New Haven, United States
Alfred Newman
Nine Oscars, more than any other composer, and the 20th Century Fox fanfare.
A piano prodigy, he was conducting Broadway orchestras before he was twenty. In Hollywood he ran the music department at 20th Century Fox for two decades, from 1940 to 1960, and wrote the fanfare that opens its films. He won nine Oscars, most of them for musical adaptations, and was nominated more than forty times. His last film was Airport, in 1970, the year he died. His nephews Randy and Thomas Newman are also film composers.
- Style
- Bright, singing strings, the so-called 'Newman sound', and big themes for the opening titles.
- Awards
- 9 Oscars, a record among composers, including The Song of Bernadette. More than 40 nominations.
Discography
- How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) Spotify
- The Robe (1953) Spotify · Apple Music
- Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955) Spotify · Apple Music
- The Seven Year Itch (1955) Spotify
- Anastasia (1956) Spotify · Apple Music
- How the West Was Won (1962) Spotify
- Airport (1970) Spotify
"Spotify" and "Apple Music" open the album directly on each platform; if only Spotify appears, we have not yet been able to check that album on Apple Music. "Search Spotify" opens an album search for that title. If a link does not lead to the right album, write to [email protected]. "Album" marks the year of that album edition when it differs from the film's.
Listen
- 20th Century Fox Fanfare · 20th Century FoxSpotifyApple MusicYouTube
- How the West Was Won Main Title · How the West Was WonSpotifyApple MusicYouTube
Awards counted up to the 2026 Academy Awards. Facts reviewed in October 2026.