Photo: Ezra Johnson / CC BY-SA 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Elliot Goldenthal is a composer I return to because he treats genre boundaries as something to dissolve. Born in Brooklyn in 1954, trained under John Corigliano and mentored by Aaron Copland, he carries the bloodline of American concert music yet pours it into film and theatre scores, winning the 2003 Academy Award for Frida. What I value most is not the trophy count but the visceral chill his music delivers, the way he scores pain and shadow without flinching. He blends classical, theatrical and cinematic instincts into something that refuses to sit neatly in any box, and that restless inventiveness is exactly why he matters to me.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Elliot Goldenthal
- Name (Japanese)
- エリオット・ゴールデンサール
- Reading
- えりおっと・ごーるでんさーる
- Born
- May 2, 1954 (age 72)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Taurus / Horse
- Origin
- Brooklyn, New York, United States
- Occupation
- composer / lyricist / songwriter / film score composer / musician
2. Background
- High school
- Andries Hudde Junior High School
Awards & achievements
- 2003 Academy Award for Best Original Score
- 2002 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score
- Richard Rodgers Awards for Musical Theatre
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Elliot Goldenthal born?
Born May 2, 1954 (age 72).
Where is Elliot Goldenthal from?
Elliot Goldenthal is from Brooklyn, New York, United States.
What does Elliot Goldenthal do?
Elliot Goldenthal works as composer, lyricist, songwriter, film score composer, musician.
Composer — see all → · Lyricist — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.