DC Comics]]<br />[[Syncopy Inc.]]<br />[[Legendary Pictures]]<br />[[Warner Bros.]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Warner Bros. Records]] in one-disc and two-disc editions<br />Composed with [[Hans Zimmer]]<br />
Won:
* [[Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media]]
* [[Saturn Award for Best Music]]
Nominated:
* [[BAFTA Award for Best Film Music|Anthony Asquith Award for Best Film Music]]
|-
| ''[[Youssou N'Dour: I Bring What I Love]]''
| [[Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi]]
| Shadow Distribution <small>(US theatrical)</small> <br />[[Oscilloscope Pictures]] <small>(US home video)</small>
| Soundtrack released by [[Nonesuch Records|Nonesuch]] with one score track<br />Composed with Marty Davich
|-
| ''[[Defiance (2008 film)|Defiance]]''
| [[Edward Zwick]]
| [[Bedford Falls Productions]]<br />[[Paramount Vantage]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Sony Classical Records]]<br />
Nominated:
* [[Academy Award for Best Original Score]]
* [[Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score]]
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2009
| ''[[Confessions of a Shopaholic (film)|Confessions of a Shopaholic]]''
| [[P.J. Hogan]]
| [[Jerry Bruckheimer Films]]<br />[[Touchstone Pictures]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Hollywood Records]] with one score suite
|-
| ''[[Duplicity (2009 film)|Duplicity]]''
| [[Tony Gilroy]]
| [[Relativity Media]]<br />[[Universal Pictures]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Varèse Sarabande]]
|-
| ''Wings Over the Rockies''
| [[Tod Williams (filmmaker)|Tod Williams]]
| Holding Pictures
| Short film. Music from the film ''Blood Diamond''
|-
| ''[[It's Complicated (film)|It's Complicated]]''
| [[Nancy Meyers]]
| [[Relativity Media]]<br />[[Waverly Films]]<br />[[Dentsu]]<br />[[Universal Pictures]]
| Some additional music with [[Hans Zimmer]]
|}

=== 2010s ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Director
! Studio(s)
! Notes
|-
| rowspan="6" | 2010
| ''[[Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang]]''
| [[Susanna White]]
| [[Relativity Media]]<br />[[Working Title Films]]<br />[[StudioCanal]]<br />[[Universal Pictures]]
| Took over from [[Thomas Newman]] (who left and did not do a score)<br />Soundtrack released by [[Varèse Sarabande]]
|-
| ''[[Salt (2010 film)|Salt]]''
| [[Phillip Noyce]]
| [[Di Bonaventura Pictures]]<br />[[Rainmaker Digital Effects]]<br />[[Columbia Pictures]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Madison Gate Records]]<br />
Nominated:
* [[Satellite Award for Best Original Score]]
|-
| ''[[The Last Airbender (2010 film)|The Last Airbender]]''
| [[M. Night Shyamalan]]
| [[Nickelodeon Movies]]<br />[[The Kennedy/Marshall Company]]<br />[[Blinding Edge Pictures]]<br />[[Paramount Pictures]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Lakeshore Records]]
|-
| ''[[Inhale (film)|Inhale]]''
| [[Baltasar Kormákur]]
| [[IFC Films]]
| {{n/a}}
|-
| ''[[Love & Other Drugs]]''
| [[Edward Zwick]]
| [[Fox 2000 Pictures]]<br />[[Regency Enterprises]]<br />[[New Regency]]<br />[[Scott Stuber|Stuber Pictures]]<br />[[20th Century Fox]]
| {{n/a}}
|-
| ''[[The Tourist (2010 film)|The Tourist]]''
| [[Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck]]
| [[GK Films]]<br />[[Spyglass Entertainment]]<br />[[StudioCanal]]<br />[[Columbia Pictures]]
| Replaced [[Gabriel Yared]]<br />Soundtrack released by [[Varèse Sarabande]] (includes one track retained from Yared's discarded score)
|-
| rowspan="5" | 2011
| ''[[Larry Crowne]]''
| [[Tom Hanks]]
| [[Playtone]]<br />[[StudioCanal]]<br />[[Universal Pictures]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Rhino Records]] with one score track
|-
| ''[[Water for Elephants (film)|Water for Elephants]]''
| [[Francis Lawrence]]
| [[Fox 2000 Pictures]]<br />[[Dune Entertainment]]<br />[[Ingenious Media]]<br />[[20th Century Fox]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Sony Classical Records]]<br />
Nominated:
* [[Satellite Award for Best Original Score]]
|-
| ''[[The Green Hornet (2011 film)|The Green Hornet]]''
| [[Michel Gondry]]
| [[Original Film]]<br />[[Columbia Pictures]]
| Replaced [[Danny Elfman]] due to a scheduling conflict
|-
| ''[[Gnomeo & Juliet]]''
| [[Kelly Asbury]]
| [[Touchstone Pictures]]<br />[[Miramax Films]] <small>(uncredited)</small> <br />[[Rocket Pictures]]<br />[[Arc Productions]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Hollywood Records]] and [[Walt Disney Records]]<br />Composed with [[Chris P. Bacon]]
|-
| ''[[Green Lantern (film)|Green Lantern]]''
| [[Martin Campbell]]
| [[DC Entertainment]]<br />[[De Line Pictures]]<br />[[Warner Bros.]]
| Soundtrack released by [[WaterTower Music]]
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2012
| ''[[Darling Companion]]''
| [[Lawrence Kasdan]]
| [[Sony Pictures Classics]] <small>(USA)</small> <br />[[Sierra/Affinity]] <small>(International)</small>
| {{n/a}}
|-
| ''[[The Hunger Games (film)|The Hunger Games]]''
| [[Gary Ross]]
| [[Color Force]]<br />[[Lionsgate Films|Lionsgate]]
| Replaced [[Danny Elfman]] due to a scheduling conflict<br />Score album released by [[Universal Republic]]
|-
| ''[[Snow White and the Huntsman]]''
| [[Rupert Sanders]]
| [[Roth Films]]<br />[[Universal Pictures]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Universal Republic]]
|-
| ''[[The Bourne Legacy (film)|The Bourne Legacy]]''
| [[Tony Gilroy]]
| [[Relativity Media]]<br />[[The Kennedy/Marshall Company]]<br />[[Captivate Entertainment]]<br />[[Universal Pictures]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Varèse Sarabande]]/[[Back Lot Music]]<br />
Nominated:
* [[World Soundtrack Awards|World Soundtrack Award for Film Composer of the Year]]
Original ''Bourne'' themes by [[John Powell (film composer)|John Powell]]
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2013
| ''[[After Earth]]''
| [[M. Night Shyamalan]]
| [[Overbrook Entertainment]]<br />[[Blinding Edge Pictures]]<br />[[Relativity Media]]<br />[[Columbia Pictures]]
| Soundtrack released by Varèse Sarabande <br />
Nominated:
* [[World Soundtrack Awards|World Soundtrack Award for Film Composer of the Year]]
|-
| ''[[The Hunger Games: Catching Fire]]''
| [[Francis Lawrence]]
| [[Color Force]]<br />[[Lionsgate Films|Lionsgate]]
| Score album released by [[Universal Republic]]
|-
| ''[[Parkland (film)|Parkland]]''
| [[Peter Landesman]]
| [[American Film Company (2008)|American Film Company]]<br />[[Playtone]]<br />Exclusive Media Group
| Soundtrack released by [[Rhino Records]] as a digital download<br />Additional music by Sven Faulconer and Sunna Wehrmeijer
|-
| rowspan="5" | 2014
| ''[[Cut Bank (film)|Cut Bank]]''
| [[Matt Shakman]]
| Kilburn Media<br />[[A24]]
| {{n/a}}
|-
| ''[[Maleficent (film)|Maleficent]]''
| [[Robert Stromberg]]
| [[Roth Films]]<br />[[Walt Disney Pictures]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Walt Disney Records]]
|-
|''[[Nightcrawler (film)|Nightcrawler]]''
| [[Dan Gilroy]] 
| [[Bold Films]]<br> [[Open Road Films]]
| Soundtrack released by [[Lakeshore Records]]
|-
| ''[[Pawn Sacrifice]]''
| Edward Zwick
| [[Bleecker Street (company)|Bleecker Street]]
|
|-
| ''[[The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1]]''
| rowspan="2" |[[Francis Lawrence]]
| rowspan="2" |[[Color Force]]<br />[[Lionsgate Films|Lionsgate]]
| rowspan="2" |Score album released by [[Universal Republic]]
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2015
|''[[The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2]]''
|-
| ''[[Concussion (2015 film)|Concussion]]''
| [[Peter Landesman]]
| [[Village Roadshow Pictures]]<br />[[Scott Free Productions]]<br />[[Columbia Pictures]]
| Score album released by [[Sony Classical Records]]
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2016
| ''[[The Huntsman: Winter's War]]''
| [[Cedric Nicolas-Troyan]]
| [[Universal Pictures]]<br />[[Perfect World Pictures]]
| Score album released by [[Back Lot Music]]
|-
| ''[[Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (film)|Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them]]''
| [[David Yates]]
| [[Warner Bros.]]
| Score album released by [[WaterTower Music]]<br />
Nominated:
* [[Saturn Award for Best Music]]
''Hedwig's Theme'' by [[John Williams]]
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2017
| ''[[Detroit (film)|Detroit]]''
| [[Kathryn Bigelow]]
| [[Annapurna Pictures]]<br />First Light Productions<br />Page 1
| "Rescue" and "Alone" are two cues from the soundtrack of ''Detroit'' with various artists<br />Additional music by Karen Han
|-
| ''[[Roman J. Israel, Esq.]]''
| Dan Gilroy
| Macro Media<br />[[Cross Creek Pictures]]<br />[[Columbia Pictures]]
| rowspan="2" |Score album released by [[Sony Classical Records]]
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2018
| ''[[Red Sparrow (soundtrack)|Red Sparrow]]''
| [[Francis Lawrence]]
| [[20th Century Fox]]
|-
| ''[[The Nutcracker and the Four Realms]]''
| [[Lasse Hallström]]<br />[[Joe Johnston]]
| [[Walt Disney Pictures]]
| Score conducted by [[Gustavo Dudamel]]<br /> Score album released by [[Walt Disney Records]]
|-
| ''[[Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald]]''
| [[David Yates]]
| [[Warner Bros.]]
| Score album released by [[WaterTower Music]]
''Hedwig's Theme'' by John Williams
|-
| 2019
| ''[[A Hidden Life (2019 film)|A Hidden Life]]''<ref>{{cite web |last=Greiving |first=Tim |date=December 28, 2020 |title=James Newton Howard, A Composer Who Can Do It All |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/12/28/950886204/james-newton-howard-a-composer-who-can-do-it-all |access-date=June 24, 2025 |website=[[NPR]] |publisher= |language= |quote=Most recently, Howard wrote a meditation for violin and orchestra for A Hidden Life, the Terrence Malick drama about an Austrian farmer who refuses to pledge loyalty to Hitler.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=One Big Soul, The Terrence Malick Community|url=https://www.facebook.com/OneBigSoul.TheTerrenceMalickCommunity/posts/1832053726895042 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/627970240636736/1832053726895042 |archive-date=February 26, 2022 |url-access=limited|via=Facebook|access-date=April 18, 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
| [[Terrence Malick]]
| [[Fox Searchlight Pictures]]
| Score album released by [[Sony Classical Records]]
|}

=== 2020s ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Director
! Studio(s)
! Notes
|-
| 2020
| ''[[News of the World (film)|News of the World]]''
| [[Paul Greengrass]]
| [[Universal Pictures]]
| Score album released by Back Lot Music, a division of Universal Studios Music LLLP<br />
Nominated:
* [[Academy Award for Best Original Score]]
* [[Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score]]
* [[BAFTA Award for Best Film Music|Anthony Asquith Award for Best Film Music]]
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2021
| ''[[Raya and the Last Dragon]]''<ref name="filmmusicreporter">{{cite web | url=http://filmmusicreporter.com/2020/11/23/james-newton-howard-scoring-disneys-raya-and-the-last-dragon/ | title= James Newton Howard Scoring Disney's 'Raya and the Last Dragon' | website=Filmmusicreporter.com | access-date=November 23, 2020}}</ref>
| [[Don Hall (filmmaker)|Don Hall]]<br />[[Carlos López Estrada]]
| [[Walt Disney Animation Studios]]<br />[[Walt Disney Pictures]]
| {{n/a}}
|-
| ''[[Jungle Cruise (film)|Jungle Cruise]]''
| [[Jaume Collet-Serra]]
| [[Walt Disney Pictures]]
| {{n/a}}
|-
| 2022
| ''[[Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore]]''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://filmmusicreporter.com/2018/04/03/james-newton-howard-to-return-for-fantastic-beasts-and-where-to-find-them-3/|title=James Newton Howard to Return for 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 3'|website=Filmmusicreporter.com|access-date=October 9, 2019}}</ref>
| rowspan="2" | [[David Yates]]
| [[Warner Bros.]]
| ''Hedwig's Theme'' by [[John Williams]]
|-
|  rowspan="2" | 2023
| ''[[Pain Hustlers]]''
| [[Netflix]]
| Composed with Michael Dean Parsons
|-
| ''[[The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes]]''
| [[Francis Lawrence]]
| [[Lionsgate Films|Lionsgate]]
| Score album released by [[Sony Classical Records]]
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2025
|-
| ''[[The Lost Bus]]''<ref>{{cite web |last1=Reporter |first1=Film Music |title=James Newton Howard to Score Paul Greengrass' 'The Lost Bus' |url=https://filmmusicreporter.com/2024/10/15/james-newton-howard-to-score-paul-greengrass-the-lost-bus/ |website=Film Music Reporter |access-date=30 November 2024 |language=en-US |date=15 October 2024}}</ref>
| [[Paul Greengrass]]
| [[Blumhouse Productions]]<br />[[Apple TV+]]
| {{n/a}}
|}

== Television ==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Studio(s)
! Notes
|-
| 1988
| ''[[Go Toward the Light]]''
| [[RHI Entertainment]]
| Television film
|-
| 1989
| ''[[Men (TV series)|Men]]''
| [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
| TV series pilot and theme<br />
Nominated:
* [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music|Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Main Title Theme Music]]
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1990
| ''[[The Image (1990 film)|The Image]]''
| [[Home Box Office]]
| Television film
|-
| ''Revealing Evidence: Stalking the Honolulu Strangler''
| [[Universal Television|MCA Television Entertainment]]
| Television film
|-
| ''[[Somebody Has to Shoot the Picture]]''
| [[Home Box Office]]<br />[[MCA Television Entertainment]]
| Television film
|-
| ''[[Descending Angel]]''
| [[Home Box Office]]
| Television film
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1992
| ''[[A Private Matter]]''
| [[Mirage Enterprises]]<br />[[Home Box Office]]
| Television film
|-
| ''[[2000 Malibu Road]]''
| [[Spelling Television]]
| TV series theme
|-
| 1994
| ''[[ER (TV series)|ER]]''
| [[Amblin Entertainment|Amblin Television]]<br />[[Warner Bros. Television]]
| TV series theme and pilot score<br />Soundtrack released by [[Atlantic Records]] with Howard's theme in TV and complete versions<br />
Nominated:
* [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music|Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Main Title Theme Music]]
|-
| 1996
| ''[[The Sentinel (TV series)|The Sentinel]]''
| [[Paramount Network Television]]
| TV series theme only; scores by [[Steve Porcaro]] and [[John M. Keane (musician)|John M. Keane]]<br />Soundtrack released by Sonic Images with Howard's theme in main and end title versions
|-
| 1998
| ''[[From the Earth to the Moon (miniseries)|From the Earth to the Moon]]''
| [[Home Box Office]]
| Score for part 6: "Mare Tranquilitatis"<br />Soundtrack released by [[Epic Soundtrax]] with period pop songs and [[Michael Kamen]]'s opening and closing theme music; no episode scores
|-
| 2000
| ''[[Gideon's Crossing]]''
| [[Heel and Toe Films]]<br />[[Touchstone Television]]
| TV series theme<br />
Won:
* [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music|Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Main Title Theme Music]]
|-
| 2016
| ''[[All the Way (2016 film)|All the Way]]''
| [[Amblin Entertainment]]<br />[[HBO Films]]
| Nominated:
* [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score)|Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited Series, Movie or a Special (Original Dramatic Score)]]
|-
| 2017
| ''[[A Series of Unfortunate Events (TV series)|A Series of Unfortunate Events]]''
| [[Netflix]]<br />[[Paramount Television]]<br />[[Daniel Handler|What is the Question?]]<br />[[Barry Sonnenfeld|Sonnenfeld Productions, Inc.]]
| TV series<br />Scored 5 episodes<br />
Nominated:
* [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score)]] <small>(for "A Bad Beginning")</small>
|-
| 2020
| ''[[Emily in Paris]]''
| [[Netflix]]<br />[[MTV Entertainment Studios]]<br />[[Jax Media]]<br />Darren Star Productions
|TV series theme
|-
| rowspan="2" |2022
| ''[[Light & Magic (TV series)|Light & Magic]]''
| [[Disney+]]<br />[[Lucasfilm]]<br />[[Imagine Documentaries]]<br />Kasdan Pictures
|Documentary miniseries
Nominated:
* [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special|Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special (Original Dramatic Score)]] <small>(for "Gang of Outsiders ")</small>
|-
| ''[[Willow (TV series)|Willow]]''
| [[Disney+]]<br />[[Lucasfilm]]<br />[[Imagine Entertainment|Imagine Television]]<br />[[MGM Television]]
| Composed with Xander Rodzinski<br />Original "Willow" Themes by [[James Horner]]
|-
| 2023
| ''[[All the Light We Cannot See (miniseries)|All the Light We Cannot See]]''
| [[Netflix]]<br />[[21 Laps Entertainment]]
|TV mini-series <br />Scored all 4 episodes<br />
Nominated:
* [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score)]] <small>(for "Episode 4")</small>
|}

== Other work ==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Notes
|-
|2003
| [[Cheyenne Enterprises]] ID
| Logo theme
|-
| 2006
| [[Sony Pictures Animation]] ID
| Logo theme
|-
| 2010
| [[Legendary Pictures]] ID
| Logo theme
|-
| 2011
| [[FilmDistrict]] ID
| Logo theme
|}

== See also ==
* [[List of film director and composer collaborations]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website|http://www.jamesnewtonhoward.com/}}
* {{IMDb name|6133}}
* [http://www.filmmusicsite.com/en/composers.cgi?go=discography&firstname=James%20Newton&lastname=Howard Full discography James Newton Howard] at FilmMusicSite.com
{{James Newton Howard}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for James Newton Howard
|list =
{{EmmyAward MainTitleThemeMusic}}
{{Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media}}
{{Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best Original Score in a Feature Film}}
{{International Film Music Critics Association Award for Best Original Score for an Action/Adventure Film}}
{{International Film Music Critics Association Award for Best Original Score for an Animated Film}}
{{International Film Music Critics Association Award for Best Original Score for a Fantasy/Science Fiction Film}}
{{International Film Music Critics Association Award for Best Original Score for a Horror/Thriller Film}}
{{International Film Music Critics Association Award for Film Composer of the Year}}
{{International Film Music Critics Association Award for Film Music Composition of the Year}}
{{International Film Music Critics Association Award for Film Score of the Year}}
{{Max Steiner Film Music Achievement Award}}
{{Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Original Score}}
{{Saturn Award for Best Music}}
{{WSA – Soundtrack Composer of the Year}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Howard, James Newton}}
[[Category:1951 births]]
[[Category:20th-century American composers]]
[[Category:20th-century American conductors (music)]]
[[Category:20th-century American Jews]]
[[Category:20th-century American keyboardists]]
[[Category:20th-century American pianists]]
[[Category:21st-century American composers]]
[[Category:21st-century American conductors (music)]]
[[Category:21st-century American Jews]]
[[Category:21st-century American keyboardists]]
[[Category:21st-century American male musicians]]
[[Category:21st-century American pianists]]
[[Category:American film score composers]]
[[Category:American male conductors (music)]]
[[Category:American male film score composers]]
[[Category:American male pianists]]
[[Category:American rock keyboardists]]
[[Category:American rock pianists]]
[[Category:American session musicians]]
[[Category:American television composers]]
[[Category:Animated film score composers]]
[[Category:Classical musicians from California]]
[[Category:Converts to Judaism from Protestantism]]
[[Category:American former Protestants]]
[[Category:Converts to Reconstructionist Judaism]]
[[Category:Elton John Band members]]
[[Category:Grammy Award winners]]
[[Category:Honorary members of the Royal Academy of Music]]
[[Category:Intrada Records artists]]
[[Category:Jewish American classical musicians]]
[[Category:Jewish American film score composers]]
[[Category:Jewish American songwriters]]
[[Category:Jewish American television composers]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Music Academy of the West alumni]]
[[Category:Musicians from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:People from Ventura County, California]]
[[Category:Primetime Emmy Award winners]]
[[Category:Private Music artists]]
[[Category:Songwriters from California]]
[[Category:The Thacher School alumni]]
[[Category:USC Thornton School of Music alumni]]
[[Category:Varèse Sarabande Records artists]]
[[Category:Warner Bros. Animation people]]
[[Category:Walt Disney Animation Studios people]]
[[Category:DreamWorks Animation people]]
[[Category:The David Lee Roth Band members]]
[[Category:Arquette family]]
[[Category:20th-century American male composers]]