James Newton Howard

Music Department
Composer
Soundtrack

Youssou N'Dour: I Bring What I Love is a music-infused cinematic journey about the power of one man's voice to inspire millions.

Play trailer2:46

Youssou Ndour: I Bring What I Love (2008)

James Newton Howard attended the University of Southern California's music school, but dropped out to tour with Elton John, and eventually compose music for film and television. He started with Head Office (1985) in 1985. He has been nominated for eight Academy Awards. He currently is a songwriter, record producer, conductor, keyboardist, and film composer.

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Nominated for 9 Oscars
- 79 wins & 130 nominations total

Photos12

+ 5

Known for

King Kong

7.2

Composer

2005

The Fugitive

7.8

Music Department(uncredited)

1993

Signs

6.8

Music Department

2002

The Hunger Games

7.2

Music Department(uncredited)

2012

Credits

IMDbPro

Music Department

Emily in Paris
6.8
TV Series
- original theme music by
- theme music composer
- composer: original theme music ...
- 2020–2025
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
6.6
- score producer
- 2023
All the Light We Cannot See
7.5
TV Mini Series
- score co-producer
- 2023
Willow
5.7
TV Series
- main themes by
- 2022–2023
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
6.2
- score producer
- 2022
Extras: The Hunger Games
6.1
TV Mini Series
- music
- 2020
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
6.6
- composer: music themes (uncredited)
- 2019
A Hidden Life
7.4
- score producer
- 2019
BaseBoys
6.9
TV Series
- music
- 2018
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
5.6
- score producer (uncredited)
- 2018
Sherlock Gnomes
5.3
- music consultant
- 2018
Red Sparrow
6.6
- score producer
- 2018
Split
7.3
- composer: theme from "Unbreakable"
- 2016
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2
6.6
- score producer (uncredited)
- 2015
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1
6.6
- score producer (uncredited)
- 2014

Composer

Marty, Life Is Short
7.7
- music by
- 2026
The Lost Bus
6.8
- Composer
- 2025
The Killing in the Glass House
Short
- composer
- 2025
Light & Magic
8.7
TV Mini Series
- Composer
- 2022–2025
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
6.6
- music by
- 2023
All the Light We Cannot See
7.5
TV Mini Series
- Composer
- 2023
Pain Hustlers
6.6
- Composer
- 2023
Willow
5.7
TV Series
- music by
- Composer
- 2022
Follow the Comet
Short
- Composer
- 2022
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
6.2
- Composer
- 2022
Jungle Cruise
6.5
- Composer
- 2021
Raya and the Last Dragon
7.3
- Composer
- 2021
News of the World
6.8
- music by
- 2020
Cine Chalom
TV Mini Series
- music by
- 2020
The Last Ice
7.3
- Composer
- 2020

Soundtrack

The Weather Channel
7.0
TV Series
- performer: "Don't Go Breaking My Heart"
- 2026
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
6.6
- writer: "Anthem: Gem of Panem"
- 2023
Jungle Cruise
6.5
- Soundtrack ("Nothing Else Matters")
- 2021
Diminishing Returns
3.1
Podcast Series
- writer: "Buggin'"
- 2021
Forfiter
8.4
Short
- performer: "Head Towards The Animals"
- 2021
The Prom
5.9
- writer: "You Were Jealous"
- 2020
Diminishing Returns Diminisodes
5.4
Podcast Series
- Soundtrack ("Theme from The Hunger Games")
- 2020
Pose
8.6
TV Series
- writer: "Everything"
- 2019
Glass
6.6
- Soundtrack
- performer: "Goodnight", "Mr. Glass", "Falling Down"
- writer: "Goodnight", "Mr. Glass", "Falling Down" ("David at Home", "Joseph Parking Lot", "Joseph Leaves Casey Arrives", "David and Elijah Speak", "Joseph and David")
- 2019
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
5.6
- producer: "The Nutcracker Suite", "When You Wish Upon A Star"
- 2018
The Hunger Flames
5.8
Short
- performer: "Katniss", "Incoming Bombers", "The Games Begin", "Horn of Plenty", "Mockingjay Graffiti", "Muttations", "Jamming the Capitol", "Katniss Afoot", "The Fog"
- writer: "Katniss", "Incoming Bombers", "The Games Begin", "Horn of Plenty", "Mockingjay Graffiti", "Muttations", "Jamming the Capitol", "Katniss Afoot", "The Fog"
- 2018
Star Wars Ep 6: The Last Laser Master
9.1
Video
- performer: "Tarawa"
- 2018
The Footy Show
5.8
TV Series
- writer: "Theme from ER" (uncredited)
- 2017
DVTV
7.5
TV Series
- music: "The Hanging Tree"
- performer: "The Hanging Tree"
- 2017
The Shack
6.3
- performer: "Bobby Wins"
- writer: "Bobby Wins"
- 2017

Videos4

Full Movie 14:48

The Dark Knight Project

Trailer 2:46

Youssou N'Dour: I Bring What I Love

Trailer 2:46

Youssou N'Dour: I Bring What I Love

Featurette 4:49

Welcome Back to Panem

Featurette 3:45

The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes: Music (Behind The Scenes)

Personal details

Official sites
- Facebook
- Instagram
Alternative names
- James Howard Newton
Height
- 5′ 10″ (1.78 m)
Born
- June 9, 1951
- Los Angeles, California, USA
Spouses
Children
Relatives
Other works
Wrote original music for the theatrical trailer of Batman Begins (2005).

Did you know

Trivia
A famously fast worker, Howard is often called upon to provide last-minute replacement scores for films, or to add to existing soundtracks.

Quotes
I wish I had some great words of advice. The only advice I have ever been able to give anybody is to focus on writing music, and if you're writing a movie score particularly, don't worry about the picture. Just write great music and the rest will take care of itself.