BERNSTEIN, ELMER

BERNSTEIN, ELMER (1922–2004), U.S. composer. A prolific composer known primarily for his work in film and television, Bernstein was born in New York City. His musical compositions appeared in more than 200 films and television shows, receiving 14 Academy Award nominations, including an Academy Award in 1967 for Thoroughly Modern Millie, as well as an Emmy Award and several Golden Globe and Tony Awards. During the McCarthy era, Bernstein's alleged leftist sympathies led to a spot on Hollywood's "gray list," a designation that kept him from working on major studio projects during the 1950s but did not result in a full ban from participating in the film industry. Despite being relegated to low-budget films during this period, Bernstein's career is distinguished for both his endurance as well as his versatility. His compositions have appeared in films of virtually every genre, from the epic Ten Commandments (1956) to popular comedies like Animal House (1978) and Ghostbusters (1984), dramas such as To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), the Western True Grit (1969), the action/WWII film The Great Escape (1963), and the musical comedy The Blues Brothers (1980). Among Bernstein's many other credits, his music appeared notably in The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), Hud (1963), The Sons of Katie Elder (1965), Meatballs (1979), Airplane\! (1980), My Left Foot (1989), The Age of Innocence (1993), and Wild Wild West (1999). (Walter Driver (2nd ed.)