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Carter Burwell

Carter Burwell

Composer · Born November 18, 1955 (70) · New York City, New York, USA

Primetime Emmy winner · Oscar nominee · Golden Globe nominee · 3 other major award bodies

Carter Benedict Burwell (born November 18, 1954) is an American film composer. He has frequently collaborated with the Coen brothers, scoring most of their films. He has also scored films by other directors such as Bill Condon, Todd Haynes, Spike Jonze, Martin McDonagh, James Foley, Brian Helgeland, and John Lee Hancock. Burwell received Academy Award nominations for Best Original Score for Haynes's Carol (2015), McDonagh's films Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017), and The Banshees Of Inisherin (2022). Description above from the Wikipedia article Carter Burwell, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
November 18, 1955 (70)
From
New York City, New York, USA
Works as
Composer
Titles
102 on MovieCove · 122 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 30% in 30 days

What are Carter Burwell's films like?

Across their 88 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Morality.

Genres

Comedy32 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 60th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime14 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 72nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Drama14 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 58th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Biography9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 86th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Action7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 68th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Adventure7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 56th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Animation3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 82nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Animation movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
27%
Morality
22%
Bonds
21%
Society
9%
Power
8%
Survival
8%
Ideas
4%
Identity20 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception18 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds16 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love16 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose11 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition10 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship10 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice8 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 88 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 31 · Serious 22 · Dark 35

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 32 · Stylized 33 · Heightened 23

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 17 · Charged 38 · Intense 33

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 28 · Shifting 41 · Whiplash 19

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 42 · Some laughs 21 · Funny 25

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 30 · Even-paced 56 · Relentless 2

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 29 · Engaged 40 · Full focus 19

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 29 · Affecting 23 · Heavy 36

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 47 · Open-ended 26 · Ambiguous 15

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
54
Absurd
30
Melancholic
37
Dread
15
Romantic
16
Other
90

How their films linger

Bittersweet40 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking32 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful22 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun18 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good19 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting17 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 17 with a twist

  • Happy19
  • Bittersweet43
  • Tragic11
  • Ambiguous13
  • Cyclical1
  • Other1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Carter Burwell's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 69 of their 102 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (18).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Carter Burwell's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

122 credits, 102 with a MovieCove page; 6 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Wild Horse Nine(2026)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Good Fortune(2025)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Honey Don't!(2025)

    Composer · Conductor · Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Drive-Away Dolls(2024)

    Composer · Conductor · Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • Finestkind(2023)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Schoolhood, The Past References of an Unforeseeable Future (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Composer

  • To Catch a Killer(2023)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • The Banshees of Inisherin(2022)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Catherine Called Birdy(2022)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • The Tragedy of Macbeth(2021)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Space Force(2020)

    Show 10 episodes · Composer

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all shows

  • The Good Liar(2019)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • The Morning Show(2019)

    Show 30 episodes · Composer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all shows

  • Missing Link(2019)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • The Ballad of Buster Scruggs(2018)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Hunting Bigfoot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Composer

  • Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri(2017)

    Composer · Conductor · Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Wonderstruck(2017)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Goodbye Christopher Robin(2017)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • The Founder(2016)

    Composer · Conductor

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • The Family Fang(2015)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Hail, Caesar!(2016)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • The Finest Hours(2016)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Anomalisa(2015)

    Composer · Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Carol(2015)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Legend(2015)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Mr. Holmes(2015)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Olive Kitteridge(2014)

    Show 4 episodes · Composer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • The Fifth Estate(2013)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2(2012)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Seven Psychopaths(2012)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Moving Gracefully Towards the Exit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Composer · Orchestrator

  • The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1(2011)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Mildred Pierce(2011)

    Show 5 episodes · Composer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all shows

  • True Grit(2010)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Howl(2010)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • The Kids Are All Right(2010)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • The Blind Side(2009)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Where the Wild Things Are(2009)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • A Serious Man(2009)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Twilight(2008)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Burn After Reading(2008)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • In Bruges(2008)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • No Country for Old Men(2007)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Before the Devil Knows You're Dead(2007)

    Composer · Conductor · Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • The Hoax(2006)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus(2006)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Kinsey(2004)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • The Alamo(2004)

    Composer · Conductor

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • The Ladykillers(2004)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Intolerable Cruelty(2003)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Adaptation.(2002)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • S1m0ne(2002)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Searching for Paradise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Composer

  • The Rookie(2002)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • The Man Who Wasn't There(2001)

    Composer · Conductor · Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • A Knight's Tale(2001)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2(2000)

    Composer · Musician

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • Before Night Falls(2000)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • O Brother, Where Art Thou?(2000)

    Additional Music

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Hamlet(2000)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • What Planet Are You From?(2000)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Being John Malkovich(1999)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Mystery, Alaska(1999)

    Composer · Conductor

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Three Kings(1999)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • The General's Daughter(1999)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • The World of Gods and Monsters: A Journey with James Whale (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Composer

  • The Corruptor(1999)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • The Hi-Lo Country(1998)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Gods and Monsters(1998)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Velvet Goldmine(1998)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Mercury Rising(1998)

    Additional Music

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • The Big Lebowski(1998)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • The Spanish Prisoner(1997)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • The Jackal(1997)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Girls Night Out (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Composer

  • The Locusts(1997)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Conspiracy Theory(1997)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Picture Perfect(1997)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Assassin(s)(1997)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • The Chamber(1996)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Joe's Apartment(1996)

    Composer · as The Roach Chorus (voice)

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Fear(1996)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • The Celluloid Closet(1995)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Fargo(1996)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Two Bits(1995)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Rob Roy(1995)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • A Goofy Movie(1995)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Bad Company(1995)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Airheads(1994)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • It Could Happen to You(1994)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • The Hudsucker Proxy(1994)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Wayne's World 2(1993)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • And the Band Played On(1993)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • A Dangerous Woman(1993)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Kalifornia(1993)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • XXXtasy: Two Days in the Life of a Saint (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Composer

  • This Boy's Life(1993)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Storyville (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Composer

  • Waterland(1992)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer(1992)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Transeltown (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Composer · Actor

  • Doc Hollywood(1991)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Barton Fink(1991)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Scorchers(1991)

    Composer · as Piano Player

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Miller's Crossing(1990)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Checking Out (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Composer

  • It Takes Two(1988)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • The Beat(1988)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Pass the Ammo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Composer

  • Raising Arizona(1987)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Psycho III(1986)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Blood Simple(1984)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • A Hero of Our Time (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Composer

  • Creation Myth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Composer

  • R.A.B.L. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Composer

  • 3DV (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Animation

  • Steps (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Composer

  • Help, I'm Being Crushed to Death by a Black Rectangle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Director

  • Subway Slut (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Director

  • Go, Beavers! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Composer

  • Jack of Spades (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Composer

Career shape

A full career of 122 titles, 119 of them dated from 1977 to 2025.

Biggest box office

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 (2012)

$889M worldwide

Highest rated

No Country for Old Men (2007)

Midcredits 99th

Most popular right now

Twilight (2008)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting3 of 122: 0 only acting, 3 with another roleDirecting2 of 122: 2 only directing, 0 with another roleMusic119 of 122: 105 only music, 14 with another role · typical Midcredits score70thOther crew12 of 122: 1 only other crew, 11 with another role · typical Midcredits score79th

122 titles, 14 with more than one role — music and other crew overlap on 11 of them.

By decade

1970s2 · crew1980s12 · crew1990s44 · 3 acting · 44 crew2000s25 · crew2010s26 · crew2020s10 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

Awards

a Primetime Emmy and 1 other major award from 15 major nominations, 2000–2023.

WinNomination
  1. 2023
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score)
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Original Score - Motion Picture
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Original Score
  2. 2018
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score)
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Original Score - Motion Picture
  3. 2016
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Original Score - Motion Picture
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Score
  4. 2011
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special (Original Dramatic Score)
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Score
  5. 2010
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Original Score - Motion Picture
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Score
  6. 2001
    • BAFTA Award, nominated
  7. 2000
    • Venice award, won

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Carter Burwell's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 69th percentile, the median of all 98; across their 88 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 66th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

66thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 88

Approval · how many liked their films

70thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 88

Reach · how many have seen their films

96thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 88

Midcredits score across 102 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up46
  • 50th to 74th27
  • 25th to 49th25
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

48 of their 102 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved20
  • Universally Panned1
  • Cult Classic5
  • Crowd Pleaser48
  • Broadly Agreed14
  • Mixed14

Most divisive · composer

The Beat (1988)

86th percentile spread · 34% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · composer

No Country for Old Men (2007)

Midcredits 99th · 89% liked

Reviewers score the sound and music 67/100 in their films, across 73 reviewed titles; fans 73, detractors 47. The element that speaks to their work as a composer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Carter Burwell's work okay for kids?

Across up to 72 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and profanity run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore63 titles22–86 · median 60 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity72 titles14–71 · median 39 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity67 titles24–87 · median 54 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs61 titles19–67 · median 38 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense62 titles20–79 · median 48 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Carter Burwell work with?

People who share at least 2 of Carter Burwell's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Ethan Coen shares the most, 18.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers

  • Eric Fellner12 titles    See all 12 shared titles with Eric Fellner
  • Tim Bevan12 titles    See all 12 shared titles with Tim Bevan
  • Robert Graf11 titles    See all 11 shared titles with Robert Graf
  • Graham Broadbent5 titles    See all 5 shared titles with Graham Broadbent

Mixed roles