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Howard Shore

Howard Shore

Composer, also actor · Born October 18, 1946 (80) · Toronto, Ontario, Canada

3 Oscars · 3 Golden Globes · Primetime Emmy nominee · 4 other major award bodies

Howard Leslie Shore (born October 18, 1946) is a Canadian composer, conductor and orchestrator noted for his film scores. He has composed the scores for over 80 films, most notably for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies. He won three Academy Awards for his work on The Lord of the Rings, one for the song "Into the West", an award he shared with Eurythmics lead vocalist Annie Lennox and writer/producer Fran Walsh, who wrote the lyrics. He consistently collaborates with director David Cronenberg, having scored all but one of his films since 1979, and collaborated with Martin Scorsese on six of his films. Shore has also composed concert works including one opera, The Fly, based on the plot of Cronenberg's 1986 film, which premiered at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris on July 2, 2008; a short piece named Fanfare for the Wanamaker Organ and the Philadelphia Orchestra; and a short overture for the Swiss 21st Century Symphony Orchestra. Shore has also composed for television, including serving as the original musical director for the American sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1975 to 1980. In addition to his three Oscars, Shore has won three Golden Globe Awards, four Grammy Awards, three Genie Awards, and nine Canadian Screen Awards. Description above from the Wikipedia article Howard Shore, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
October 18, 1946 (80)
From
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Works as
Composer, also actor
Titles
85 on MovieCove · 101 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 26% in 30 days

What are Howard Shore's films like?

Across their 82 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.

Genres

Comedy19 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 69th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama19 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 68th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Crime17 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 72nd percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Adventure9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 95th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Biography7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 72nd percentile
: browse their Biography movies
Action4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 54th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Documentary4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 86th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Horror3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 73rd percentile
: browse their Horror 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
Morality
22%
Self
22%
Bonds
19%
Survival
13%
Ideas
10%
Society
8%
Power
7%
Identity21 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice15 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds16 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship9 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception11 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma7 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt7 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love7 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 82 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 25 · Serious 12 · Dark 45

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 38 · Stylized 21 · Heightened 23

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

A split, not a type: Gentle 14 · Charged 25 · Intense 43

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

Steady 31 · Shifting 37 · Whiplash 14

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 51 · Some laughs 21 · Funny 10

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

Slow burn 35 · Even-paced 37 · Relentless 10

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

Casual 22 · Engaged 30 · Full focus 30

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 20 · Affecting 29 · Heavy 33

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

A split, not a type: Resolved 45 · Open-ended 23 · Ambiguous 14

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
53
Dread
28
Melancholic
29
Warm
16
Contemplative
19
Other
81

How their films linger

Thought-provoking27 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful25 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling24 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet20 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting19 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 18 with a twist

  • Happy16
  • Bittersweet40
  • Tragic9
  • Ambiguous16
  • Cyclical1

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 Howard Shore's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 59 of their 85 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (15).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Howard Shore'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

101 credits, 85 with a MovieCove page; 17 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Revelations: Making Dogma (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Composer

  • The Shrouds(2024)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Drift (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Composer

  • Howard Shore Weekend - Eastern Promises (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Compositor · Actor

  • Howard Shore Weekend - The Lord of the Rings (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Musician · Actor

  • The Pale Blue Eye(2022)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power(2022)

    Show 16 episodes · Main Title Theme Composer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all shows

  • The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Global Fan Screening (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Main Title Theme Composer

  • Crimes of the Future(2022)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Pieces of a Woman(2020)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Funny Boy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Composer · Producer

  • The Lost Prince(2020)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • The Song of Names(2019)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • The Catcher Was a Spy(2018)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Denial(2016)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Spotlight(2015)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies(2014)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Rosewater(2014)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Maps to the Stars(2014)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug(2013)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Jimmy P: Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian(2013)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • The Ephemerol Diaries: An Interview with Stephen Lack (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Composer

  • The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey(2012)

    Composer · Conductor · Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Cosmopolis(2012)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • Hugo(2011)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • A Dangerous Method(2011)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • The Twilight Saga: Eclipse(2010)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Edge of Darkness(2010)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Doubt(2008)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • The Betrayal – Nerakhoon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Composer

  • To Each His Own Cinema(2007)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Eastern Promises(2007)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • The Last Mimzy(2007)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • The Departed(2006)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • A History of Violence(2005)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Lord of the Brush (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Composer

  • The Aviator(2004)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King(2003)

    Composer · Songs · as Drinking Rohan Soldier (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Late Night with Conan O'Brien: 10th Anniversary Special (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Composer

  • The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers(2002)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Gangs of New York(2002)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Spider(2002)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Panic Room(2002)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring(2001)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The Score(2001)

    Composer · Conductor · Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Esther Kahn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Composer

  • Camera (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Composer

  • The Cell(2000)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • The Yards(2000)

    Composer · Conductor · Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • High Fidelity(2000)

    Composer · Conductor · Music Arranger

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Dogma(1999)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • eXistenZ(1999)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Analyze This(1999)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Gloria(1999)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • The Game(1997)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Cop Land(1997)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Looking for Richard(1996)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • That Thing You Do!(1996)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Crash(1996)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Striptease(1996)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • The Truth About Cats & Dogs(1996)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Before and After(1996)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • White Man's Burden(1995)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Moonlight and Valentino(1995)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Seven(1995)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Nobody's Fool(1994)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Ed Wood(1994)

    Composer · Conductor · Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • The Client(1994)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Philadelphia(1993)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Mrs. Doubtfire(1993)

    Composer · Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • M. Butterfly(1993)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Guilty as Sin(1993)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Sliver(1993)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Single White Female(1992)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Prelude to a Kiss(1992)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Naked Lunch(1991)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • A Kiss Before Dying(1991)

    Composer · Conductor

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • The Silence of the Lambs(1991)

    Composer · Conductor · Music Producer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Made in Milan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Composer

  • The Local Stigmatic (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Composer

  • She-Devil(1989)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • The Lemon Sisters(1989)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • An Innocent Man(1989)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Signs of Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Composer

  • Dead Ringers(1988)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Big(1988)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Moving(1988)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Nadine(1987)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Heaven(1987)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • The Fly(1986)

    Composer · Conductor

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Fire with Fire(1986)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • After Hours(1985)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Places in the Heart(1984)

    Additional Music

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Nothing Lasts Forever (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Composer

  • Videodrome(1983)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Scanners(1981)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Steve Martin's Best Show Ever(1981)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Gilda Live(1980)

    Music Director · Musician · as The Candy Slice Group

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • The Brood(1979)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • I Miss You, Hugs and Kisses(1978)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films

  • Saturday Night Live(1975)

    Show 5 episodes · as Deejay (uncredited) · as Musician at Plato’s Cave (uncredited) · as Self - Bandleader · as Self (uncredited) · as Shelley (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

Career shape

A full career of 100 titles from 1975 to 2025.

Biggest box office

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

$1.1B worldwide

Highest rated

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

Midcredits 99th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting5 of 100: 1 only acting, 4 with another roleProducing1 of 100: 0 only producing, 1 with another roleMusic96 of 100: 85 only music, 11 with another role · typical Midcredits score72ndOther crew13 of 100: 0 only other crew, 13 with another role · typical Midcredits score91st

100 titles, 14 with more than one role — music and other crew overlap on 10 of them.

By decade

1970s3 · 1 acting · 2 crew1980s17 · 1 acting · 17 crew1990s30 · crew2000s22 · 1 acting · 22 crew2010s16 · crew2020s12 · 2 acting · 12 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

3 Oscars, 3 Golden Globes and 8 other major awards from 33 major nominations, 1992–2023.

WinNomination
  1. 2023
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music
  2. 2016
    • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Score
  3. 2014
    • Cannes award, won
  4. 2013
    • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media
  5. 2012
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Original Score - Motion Picture
    • BAFTA Award, nominated
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Score
  6. 2008
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Original Score - Motion Picture
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
  7. 2007
    • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Composer
  8. 2006
    • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
Show 6 earlier years
  1. 2005
    • Golden Globe, won · Best Original Score - Motion Picture
    • BAFTA Award, nominated
    • +2 other major bodies · 3 wins
      • Grammy Award, won · Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
      • Grammy Award, won · Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
      • Critics Choice Award, won · Best Composer
  2. 2004
    • Oscar, won · Best Music, Original Score
    • Oscar, won · Best Music, Original Song
    • Golden Globe, won · Best Original Score - Motion Picture
    • Golden Globe, won · Best Original Song - Motion Picture
    • BAFTA Award, nominated
    • +2 other major bodies · 2 wins
      • Grammy Award, won · Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
      • Critics Choice Award, won · Best Composer
  3. 2003
    • BAFTA Award, nominated
    • +2 other major bodies · 1 win and 1 nomination
      • Grammy Award, won · Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Composer
  4. 2002
    • Oscar, won · Best Music, Original Score
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Original Score - Motion Picture
    • BAFTA Award, nominated
    • +1 other major body · 1 win
      • Critics Choice Award, won · Best Composer
  5. 1996
    • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television
  6. 1992
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Original Film Score

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 Howard Shore's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 72nd percentile, the median of all 83; across their 82 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 73rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

73rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 82

Approval · how many liked their films

71stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 82

Reach · how many have seen their films

93rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 82

Midcredits score across 85 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up38
  • 50th to 74th25
  • 25th to 49th15
  • Below 25th7

Shape of the crowd

39 of their 85 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved21
  • Universally Panned1
  • Cult Classic3
  • Crowd Pleaser39
  • Broadly Agreed7
  • Mixed14

Most divisive · composer

The Lemon Sisters (1989)

89th percentile spread · 33% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · composer

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

Midcredits 99th · 93% liked

Reviewers score the sound and music 66/100 in their films, across 71 reviewed titles; fans 74, detractors 49. 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 Howard Shore's work okay for kids?

Across up to 61 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore52 titles23–93 · median 67 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity61 titles9–75 · median 48 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity56 titles13–86 · median 60 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs52 titles29–60 · median 36 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense54 titles27–85 · median 61 · intenseheavier than most 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 Howard Shore work with?

People who share at least 2 of Howard Shore's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; David Cronenberg shares the most, 18.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles