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{{short description|American composer and conductor (born 1955)}}
{{Other people|Thomas Newman}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Thomas Newman
| image              = Thomas Newman.jpg
| caption            = Newman at 2010 [[Classic Brit Awards]]
| birth_name         = Thomas Montgomery Newman
| birth_date         = {{birth date and age|1955|10|20}}
| birth_place        = [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], U.S.
| origin             = 
| occupation         = {{hlist|Composer|conductor|orchestrator}}
| years_active       = 1979–present
| associated_acts    = 
| website            = 
| spouse             = {{marriage|Ann Marie Zirbes|2001}}
| children           = 3
| relatives          = {{unbulleted list |[[David Newman (composer)|David Newman]] (brother)| [[Randy Newman]] (cousin)| [[Maria Newman]] (sister)| [[Joey Newman]] (cousin)| [[Lionel Newman]] (uncle)| [[Emil Newman]] (uncle)| [[Alfred Newman]] (father)}}
}}

'''Thomas Montgomery Newman''' (born October 20, 1955) is an American [[composer]], conductor, and orchestrator. He is best known for his [[film score]]s, earning accolades of six [[Grammy Award]]s, an [[Emmy Awards|Emmy Award]], two [[British Academy Film Awards|BAFTA Film Awards]], and 15 [[Academy Award]] nominations.

In a career that has spanned over four decades, he has scored numerous films including ''[[The Player (1992 film)|The Player]]'' (1992), ''[[The Shawshank Redemption]]'' (1994), ''[[Meet Joe Black]]'' (1998), ''[[American Beauty (1999 film)|American Beauty]]'' and ''[[The Green Mile (film)|The Green Mile]]'' (both 1999), ''[[Pay It Forward (film)|Pay It Forward]]'' (2000), ''[[In the Bedroom]]'' (2001), ''[[Road to Perdition]]'' and ''[[White Oleander (film)|White Oleander]]'' (both 2002), ''[[Finding Nemo]]'' (2003) and its sequel ''[[Finding Dory]]'' (2016), ''[[Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events]]'' (2004), ''[[Cinderella Man]]'' (2005), ''[[WALL-E]]'' (2008), the ''[[James Bond]]'' films ''[[Skyfall]]'' (2012) and ''[[Spectre (2015 film)|Spectre]]'' (2015), ''[[Bridge of Spies (film)|Bridge of Spies]]'' (2015), ''[[1917 (2019 film)|1917]]'' (2019), and ''[[Elemental (2023 film)|Elemental]]'' (2023).

In television, Newman has composed music for the [[HBO]] drama series ''[[Six Feet Under (TV series)|Six Feet Under]]'' (2001), the 2003 miniseries ''[[Angels in America (miniseries)|Angels in America]]'', as well as the [[Netflix]] biographical crime drama ''[[Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story]]'' (2024). In the lattermost, he co-composed with his daughter Julia Newman. He has collaborated with directors such as [[Robert Altman]], [[Jon Avnet]], [[Martin Brest]], [[Frank Darabont]], [[Todd Field]], [[John Lee Hancock]], [[John Madden (director)|John Madden]], [[Sam Mendes]], [[Andrew Stanton]], and [[Steven Soderbergh]].

==Early life and education==
Born in Los Angeles, Thomas Montgomery Newman{{citation needed|date=January 2025}} is the youngest son of composer [[Alfred Newman]] (1900–1970), who won the [[Academy Award for Best Original Score]] nine times, and Martha Louis Montgomery (1920–2005). He is a member of a film-scoring dynasty in [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]] that includes his father Alfred, older brother [[David Newman (composer)|David Newman]], younger sister [[Maria Newman]], uncles [[Lionel Newman]] and [[Emil Newman]], cousin [[Randy Newman]], and his [[first cousin once removed]], [[Joey Newman]]. His paternal grandparents were Russian Jewish immigrants,<ref name=MacDonald>MacDonald, Laurence E. ''The Invisible Art of Film Music: A Comprehensive History'', Scarecrow Press (2013)</ref> and his mother was from Mississippi.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}

During their upbringing, Martha Newman took her sons to violin lessons in the [[San Fernando Valley]] every weekend.<ref name=lati />

Newman later studied composition and orchestration for two years at the [[University of Southern California]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary/appendix/composers/N/ThomasNewman.html |title=OnMusic Dictionary |publisher=Music.vt.edu |access-date=May 15, 2014 |archive-date=April 1, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130401152434/http://www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary/appendix/Composers/N/ThomasNewman.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> before transferring to [[Yale University]], where he graduated with a [[Bachelor of Arts]] in 1977 and a [[Master of Music]] in 1978.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.yale.edu/2010/03/01/yale-alumni-go-oscars |title=YaleNews &#124; Yale Alumni Go to the Oscars |publisher=News.yale.edu |date=March 1, 2010 |access-date=May 15, 2014 |archive-date=April 6, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140406173729/http://news.yale.edu/2010/03/01/yale-alumni-go-oscars |url-status=live }}</ref> While at Yale, he met composer [[Stephen Sondheim]], who became an early mentor.<ref name=lati>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-dec-03-la-me-newman3-2009dec03-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |first=Martha |last=Groves |title=A member of a musical dynasty writes a postcard about the past |date=December 3, 2009 |access-date=April 20, 2020 |archive-date=March 6, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306210051/http://articles.latimes.com/2009/dec/03/local/la-me-newman3-2009dec03 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Career==
=== 1983–1992 ===
At first, Newman was more interested in [[musical theatre|musical theater]] than in film composition, working with Sondheim in [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] plays.<ref name=newmans>{{cite news |url=https://articles.latimes.com/1998/mar/22/entertainment/ca-31343/4 |work=Los Angeles Times |first=Amy |last=Wallace |title=The Newman Conquests |date=March 22, 1998 |access-date=April 20, 2020 |archive-date=November 24, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181124165556/http://articles.latimes.com/1998/mar/22/entertainment/ca-31343/4 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Lionel, who succeeded Alfred as music director for [[20th Century Fox]], gave Thomas his first scoring assignment on a 1979 episode of the series ''[[The Paper Chase (TV series)|The Paper Chase]]''.<ref name=bmi /> In 1983, [[John Williams]], who was a friend of both Alfred and Lionel, invited Newman to work on ''[[Return of the Jedi]],'' orchestrating the scene in which [[Darth Vader]] dies.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2015/10/17/449417429/composer-thomas-newman-teams-with-spielberg-for-bridge-of-spies|title=When John Williams Can't Go, Whom Does Spielberg Call? Thomas Newman|date=October 17, 2015|work=NPR.org|access-date=April 4, 2018|archive-date=January 30, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130092741/https://www.npr.org/2015/10/17/449417429/composer-thomas-newman-teams-with-spielberg-for-bridge-of-spies|url-status=live}}</ref> Afterward Newman met producer [[Scott Rudin]] in New York City and Rudin invited him to compose the score for ''[[Reckless (1984 film)|Reckless]]'' (1984). Newman said that he thought "it was a tough job, at first" for requiring him to "develop vocabularies and a sense of procedure", only getting comfortable with writing scores "and not fraudulent in my efforts" after eight years.<ref name=thomp>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/oscar-watch-skyfall-composer-thomas-newman?page=2#blogPostHeaderPanel |title=Oscar Watch: 'Skyfall' Builds Academy Support, Composer Thomas Newman Overdue for Oscar&#124;Thompson on Hollywood |date=January 4, 2013 |publisher=Blogs.indiewire.com |access-date=May 15, 2014 |archive-date=May 17, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517114430/http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/oscar-watch-skyfall-composer-thomas-newman?page=2#blogPostHeaderPanel |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1992, Newman composed the scores for ''[[The Player (1992 film)|The Player]]'' and ''[[Scent of a Woman (1992 film)|Scent of a Woman]]''.

=== 1994–1999 ===
In 1994, he received his first Academy Award nominations with the scores for ''[[The Shawshank Redemption]]'' and ''[[Little Women (1994 film)|Little Women]]''.<ref name=newmans /> He also scored ''[[The War (1994 film)|The War]]''. In 1996, he scored ''[[Unstrung Heroes]]'', receiving yet another Oscar nomination. In 1998, he scored  ''[[The Horse Whisperer (film)|The Horse Whisperer]]'' as well as ''[[Meet Joe Black]]''. In 1999, Newman composed the score to ''[[American Beauty (1999 film)|American Beauty]]'', created using mainly percussion instruments; this was the first of several collaborations with director [[Sam Mendes]]. Newman believed the score helped move the film along without disturbing the "moral ambiguity" of the script, saying "It was a real delicate balancing act in terms of what music worked to preserve that.".<ref name=Variety>{{cite news |last=Burlingame |first=Jon |title=Spotlight: Thomas Newman |url=https://variety.com/2000/music/news/spotlight-thomas-newman-1117761178/ |access-date=January 14, 2013 |newspaper=Variety |date=January 20, 2000}}</ref> He received a fourth Oscar nomination for this score, and although he lost again (to [[John Corigliano]] for ''[[The Red Violin]]''), he did receive a [[Grammy]] and a [[BAFTA]].

=== 2000–2011 ===
His critical and commercial success continued in the years to follow, which included scores for films directed by celebrated independent filmmakers such as [[Steven Soderbergh]] (''[[Erin Brockovich (film)|Erin Brockovich]]''), and [[Todd Field]] (''[[In the Bedroom]]''). He was nominated consecutively for a further three Academy Awards, for ''[[Road to Perdition]]'' (2002; his second collaboration with Sam Mendes), ''[[Finding Nemo]]'' (2003), and ''[[Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events]]'' (2004). However, he lost on each occasion, to [[Elliot Goldenthal]] (for ''[[Frida (2002 film)|Frida]]''), [[Howard Shore]] (for ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King]]''), and [[Jan A. P. Kaczmarek]] (for ''[[Finding Neverland (film)|Finding Neverland]]'').

In 2006, he teamed once again with Todd Field for ''[[Little Children (film)|Little Children]]'' and Steven Soderbergh for ''[[The Good German]]'' (and was nominated for latter). At the Oscar ceremony, he appeared in the opening segment by [[Errol Morris]], who jokingly stated that Newman had been nominated for and failed to win an Oscar eight times. Newman replied: "No, I've failed seven but this will be my eighth", and indeed, he again lost, this time to [[Gustavo Santaolalla]] for ''[[Babel (film)|Babel]]''.

His first score since ''The Good German'' was for ''[[Towelhead (film)|Towelhead]]''. In 2008, he scored the animated film ''[[WALL-E]]'', collaborating for the second time with director [[Andrew Stanton]] (with the first collaboration being ''Finding Nemo''). The film won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature (as had ''Nemo''). Newman received two Oscar nominations: one for Best Original Score, and another for Best Original Song for "[[Down to Earth (Peter Gabriel song)|Down to Earth]]", which he co-wrote with [[Peter Gabriel]]. He was nominated in the Original Score category with two other veteran composers, [[James Newton Howard]] and [[Danny Elfman]], both of whom have also been nominated for several Oscars but each time unsuccessfully. Newman lost both the score and song nominations to [[A. R. Rahman]] for his work on ''[[Slumdog Millionaire]]''. He and Peter Gabriel did however win a Grammy for "Down to Earth".

In 2008, he also scored ''[[Revolutionary Road (film)|Revolutionary Road]]'', a further collaboration with Mendes. In 2009, he scored ''[[Brothers (2009 film)|Brothers]]'' (the remake of the [[Susanne Bier]] film). In 2011, he scored ''[[The Help (film)|The Help]]'', ''[[The Debt (2011 film)|The Debt]]'', ''[[The Iron Lady (film)|The Iron Lady]]'', and ''[[The Adjustment Bureau]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Burlingame |first=Jon |title=Newman: 'Help,' 'Iron Lady' exhibit contrasting styles |url=https://variety.com/2011/film/news/newman-help-iron-lady-exhibit-contrasting-styles-1118047376/ |access-date=March 2, 2014 |newspaper=Variety |date=December 16, 2011 |archive-date=March 8, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140308081948/http://variety.com/2011/film/news/newman-help-iron-lady-exhibit-contrasting-styles-1118047376/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== 2012–present ===
In 2012, Newman scored ''[[The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel]]'', a second collaboration with [[John Madden (director)|John Madden]] after ''The Debt''. He also scored the 23rd James Bond movie ''[[Skyfall]]'', released on the film franchise's 50th anniversary.<ref>{{cite web |title=Thomas Newman to compose Skyfall score |url=http://www.mi6-hq.com/news/index.php?itemid=9922 |publisher=MI6-HQ.com |date=January 4, 2012 |access-date=January 9, 2012 |archive-date=December 25, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141225132628/http://www.mi6-hq.com/news/index.php?itemid=9922 |url-status=live }}</ref> His work on this film earned him his eleventh Oscar nomination and a second BAFTA win. During 2013, he scored [[Side Effects (2013 film)|''Side Effects'']] (working again with director Steven Soderbergh) and ''[[Saving Mr. Banks]]''. The latter score was very well received by film music critics, earning Newman BAFTA and Oscar nominations for the second consecutive year, both of which he lost to [[Steven Price (composer)|Steven Price]] for ''[[Gravity (2013 film)|Gravity]]''.

Newman's 2014 projects included ''[[The Judge (2014 film)|The Judge]]'' and ''[[Get on Up (film)|Get on Up]]''. In 2015, he scored ''[[The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel]]'', marking the first time Newman has scored a sequel to a film he also wrote the score for.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://filmmusicreporter.com/2014/04/28/thomas-newman-to-return-for-the-best-exotic-marigold-hotel-2/|title=Thomas Newman to Return for 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel 2' - Film Music Reporter|access-date=September 1, 2014|archive-date=October 15, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141015160611/http://filmmusicreporter.com/2014/04/28/thomas-newman-to-return-for-the-best-exotic-marigold-hotel-2/|url-status=live}}</ref> Also that year, Newman returned to score the 24th James Bond movie ''[[Spectre (2015 film)|Spectre]]'', the sequel to ''Skyfall'' and a continuation of his longtime collaboration with Sam Mendes. He also worked with [[Steven Spielberg]] for ''[[Bridge of Spies (film)|Bridge of Spies]]'', marking Newman's first collaboration with Spielberg and the first Spielberg film not to feature a musical score from his long-time composer John Williams, since the production of ''[[The Color Purple (1985 film)|The Color Purple]]'' in 1985. For his score on ''Bridge of Spies'', Newman garnered additional Oscar and Grammy nominations.

In 2016, Newman scored ''[[Passengers (2016 film)|Passengers]]'', for which he received his 14th Oscar nomination. Three years later, Newman reunited with Sam Mendes for his war film ''[[1917 (2019 film)|1917]]'', for which Newman received his 6th BAFTA and 15th Oscar nominations.

Newman likes to vary the instrumentation in his scores, ranging from full orchestra to percussion-only music. He is also fond of incorporating unusual instruments such as the [[zither]], [[hurdy-gurdy]], [[psaltery]] and [[hammered dulcimer]],<ref name=bmi /> or unexpected sounds, like [[Indigenous peoples|Aboriginal]] chants and the chirping of [[cicada]]s. The composer declared that he has "an interest in mundane experimentation."<ref name=newmans />

==Discography==
{{main|Thomas Newman discography}}

==Awards and nominations==
{{Main|List of awards and nominations received by Thomas Newman}}
Newman has been nominated for fifteen [[Academy Awards]], tying him with fellow composer [[Alex North]] for the most nominations without a win. He has also been nominated for four [[Golden Globe Award|Golden Globes]], and has won two [[British Academy Film Awards|BAFTAs]], six [[Grammy Award|Grammys]] and an [[Emmy Awards|Emmy Award]]. Newman was honored with the Richard Kirk award at the 2000 [[Broadcast Music Incorporated|BMI]] Film and TV Awards. The award is given annually to a composer who has made significant contributions to film and television music.<ref name=bmi>{{cite web |url=http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/233494 |title=Richard Kirk Award: Thomas Newman Fulfills the Promise of His Legacy |date=May 31, 2000 |publisher=bmi.com |access-date=November 3, 2010 |archive-date=December 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131222224542/http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/233494 |url-status=live }}</ref> His achievements have contributed to the Newmans being the [[List of Academy Award-winning families#Extended family|most nominated Academy Award extended family]], with a collective 92 nominations in various music categories.

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
{{commons category}}
* {{IMDb name|2353}}

{{Thomas Newman}}
{{Navboxes
|title= [[List of awards and nominations received by Thomas Newman|Awards for Thomas Newman]]
|list1=
{{AACTAAward BestMusicScore 1980–1999}}
{{Annie Award for Music in a Feature Production}}
{{BAFTA Award for Best Original Music}}
{{Black Reel Award for Outstanding Original Score}}
{{Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Score}}
{{Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Musical Score}}
{{EmmyAward MainTitleThemeMusic}}
{{Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media}}
{{Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media}}
{{Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best Original Score}}
{{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}}
{{WSA for Best Original Song Written Directly for a Film}}
}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Newman, Thomas}}
[[Category:1955 births]]
[[Category:20th-century American composers]]
[[Category:21st-century American composers]]
[[Category:21st-century American male musicians]]
[[Category:American film score composers]]
[[Category:American male film score composers]]
[[Category:American people of Russian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:American television composers]]
[[Category:Animated film score composers]]
[[Category:Annie Award winners]]
[[Category:Best Original Music BAFTA Award winners]]
[[Category:Primetime Emmy Award winners]]
[[Category:Grammy Award winners]]
[[Category:Jewish American film score composers]]
[[Category:Jewish American television composers]]
[[Category:La-La Land Records artists]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American male television composers]]
[[Category:Musicians from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Newman family (show business)|Thomas]]
[[Category:Pixar people]]
[[Category:Varèse Sarabande Records artists]]
[[Category:Best Original Music Score AACTA Award winners]]
[[Category:20th-century American male composers]]