Ernest Gold

Ernest Gold (July 13, 1921 – March 17, 1999) was an Austrian-born American composer renowned for his orchestral film scores, particularly the Academy Award-winning music for the 1960 epic Exodus.

Born Ernst Siegmund Goldner in Vienna to a secular Jewish family immersed in progressive musical circles, Gold displayed prodigious talent from childhood, mastering piano and violin by age six, composing his first song at eight, and completing a full-length opera by thirteen. Fleeing Nazi persecution, his family emigrated to the United States in 1938, settling in New York where he anglicized his name and pursued formal studies at the State Academy of Music before transitioning to composition for American media.

Gold's career spanned film, television, and concert works, with over 100 scores including nominations for Best Original Score for On the Beach (1959), which also earned a Golden Globe, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), and The Secret of Santa Vittoria (1969). His Exodus theme, evoking Hebrew motifs amid the film's depiction of Israel's founding, not only secured the 1961 Oscar but achieved enduring cultural resonance through recordings and adaptations. Later, he served as music director for the Santa Barbara Symphony Orchestra and founded the Los Angeles Senior Citizens Orchestra, composing symphonic pieces alongside his Hollywood output until health declined in the 1990s. Married thrice, including to vocalist Marni Nixon, Gold fathered musician Andrew Gold, perpetuating a family legacy in entertainment.