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Bernard Herrmann

Bernard Herrmann

Composer · Died December 24, 1975, aged 64 · New York City, New York, USA

Bernard Herrmann (born Max Herman; June 29, 1911 – December 24, 1975) was an American composer best known for his work in composing for motion pictures. As a conductor, he championed the music of lesser-known composers. An Academy Award-winner (for The Devil and Daniel Webster, 1941; later renamed All That Money Can Buy), Herrmann is particularly known for his collaborations with director Alfred Hitchcock, most famously Psycho, North by Northwest, The Man Who Knew Too Much, and Vertigo. He also composed scores for many other movies, including Citizen Kane, The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Cape Fear, and Taxi Driver. He worked extensively in radio drama (composing for Orson Welles), composed the scores for several fantasy films by Ray Harryhausen, and many TV programs, including Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone and Have Gun–Will Travel.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
June 29, 1911
Died
December 24, 1975 (aged 64)
From
New York City, New York, USA
Works as
Composer
Titles
57 on MovieCove · 77 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 63 days to Oct 26Up 6% in 30 days

What are Bernard Herrmann's films like?

Across their 47 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Genres

Drama21 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 82nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Adventure8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 61st percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Crime6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 90th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Horror4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 27th percentile
: browse their Horror movies
Action3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 83rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 90th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy 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
25%
Bonds
21%
Morality
19%
Survival
15%
Power
11%
Society
7%
Ideas
2%
Identity10 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds9 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love9 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival8 titles, browse their movies with this themeObsession7 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition6 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice8 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception5 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 47 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 9 · Serious 10 · Dark 28

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

Grounded 14 · Stylized 23 · Heightened 10

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

Gentle 6 · Charged 22 · Intense 19

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

Steady 21 · Shifting 24 · Whiplash 2

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

Straight-faced 37 · Some laughs 9 · Funny 1

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

Slow burn 22 · Even-paced 22 · Relentless 3

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

Casual 15 · Engaged 24 · Full focus 8

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 13 · Affecting 15 · Heavy 19

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 34 · Open-ended 8 · Ambiguous 5

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
33
Melancholic
28
Dread
14
Warm
8
Contemplative
10
Other
35

How their films linger

Hopeful15 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet15 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting13 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking15 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 7 with a twist

  • Happy13
  • Bittersweet20
  • Tragic8
  • Ambiguous5
  • 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 Bernard Herrmann's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 27 of their 57 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (11).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Bernard Herrmann'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

77 credits, 57 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Cape Fear(2026)

    Show 10 episodes · Composer

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all shows

  • Matthew Bourne's the Red Shoes(2020)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • The Twilight Zone: A 60th Anniversary Celebration (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Composer

  • The Morricone Duel: The Most Dangerous Concert Ever(2018)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Le carnaval de l’angoisse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Composer

  • Back to Room 666 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Composer

  • Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Show 21 episodes · Main Title Theme Composer

  • Psycho Path (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Musical

  • Psycho(1998)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • Bon week-end Monsieur Bennett ! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Composer

  • The Egg (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Composer

  • Cape Fear(1991)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Psycho IV: The Beginning(1990)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • The Story of a Recluse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Composer

  • Cada ver es... (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Composer

  • Psycho Shampoo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Composer

  • It Lives Again(1978)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • God Told Me To(1976)

    In Memory Of

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Obsession(1976)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Taxi Driver(1976)

    Composer · Music Director · Thanks

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Hanuman and the Five Kamen Riders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Composer

  • It's Alive(1974)

    Composer · Conductor · Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Sisters(1972)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Endless Night(1972)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • The Night Digger(1971)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • The Battle of Neretva(1969)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Obsessions(1969)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Twisted Nerve(1968)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Companions in Nightmare (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Composer

  • The Bride Wore Black(1968)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Death in the Afternoon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Composer

  • Fahrenheit 451(1966)

    Composer · Conductor

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Lost in Space(1965)

    Show 1 episode · Composer

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all shows

  • Joy in the Morning(1965)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Marnie(1964)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Jason and the Argonauts(1963)

    Composer · Conductor

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • The Birds(1963)

    Music Consultant

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Cape Fear(1962)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Tender Is the Night(1962)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Mysterious Island(1961)

    Composer · Conductor

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • The 3 Worlds of Gulliver(1960)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Psycho(1960)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Journey to the Center of the Earth(1959)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • The Twilight Zone(1959)

    Show 2 episodes · Composer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • North by Northwest(1959)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Blue Denim (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Composer

  • The 7th Voyage of Sinbad(1958)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • The Naked and the Dead(1958)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • The Fiend Who Walked the West(1958)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Vertigo(1958)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Have Gun, Will Travel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Show 1 episode · Composer

  • A Hatful of Rain(1957)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Williamsburg: The Story of a Patriot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Composer

  • Collector's Item: The Left Fist of David(1957)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Wrong Man(1956)

    Composer · as Stork Club Piano Player (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • The Man Who Knew Too Much(1956)

    Composer · as Conductor at Albert Hall (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit(1956)

    Composer · Conductor · Music Arranger

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • The Trouble with Harry(1955)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • The Kentuckian(1955)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Prince of Players (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Composer

  • A Christmas Carol (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Songs

  • The Egyptian(1954)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Garden of Evil(1954)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • King of the Khyber Rifles(1953)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Beneath the 12-Mile Reef(1953)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • White Witch Doctor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Composer

  • The Snows of Kilimanjaro(1952)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • 5 Fingers(1952)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • On Dangerous Ground(1951)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • The Day the Earth Stood Still(1951)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • The Ghost and Mrs. Muir(1947)

    Composer · Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Anna and the King of Siam(1946)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Hangover Square (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    Composer

  • Jane Eyre(1943)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • The Magnificent Ambersons(1942)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • The Devil and Daniel Webster(1941)

    Composer · Conductor

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Citizen Kane(1941)

    Composer · Conductor

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 75 titles from 1941 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Psycho (1998)

$37M worldwide

Highest rated

Psycho (1960)

Midcredits 99th

Most popular right now

North by Northwest (1959)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting2 of 75: 0 only acting, 2 with another roleWriting1 of 75: 1 only writing, 0 with another roleMusic71 of 75: 60 only music, 11 with another role · typical Midcredits score81stOther crew12 of 75: 3 only other crew, 9 with another role · typical Midcredits score89th

75 titles, 11 with more than one role — music and other crew overlap on 9 of them.

By decade

1940s7 · crew1950s27 · 2 acting · 27 crew1960s16 · crew1970s10 · crew1980s2 · crew1990s6 · crew2000s3 · crew2010s2 · crew2020s2 · 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.

How do Bernard Herrmann's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 81st percentile, the median of all 54; across their 47 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 77th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

77thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 47

Approval · how many liked their films

81stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 47

Reach · how many have seen their films

83rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 47

Midcredits score across 57 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up33
  • 50th to 74th12
  • 25th to 49th8
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

30 of their 57 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved14
  • Crowd Pleaser30
  • Broadly Agreed4
  • Mixed9

Most divisive · composer

Joy in the Morning (1965)

61st percentile spread · 24% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · composer

Psycho (1960)

Midcredits 99th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the sound and music 77/100 in their films, across 43 reviewed titles; fans 84, detractors 59. 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 Bernard Herrmann's work okay for kids?

Across up to 22 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity and profanity run lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore18 titles16–72 · median 37 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity22 titles8–45 · median 19 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity17 titles0–35 · median 8 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs18 titles13–42 · median 24 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense19 titles12–77 · median 43 · 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 Bernard Herrmann work with?

People who share at least 2 of Bernard Herrmann's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Alfred Hitchcock shares the most, 7.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles