Bernstein, Elmer

Bernstein, Elmer

(1922–  ) composer, conductor; born in New York City. After writing music for United Nations radio shows and a brief career as a concert pianist, he began to compose film scores. His music for The Man With the Golden Arm (1955) brought widespread acclaim. He wrote over 100 major film scores in a style that drew heavily on jazz; among his scores are those for To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), The Great Escape (1963), and My Left Foot (1989).

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.