The Lord of the Rings

Background:

Canadian film composer, conductor and music producer Howard Shore, who launched his career as a music director for the television comedy show “Saturday Night Live” (1975, also appeared in many episodes), is well known for composing the score of the “The Lord of the Rings” movies, from which he collected four Grammy awards, three Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. The multi ASCAP winner also received praise for his work in such movies as “Big” (1988), “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991), “Mrs. Doubtfire” (1993), “Philadelphia” (1993), “The Client” (1994), “Ed Wood” (1994), “Se7en” (1995), “Analyze This” (1999), “Panic Room” (2002), “Spider” (2002) and “The Aviator” (2004, won a Golden Globe Award) The prolific and versatile composer is also recognized for his long running collaboration with fellow Canadian David Cronenberg. They have worked together in many films, including “Dead Ringers” (1988, won a Genie award), “Naked Lunch” (1991) and “Eastern Promises” (2007). Shore is set to work with famed director Martin Scorsese for “The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt” (2011).

Shore has been married to Elizabeth Cotnoir since 1990. They have one daughter together.

Toronto Native

Childhood and Family:

Howard Shore was born Howard Leslie Shore on October 18, 1946, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to a Jewish family. After graduating from Forest Hill Collegiate Institute, he studied music at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts.

On August 3, 1990, Howard married Elizabeth Cotnoir. They have a daughter named May Shore. Howard is the uncle of composer Ryan Shore.

The Aviator

Career:

Before pursuing a career in television, Howard Shore played saxophone in a rock band called Lighthouse. In 1975, he served as a music editor of the NBC sketch series “Saturday Night Live,” which was created by Lorne Michaels, his childhood summer camp pal. Shore also performed on the show several times as part of “Howard Shore and his All Nurse Band.”

Shore branched out to the big screen in 1979 when he composed the music of David Cronenberg's low budgeted horror film “The Brood” (1979), starring Oliver Reed, Samantha Eggar and Art Hindle. The film became his first of a series of collaborations with the fellow Canadian Cronenberg. By 1980, Shore had begun scoring films full time. The same year, he also initiated a partnership with director Mile Nichols when he was credited as a cast member and music producer for Gilda Radner's performance film “Gilda Live.”

After providing music for a TV special titled “Steve Martin's Best Show Ever” (1981), Shore was reunited with Cronenberg for “Scanners” (1981), “Videodrome” (1983), “The Fly” (1986), “Dead Ringers” (1988) and “Naked Lunch” (1991), in which he collaborated with renowned jazz musician Ornette Coleman. For his work on “Dead Ringers,” from which he also received his first credit as a music conductor, Shore picked up a Genie for Best Music Score. Shore also served as a music coordinator for the movie “Silkwood” (1983), a reunion with Mike Nichols, provided music for Lorne Michael's sketch comedy series “The New Show” (1984), became a music director for the TV special “Coca-Cola Presents Live: The Hard Rock” (1988) and composed score and provided the title song for the Meryl Streep comedy “She-Devil” (1989). In 1989, he won an ASCAP Film and Television Music for Top Box Office Films for his work in the comedy “Big” (1988), helmed by Penny Marshall.

Shore’s rising career was further established the next decade when he wrote the music for major films like “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991, directed by Jonathan Demme), the Robin Williams starring comedy “Mrs. Doubtfire” (1993), “Philadelphia” (1993, directed by Demme and starred Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington), and Joel Schumacher's “The Client” (1994, starred Susan Sarandon, Tommy Lee Jones, Brad Renfro, Mary-Louise Parker and Anthony LaPaglia). He also worked on Tim Burton’s “Ed Wood” (1994), David Fincher’s “Se7en” (1995, starred Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, R. Lee Ermey and Kevin Spacey), “The Game” (1997, starred Michael Douglas), Kevin Smith's “Dogma” (1999, starred Ben Affleck, George Carlin, Matt Damon, Linda Fiorentino and Salma Hayek) and Harold Ramis' “Analyze This” (1999, starred Robert De Niro, Billy Crystal, Lisa Kudrow, Chazz Palminteri and Joe Viterelli). He picked up ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards for his work on “The Silence of the Lambs,” “Mrs. Doubtfire,” “The Client,” “Philadelphia,” “Se7en” and “Analyze This” and a Saturn for Best Music and a Los Angeles Film Critics Association for the same category for his work on “Ed Wood.” Shore also found himself reunited with Nichols on “Postcards from the Edge” (1990), where he served as the music supervisor. He made his debut as a music orchestrator with 1993’s “Sliver,” a thriller starring Sharon Stone and William Baldwin.

Shore next composed music for Stephen Frears' “High Fidelity” (2000, starred John Cusack), Tarsem Singh's “The Cell” (2000), James Gray's “The Yards” (2000, starred Mark Wahlberg, Joaquin Phoenix, Charlize Theron and James Caan), Frank Oz's “The Score” (2001, starred Robert De Niro, Edward Norton, Angela Bassett and Marlon Brando), David Fincher's “Panic Room” (2002), Cronenberg's “Spider” (2002, earned the Georges Delerue Prize Flanders International Film Festival award) and Martin Scorsese's “Gangs of New York” (2002, starred Leonardo DiCaprio).

Shore received even more attention when he was chosen to compose the score for Peter Jackson’s highly applauded “Lord of the Rings” film trilogy. He won an Academy Award for Best Music, Original Score and was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Original Score - Motion Picture for the first film “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” (2001). He also picked up a Grammy for Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media for the film, among other awards and nominations. Shore received a Grammy for Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media and an ASCAP Film and Television Music for Top Box Office Films for his work on “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.” His score for the final film, “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King “(2003), brought him Oscars in the categories of Best Music, Original Song for the song “Into the West” and Best Music, Original Score, Golden Globes for Best Original Song - Motion Picture (“Into the West”) and Best Original Score - Motion Picture, and Grammys for Best Score Soundtrack Album and Best Song Written.

After “Lord of the Rings” movies, Shore scored the music for Martin Scorsese’s highly acclaimed biopic “The Aviator” (2004), starring Leonardo DiCaprio as legendary director and aviator Howard Hughes. He was handed a Golden Globe for Best Original Score - Motion Picture, a Chicago Film Critics Association for Best Original Score, a Broadcast Film Critics Association for Best Composer, a Seattle Film Critic for Best Music, and a Grammy nomination for Best Score Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media, among other nominations, for his effort.

Next up for Shore, he composed the music for Cronenberg's “A History of Violence” (2005, starred Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris and William Hurt), “Maps to the Stars” (2007) and “Eastern Promises” (also 2007), from which he won a 2008 Genie for Best Achievement in Music - Original Score, a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Score - Motion Picture, and a Satellite nomination for Best Original Score. He also composed the music for Martin Scorsese's “The Departed” (2006), Bob Shaye's “The Last Mimzy” (2007), John Patrick Shanley's “Doubt” (2008), “Edge of Darkness” (2010) and David Slade's “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” (2010). His upcoming films include “A Dangerous Method” (2011), “Hugo Cabret” (2011), “The Spider” (2011), “The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt” (2011) and “Sinatra” (2011).

Awards:

• Genie: Best Achievement in Music - Original Score, “Eastern Promises,” 2008

• National Board of Review: Career Achievement, Excellence in Film Music Composition, 2005

• Grammy: Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media, “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” 2005

• Grammy: Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media, “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (“Into the West”), 2005

• Golden Globe: Best Original Score - Motion Picture, “The Aviator,” 2005

• Broadcast Film Critics Association: Best Composer, “The Aviator,” 2005

• ASCAP Film and Television Music: Most Performed Themes, 2005

• Seattle Film Critics: Best Music, “The Aviator,” 2004

• Chicago Film Critics Association: Best Original Score, “The Aviator,” 2004

• Academy Award: Best Music, Original Score, “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” 2004

• Academy Award: Best Music, Original Song, “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (“Into the West”), 2004

• Grammy: Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media, “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,” 2004

• Golden Globe: Best Original Score - Motion Picture, “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” 2004

• Golden Globe: Best Original Song - Motion Picture, “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (“Into the West”), 2004

• Broadcast Film Critics Association: Best Composer, “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” 2004

• Chicago Film Critics Association: Best Original Score, “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” 2004

• Saturn: Best Music, “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” 2004

• ASCAP Film and Television Music: Most Performed Themes, 2004

• ASCAP Film and Television Music: Top Box Office Films, “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” 2004

• Las Vegas Film Critics Society: Sierra, Best Score, “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” 2004

• Online Film Critics Society: Best Original Score, “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” 2004

• Grammy: Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media, “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” 2003

• ASCAP Film and Television Music: Most Performed Themes, 2003

• ASCAP Film and Television Music: Top Box Office Films, “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” (also for “Panic Room”), 2003

• Academy Award: Best Music, Original Score, “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” 2002

• Broadcast Film Critics Association: Best Composer, “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” 2002

• Chicago Film Critics Association: Best Original Score, “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” 2002

• Flanders International Film Festival: Georges Delerue Prize, “Spider,” 2002

• ASCAP Film and Television Music: Most Performed Theme, 2002

• ASCAP Film and Television Music: Top Box Office Films, “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” 2002

• World Soundtrack: Public Choice, “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” 2002

• World Soundtrack: Best Original Soundtrack of the Year - Orchestral, “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” 2002

• Las Vegas Film Critics Society: Sierra, Best Score, “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” 2002

• Los Angeles Film Critics Association: Best Music Score, “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” 2001

• ASCAP Film and Television Music: Most Performed Themes, 2000, 2001

• ASCAP Film and Television Music: Top Box Office Films, “Analyze This,” 2000

• ASCAP Film and Television Music: Top Box Office Films, “Se7en,” 1995

• Saturn: Best Music, “Ed Wood,” 1995

• Los Angeles Film Critics Association: Best Music, “Ed Wood,” 1994

• ASCAP Film and Television Music: Top Box Office Films, “The Client” (also for 1993’s “Philadelphia”), 1995

• ASCAP Film and Television Music: Top Box Office Films: “Mrs. Doubtfire,” 1994

• Gotham: “Below-The-Line,” 1994

• ASCAP Film and Television Music: Top Box Office Films, “The Silence of the Lambs,” 1992

• ASCAP Film and Television Music: Top Box Office Films, “Big,” 1989

• Genie: Best Music Score, “Dead Ringers,” 1989