Howard Shore

Howard Shore was already starting to build his reputation as a film composer when he stepped out of his role as Saturday Night Live's first musical director in 1980 (his theme song is still used to this day). Shore was highly respected for his work in horror, suspense and black comedy, making him a natural fit for extended collaborations with such maverick, free-thinking directors as David Cronenberg, Martin Scorsese, Jonathan Demme and David Fincher. He has amassed a large, intriguing body of work over the decades and retained the regard of his Hollywood peers while gaining the admiration of hobbits, elves and wizards after he scored all the movies in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.