James Horner’s Most Memorable Scores: From ‘Titanic’ to ‘Avatar’

James Horner is among the most acclaimed composers of his generation, with some of the most memorable scores in recent film history under his belt.

A two-time Oscar winner for Titanic, Horner, 61, tragically died in a plane crash outside of Santa Barbara Monday. 

Horner first broke into mainstream success with his score for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (see below) and continued to rise throughout his career. 

Here are some of Horner’s most memorable works:

“Somewhere Out There” (1986)

Horner earned his first Oscar nomination for his work on An American Tail, earning nominations for Original Song for the classic “Somewhere Out There.” He shared writing credits and the nomination with Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, with the song performed by Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram.

Field of Dreams (1989)

Horner earned an Original Score nomination for his work on the classic baseball film starring Kevin Costner, with the score credited for creating film’s now iconic feel.

Braveheart (1995)

In 1995, Horner received an Original Dramatic Score Oscar nomination for his moving work on Mel Gibson‘s historical drama.

Apollo 13 (1995)

Horner was in competition with himself in what proved a stellar year, earning another Original Dramatic Score Oscar nomination for Apollo 13. In the end, neither Braveheart nor the astronaut drama would take home the statue, with Luis Enriquez Bacalov taking honors for The Postman.

Titanic (1997)

Horner finally tasted Oscar glory with Titanic, which gave birth to the massive global Celine Dion hit “My Heart Will Go On.” He shared the Oscar with Will Jennings, who penned the lyrics. Horner also took home the Oscar for Original Dramatic Score.

A Beautiful Mind (2001)

Horner tapped into the mind of economist John Nash for the Ron Howard film. The biopic went on to win best picture, but Horner’s score lost out to Howard Shore‘s work for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

House of Sand and Fog (2003)

The drama was nominated for three Oscars. In addition to Horner’s Original Score nomination, it also earned noms for Best Actor (Ben Kingsley) and Best Supporting Actress (Shohreh Aghdashloo).

Avatar (2009)

Horner re-teamed with Titanic director James Cameron for the film that would ultimately top Titanic‘s box office record. The Original Score Oscar ultimately went to Michael Giacchino for Up, but Horner’s work was considered key to creating Cameron’s groundbreaking alien world.