Some were released decades after they were first written
'The Grand Budapest Hotel' and 'The Shape of Water' are his two recent Best Original Music Score Oscar successes. Other notable soundtracks include 'Zero Dark Thirty' and 'The King's Speech.'
See also: The greatest movie soundtracks ever
His work on Francis Ford Coppola's 'The Godfather' and 'The Godfather Part II' endeared him to international cinema audiences. 'The Godfather Love Theme' perfectly captures the dark but elegant mood of the picture.
His three Oscars were for his work on 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy. Other acclaimed music includes the soundtracks to 'The Aviator,' 'The Departed,' and 'Hugo.'
One of the most versatile, experimental, and prolific composers in cinema history, the Italian maestro started working in 1946. He passed away in 2020.
The screeching violin track accompanying the shower scene in 'Psycho' is one of the most effective pieces of music in cinema history. The soundtracks to 'Cape Fear' and 'Taxi Driver' are no less somber and menacing.
Barry. John Barry. He's known for composing the scores for 11 of the 'James Bond' films. But he was also celebrated for writing the soundtracks to 'Born Free,' 'Dances with Wolves,' 'Out of Africa,' and 'The Ipcress File,' among a host of other acclaimed movies.
Over the course of his 50-year career, the Los Angeles-born composer collaborated with some of movie history's most celebrated directors.
The Argentinian composer honed his craft in Paris where he became interested in the jazz music genre, a style he would later introduce into his most memorable compositions.
The French-Greek film composer is a two-time Academy Award winner. He was playing piano by age five and later, trumpet and flute. Eventually, he became a highly skilled performer and composer.
The Canadian film composer has garnered three Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and four Grammy Awards for his music.
Two Academy Awards, two Golden Globes, and nominated for three BAFTA awards... Horner was at the top of his game when he was tragically killed in a plane crash.
By the 1960s the Greek musician was already working with several popular bands. Throughout the '70s he was scoring documentaries, which eventually channeled him into the film scoring mainstream.
Some of the most memorable movies have been cemented into our minds with the help of a sensational soundtrack, but the names of those responsible for composing some of the most popular, recognized, and critically acclaimed film music often go unsung.
Ryuichi Sakamoto, the pioneering Japanese electronic musician and Oscar-winning composer behind films like 'The Last Emperor,' has died at the age of 71. The wide-ranging musician and Yellow Magic Orchestra co-founder passed away on March 28 of cancer. His first ever film score was for 'Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence' in 1983, which he also starred in alongside David Bowie—known to be one of Sakamoto's biggest fans. His film score for 'The Last Emperor' (1987) won him an Oscar, a Grammy, and a Golden Globe, and he later famously worked on 'The Revenant' (2015). He'll be remembered for his early and lasting influence in pop music, as well as his experimental approach that constantly pushed the envelope.
Browse the gallery and find out whose work you've been whistling.
The composers behind the most iconic movie soundtracks
Ryuichi Sakamoto, Japanese pop pioneer and Oscar-winning composer of 'The Last Emperor,' dies at 71
MUSIC Film soundtracks
Some of the most memorable movies have been cemented into our minds with the help of a sensational soundtrack, but the names of those responsible for composing some of the most popular, recognized, and critically acclaimed film music often go unsung.
Ryuichi Sakamoto, the pioneering Japanese electronic musician and Oscar-winning composer behind films like 'The Last Emperor,' has died at the age of 71. The wide-ranging musician and Yellow Magic Orchestra co-founder passed away on March 28 of cancer. His first ever film score was for 'Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence' in 1983, which he also starred in alongside David Bowie—known to be one of Sakamoto's biggest fans. His film score for 'The Last Emperor' (1987) won him an Oscar, a Grammy, and a Golden Globe, and he later famously worked on 'The Revenant' (2015). He'll be remembered for his early and lasting influence in pop music, as well as his experimental approach that constantly pushed the envelope.
Browse the gallery and find out whose work you've been whistling.