David Newman

David Louis Newman (born March 11, 1954) is an American composer and conductor known particularly for his film scores. In a career spanning more than thirty years, he has composed music for nearly 100 feature films, as well as the 1997 and 1998 versions of the 20th Century Fox fanfare. He received an Academy Award nomination for writing the score to the 1997 film Anastasia, contributing to the Newmans being the most nominated Academy Award extended family, with a collective 92 nominations in various music categories.

Life and career Newman was born on March 11, 1954, in Los Angeles, California, the son of Mississippi-born Martha Louis (née Montgomery) and Hollywood composer Alfred Newman. His paternal grandparents were Russian Jewish immigrants. He is the older brother of Thomas Newman, Maria Newman and the cousin of Randy Newman, all of whom are also composers. He is also the nephew of composers Lionel Newman and Emil Newman, and first cousin, once removed, of musician Joey Newman. An accomplished violinist, and successful concert conductor, Newman was educated at the University of Southern California. From the late 1970s until the early 1980s he played violin on most of John Williams' L.A. scoring sessions, and credits him for learning much about film-music composition. He also performed on the soundtrack of Jerry Goldsmith's The Swarm.

His first film work was on Tim Burton's short film Frankenweenie in 1984. In 1987, he scored Danny DeVito's Throw Momma from the Train. This was his first collaboration with DeVito, and he went on to score nearly all of his subsequent films, including The War of the Roses (1989), Other People's Money (1991), Hoffa (1992), Matilda (1996) and Death to Smoochy (2002). Newman has also scored the comedies The Flintstones (1994), The Mighty Ducks (1992), The Nutty Professor (1996), Paradise (1991), and Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989).

Newman's credits during the early years of his career were mostly scoring B-movies such as The Kindred (1987) and The Runestone (1990) before he gradually transitioned to score mostly comedy films during his prime such as Bowfinger (1999), The Freshman (1990), and The Spy Next Door (2010). His score for The Spirit (2008) was a tribute to Mancini's 1950s and 60s neo-noir scores such as Touch of Evil (1958) or Experiment in Terror (1962).

He received an Academy Award nomination for the score to the animated Don Bluth film Anastasia (1997), following his father, who scored the 1956 live-action version. However, he lost to Anne Dudley for The Full Monty. His other scores include Critters, The Phantom, The Brave Little Toaster, Malone, Ice Age, 102 Dalmatians and Serenity, among others.

In 1997, Newman began a four-year stint as the music director for the Sundance Institute, and he has conducted the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra on several occasions. That year, he also re-recorded the 20th Century Fox Fanfare that was originally composed by his father Alfred, to coincide with the re-opening of the Newman Scoring Stage at the Fox Studios Lot in LA, which debuted in the aforementioned Anastasia and is still being used today (albeit using the 1998 version).

In February 2007, he was elected president of The Film Music Society.

On May 21, 2009, Newman was honored with the Richard Kirk award at the annual BMI Film & Television Awards. The prestigious award is given annually to a composer who has made significant contributions to film and television music.

Since 2012, Newman has conducted the RSO Vienna orchestra at the annual film music gala concert Hollywood in Vienna which is broadcast on radio and TV.

Newman is an alumnus and Board Member of the American Youth Symphony.

Filmography

Film 1980s Year Title Director Studio(s) Notes 1984 Frankenweenie Tim Burton Walt Disney Pictures Short film 1986 Critters Stephen Herek New Line Cinema Vendetta Bruce Logan Vestron Pictures 1987 The Kindred Stephen CarpenterJeffrey Obrow FM Entertainment My Demon Lover Charlie Loventhal New Line Cinema Malone Harley Cokeliss Orion Pictures The Brave Little Toaster Jerry Rees The Kushner-Locke CompanyHyperion PicturesBuena Vista Pictures Distribution (US theatrical release)ITC Entertainment (UK theatrical release)Walt Disney Home Video (US video release) David Newman's first score for an animated film Throw Momma from the Train Danny DeVito Orion Pictures 1988 Heathers Michael Lehmann New World Pictures 1989 Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure Stephen Herek Nelson EntertainmentInterscope CommunicationsOrion Pictures (US)De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (International) Disorganized Crime Jim Kouf Silver Screen Partners IVTouchstone Pictures Little Monsters Richard Alan Greenberg Allied Stars LtdDavis EntertainmentVestron Pictures (original production and distribution company)United Artists (theatrical distribution; Vestron sold the movie to United Artists) Gross Anatomy Thom Eberhardt Sandollar ProductionsSilver Screen Partners IVTouchstone Pictures The War of the Roses Danny DeVito Gracie Films20th Century Fox

1990s Year Title Director Studio(s) Notes 1990 Madhouse Tom Ropelewski Orion Pictures Fire Birds David Green Touchstone Pictures The Freshman Andrew Bergman TriStar Pictures DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp Bob Hathcock DisneyToon StudiosWalt Disney Pictures Mr. Destiny James Orr Silver Screen Partners IVTouchstone Pictures Meet the Applegates Michael Lehmann New World Pictures 1991 The Marrying Man Jerry Rees Silver Screen Partners IVHollywood Pictures Talent for the Game Robert M. Young Paramount Pictures Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead Stephen Herek HBO PicturesWarner Bros. Pictures Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey Peter Hewitt Nelson EntertainmentInterscope CommunicationsOrion Pictures Rover Dangerfield James L. GeorgeBob Seeley Hyperion PicturesWarner Bros. Pictures Paradise Mary Agnes Donoghue Interscope CommunicationsTouchstone Pictures Other People's Money Norman Jewison Warner Bros. Pictures The Runestone Willard Carroll Hyperion PicturesLIVE Entertainment 1992 Itsy Bitsy Spider Matthew O'Callaghan Hyperion PicturesParamount Pictures Short film Honeymoon in Vegas Andrew Bergman Castle Rock EntertainmentNew Line CinemaColumbia Pictures The Mighty Ducks Stephen Herek Avnet-Kerner ProductionsWalt Disney Pictures That Night Craig Bolotin Le Studio Canal+Regency EnterprisesAlcor FilmsWarner Bros. Pictures Hoffa Danny DeVito Le Studio Canal+Jersey Films20th Century Fox 1993 The Sandlot David Mickey Evans Island World20th Century Fox Coneheads Steve Barron NBC FilmsParamount Pictures Undercover Blues Herbert Ross Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 1994 The Air Up There Paul Michael Glaser Nomura Babcock & BrownInterscope CommunicationsPolyGram Filmed EntertainmentHollywood Pictures My Father the Hero Steve Miner Touchstone Pictures The Flintstones Brian Levant Hanna-Barbera ProductionsAmblin EntertainmentUniversal Pictures The Cowboy Way Gregg Champion Imagine EntertainmentUniversal Pictures I Love Trouble Charles Shyer Caravan PicturesTouchstone Pictures 1995 Boys on the Side Herbert Ross Le Studio Canal+Regency EnterprisesWarner Bros. Pictures Tommy Boy Peter Segal Paramount Pictures Operation Dumbo Drop Simon Wincer Interscope CommunicationsPolyGram Filmed EntertainmentWalt Disney Pictures 1996 Big Bully Steve Miner Morgan Creek ProductionsWarner Bros. Pictures The Phantom Simon Wincer The Ladd CompanyVillage Roadshow PicturesParamount Pictures The Nutty Professor Tom Shadyac Imagine EntertainmentUniversal Pictures Matilda Danny DeVito Jersey FilmsTriStar Pictures Jingle All the Way Brian Levant 1492 Pictures20th Century Fox 1997 Out to Sea Martha Coolidge Davis Entertainment20th Century Fox Anastasia Don BluthGary Goldman 20th Century Fox20th Century Fox AnimationFox Animation Studios 1999 Never Been Kissed Raja Gosnell Fox 2000 PicturesFlower Films20th Century Fox Bowfinger Frank Oz Imagine EntertainmentUniversal Pictures Brokedown Palace Jonathan Kaplan 20th Century Fox Galaxy Quest Dean Parisot DreamWorks Pictures

2000s Year Title Director Studio(s) Notes 2000 The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas Brian Levant Hanna-Barbera ProductionsAmblin EntertainmentUniversal Pictures Nutty Professor II: The Klumps Peter Segal Imagine EntertainmentUniversal Pictures Duets Bruce Paltrow Hollywood Pictures Bedazzled Harold Ramis Regency Enterprises20th Century Fox 102 Dalmatians Kevin Lima Walt Disney Pictures 2001 The Flamingo Rising Martha Coolidge CBSHallmark Hall of Fame Television film Lost Soul David Mickey Evans Brocita Entertainment (S) Pte LtdOnetree PicturesUnited International Pictures Dr. Dolittle 2 Steve Carr Davis Entertainment20th Century Fox The Affair of the Necklace Charles Shyer Alcon EntertainmentWarner Bros. Pictures 2002 Ice Age Chris Wedge Blue Sky Studios20th Century Fox Animation20th Century Fox Death to Smoochy Danny DeVito Jersey FilmsFilm4Warner Bros. Pictures Life or Something Like It Stephen Herek Regency EnterprisesDavis Entertainment20th Century Fox Scooby-Doo Raja Gosnell Atlas EntertainmentWarner Bros. Pictures 2003 How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days Donald Petrie Paramount Pictures Daddy Day Care Steve Carr Revolution StudiosDavis EntertainmentColumbia Pictures Duplex Danny DeVito Flower FilmsRed Hour ProductionsFilmColonyMiramax Films The Cat in the Hat Bo Welch Imagine EntertainmentUniversal Pictures (North America)DreamWorks Pictures (International) Replaced Marc Shaiman 2004 Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed Raja Gosnell Warner Bros. Pictures 2005 Are We There Yet? Brian Levant Revolution StudiosColumbia Pictures Man of the House Stephen Herek Bel Air EntertainmentRevolution StudiosColumbia Pictures Monster-in-Law Robert Luketic Allied Stars LtdNew Line Cinema Serenity Joss Whedon Universal Pictures 2007 Norbit Brian Robbins Tollin/Robbins ProductionsDavis EntertainmentDreamWorks PicturesParamount Pictures 2008 Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins Malcolm D. Lee Spyglass EntertainmentUniversal Pictures The Spirit Frank Miller OddLot EntertainmentLionsgate 2009 My Life in Ruins Donald Petrie PlaytoneEcho Bridge EntertainmentFox Searchlight Pictures Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins Brian Levant Cartoon NetworkWarner Premiere Television film Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel Betty Thomas Bagdasarian ProductionsDune EntertainmentRegency Enterprises20th Century Fox

2010s Year Title Director Studio(s) Notes 2010 Crazy on the Outside Tim Allen Freestyle Releasing The Spy Next Door Brian Levant Relativity MediaLionsgate Animals United Reinhard KloossHolger Tappe Ambient EntertainmentConstantin Film Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster Brian Levant Atlas EntertainmentWarner Premiere Television film 2011 Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son John Whitesell Regency Enterprises20th Century Fox 2012 A Christmas Story 2 Brian Levant Warner PremiereWarner Bros. Pictures Direct-to-video film 2013 Tarzan Reinhard Klooss Ambient EntertainmentConstantin Film 2014 Behaving Badly Tim Garrick Vertical Entertainment 5 Flights Up Richard Loncraine Focus World 2016 Army of One Larry Charles Conde Nast EntertainmentEndgame EntertainmentKasbah-Film Tanger2017 Girls Trip Malcolm D. Lee Universal PicturesWill Packer Productions Naked Michael Tiddes NetflixWayans Alvarez Productions 2018 Night School Malcolm D. Lee Universal Pictures 2019 Pets United Reinhard Klooss Netflix

2020s

Year Title Director Studio(s) Notes 2021 West Side Story Steven Spielberg 20th Century StudiosAmblin Entertainment As arranger and adapter.Original themes and songs by Leonard Bernstein.Fifth Steven Spielberg film without his long-time collaborator, John Williams, since Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983), The Color Purple (1985), Bridge of Spies (2015) and Ready Player One (2018). Second Spielberg film to be scored by a Newman family member after Bridge of Spies, which was composed by Thomas Newman, David's younger brother. 2024 Arthur's Whisky Stephen Cookson Sky Cinema 2025 The Wizard of Oz at Sphere Victor Fleming Sphere StudiosWarner Bros. Pictures As conductor.Original themes by Herbert Stothart and songs by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg.Immersive version of the 1939 MGM film.

Television Year Title Creator Studio(s) Notes 2019-2022 Green Eggs and Ham Jared Stern Gulfstream PicturesA Stern Talking ToA Very Good ProductionWarner Bros. AnimationNetflix Newman's first score for an animated series