James Horner
Prolific and influential American composer renowned for his emotionally powerful and melodic film scores.
Born in Los Angeles, Horner studied at the Royal College of Music in London and earned a doctorate at UCLA. He began composing for film in the late 1970s, rising to prominence in the 1980s with scores like 'Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan' and 'Aliens'. His career peaked in the 1990s with iconic works for 'Braveheart', 'Apollo 13', and the record-breaking soundtrack for 'Titanic', which earned him two Academy Awards. Horner composed over 100 film scores before his untimely death in a plane crash.
- Horner tragically died when the small, single-engine plane he was piloting crashed in the Los Padres National Forest in California. He was an experienced private pilot.
- His score for 'Titanic' became the best-selling orchestral film soundtrack of all time, winning him Oscars for Best Original Score and Best Original Song ('My Heart Will Go On').
- Horner faced accusations of self-plagiarism and borrowing from classical composers (like Prokofiev in 'Glory', Khachaturian in 'Aliens'). He defended his work as thematic evolution and homage.
- He had a prolific and long-running collaboration with director James Cameron, scoring 'Aliens', 'Titanic', and 'Avatar'.
- Horner was known for incorporating unique vocal elements (like the Bulgarian choir in 'Aliens') and ethnic instruments into his orchestral palette.
