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Michael Kamen

Michael Kamen

Composer, also actor · Died November 18, 2003, aged 55 · New York City, New York, USA

BAFTA Award winner · Oscar nominee · Primetime Emmy nominee · 2 other major award bodies

Michael Arnold Kamen (April 15, 1948–November 18, 2003) was an American composer (especially of film scores), orchestral arranger, orchestral conductor, songwriter, record producer, and musician. Description above from the Wikipedia article Michael Kamen, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
April 15, 1948
Died
November 18, 2003 (aged 55)
From
New York City, New York, USA
Works as
Composer, also actor
Titles
75 on MovieCove · 94 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 38% in 30 days

What are Michael Kamen's films like?

Across their 62 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Action21 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 68th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Drama10 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 71st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 37th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Adventure6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 40th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Crime6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 76th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Documentary3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 92nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Animation2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 59th percentile
: browse their Animation movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 40th percentile
: browse their Biography movies
Horror2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 53rd 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
Bonds
30%
Morality
22%
Self
14%
Survival
13%
Power
11%
Society
6%
Ideas
5%
Justice15 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds13 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love11 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship10 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity7 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty8 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival6 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage5 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 62 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 23 · Serious 24 · Dark 15

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

Grounded 23 · Stylized 24 · Heightened 15

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

A split, not a type: Gentle 10 · Charged 24 · Intense 28

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

Steady 21 · Shifting 31 · Whiplash 10

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 26 · Some laughs 24 · Funny 12

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

Slow burn 17 · Even-paced 32 · Relentless 13

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

Casual 25 · Engaged 34 · Full focus 3

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 28 · Affecting 20 · Heavy 14

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

Resolved 49 · Open-ended 11 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
37
Thrilling
21
Melancholic
24
Absurd
13
Joyful
16
Other
58

How their films linger

Fun25 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good21 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet19 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful18 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 11 with a twist

  • Happy33
  • Bittersweet22
  • Tragic4
  • Ambiguous3

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 Michael Kamen's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 44 of their 75 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (21).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Michael Kamen'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

94 credits, 75 with a MovieCove page; 15 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Easter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Composer

  • Night City Angels (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Composer

  • Roger Daltrey: Daltrey Sings Townshend (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    as Conductor

  • First Daughter(2004)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Exorcist: The Beginning(2004)

    In Memory Of

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • Boo, Zino & the Snurks(2004)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Against the Ropes(2004)

    Composer · Conductor

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Open Range(2003)

    Composer · Conductor · Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Poem: I Set My Foot Upon the Air and It Carried Me(2003)

    Additional Soundtrack

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Evolution X - The Making of X-Men (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Composer

  • Band of Brothers(2001)

    Show 10 episodes · Composer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • Lara Croft: Tomb Raider(2001)

    Additional Music

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • The Science And Technology Behind 'Frequency' (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Composer

  • X-Men(2000)

    Composer · Conductor

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Frequency(2000)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Metallica: Making of S&M (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Composer · as Self - Conductor

  • Metallica: S&M(2000)

    Composer · as Self

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The Iron Giant(1999)

    Composer · Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • What Dreams May Come(1998)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Jerry Seinfeld: 'I'm Telling You for the Last Time'(1998)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Lethal Weapon 4(1998)

    Composer · Conductor

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • From the Earth to the Moon(1998)

    Show 3 episodes · Composer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • The Winter Guest(1997)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Event Horizon(1997)

    Composer · Conductor

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • The Heart Surgeon(1997)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Inventing the Abbotts(1997)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • Remember Me?(1997)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • 101 Dalmatians(1996)

    Composer · Conductor

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Jack(1996)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Mr. Holland's Opus(1995)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Stonewall(1995)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Strange Days(1995)

    Additional Music

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies(1995)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Die Hard with a Vengeance(1995)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Circle of Friends(1995)

    Composer · Conductor · Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Don Juan DeMarco(1994)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • The Three Musketeers(1993)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Wilder Napalm(1993)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Last Action Hero(1993)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Splitting Heirs(1993)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Blue Ice(1992)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Lethal Weapon 3(1992)

    Composer · Conductor · Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Shining Through(1992)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Two-Fisted Tales(1992)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • The Last Boy Scout(1991)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Let Him Have It(1991)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Company Business(1991)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves(1991)

    Composer · Conductor

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Hudson Hawk(1991)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Nothing But Trouble(1991)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Michael Kamen: Concerto for Saxophone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Actor

  • Cold Dog Soup (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Composer

  • Die Hard 2(1990)

    Composer · Conductor · Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • The Krays(1990)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Lethal Weapon 2(1989)

    Composer · Conductor · Musician · Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Licence to Kill(1989)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Tales from the Crypt(1989)

    Show 4 episodes · Composer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • Renegades(1989)

    Composer · Conductor

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Road House(1989)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Crusoe(1988)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Dead Bang(1989)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Rooftops(1989)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • The Adventures of Baron Munchausen(1988)

    Composer · Conductor · Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • The Raggedy Rawney (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Composer

  • Homeboy(1988)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Die Hard(1988)

    Composer · Conductor

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • For Queen & Country (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Composer

  • Action Jackson(1988)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Suspect(1987)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Someone to Watch Over Me(1987)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Adventures in Babysitting(1987)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Rita, Sue and Bob Too (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Composer

  • Shoot for the Sun (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Composer

  • Lethal Weapon(1987)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Shanghai Surprise(1986)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films

  • Mona Lisa(1986)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Highlander(1986)

    Composer · Conductor

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Edge of Darkness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Show 6 episodes · Composer

  • Amazing Stories(1985)

    Show 1 episode · Composer

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows

  • Lifeforce(1985)

    Additional Music

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Brazil(1985)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • The Dead Zone(1983)

    Composer · Conductor · Music Arranger · Music Producer · Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Pink Floyd: The Final Cut (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Conductor

  • Angelo My Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Composer

  • Pink Floyd: The Wall(1982)

    Conductor

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Venom(1981)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Polyester(1981)

    Composer · Musician

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • S.H.E: Security Hazards Expert(1980)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Boardwalk (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Composer

  • Stunts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Composer

  • Between the Lines(1977)

    Additional Music

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Liza’s Pioneer Diary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Composer

  • The Next Man(1976)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Zucchero: Luciano Pavarotti & Friends - Together for the Children of Bosnia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director

Career shape

A full career of 94 titles, 93 of them dated from 1976 to 2018.

Biggest box office

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)

$390M worldwide

Highest rated

Metallica: S&M (2000)

Midcredits 99th

Most popular right now

Die Hard (1988)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting2 of 94: 2 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting1 of 94: 1 only directing, 0 with another roleMusic87 of 94: 69 only music, 18 with another role · typical Midcredits score67thOther crew22 of 94: 4 only other crew, 18 with another role · typical Midcredits score78th

94 titles, 18 with more than one role — music and other crew overlap on 18 of them.

By decade

1970s5 · crew1980s34 · crew1990s39 · 1 acting · 38 crew2000s12 · crew2010s3 · 1 acting · 2 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

a BAFTA Award and 4 other major awards from 17 major nominations, 1986–2001.

WinNomination
  1. 2001
    • Grammy Award, won · Best Rock Instrumental Performance
  2. 1998
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries or a Movie (Dramatic Underscore)
  3. 1997
    • Grammy Award, won · Best Instrumental Arrangement
  4. 1996
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Music, Original Song
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Original Score - Motion Picture
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Original Song - Motion Picture
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television
  5. 1993
    • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television
  6. 1992
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Music, Original Song
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Original Score - Motion Picture
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Original Song - Motion Picture
    • +1 other major body · 2 wins and 3 nominations
      • Grammy Award, won · Best Pop Instrumental Performance
      • Grammy Award, won · Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Arrangement on an Instrumental
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Song of the Year
  7. 1986
    • BAFTA Award, won · Best Original Television Music

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 Michael Kamen's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 67th percentile, the median of all 71; across their 62 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 65th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

65thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 62

Approval · how many liked their films

66thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 62

Reach · how many have seen their films

89thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 62

Midcredits score across 75 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up29
  • 50th to 74th19
  • 25th to 49th15
  • Below 25th12

Shape of the crowd

32 of their 75 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved12
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser32
  • Broadly Agreed10
  • Mixed19

Most divisive · composer

S.H.E: Security Hazards Expert (1980)

75th percentile spread · 42% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor, composer

Metallica: S&M (2000)

Midcredits 99th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the sound and music 64/100 in their films, across 53 reviewed titles; fans 73, detractors 47. 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 Michael Kamen's work okay for kids?

Across up to 40 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore36 titles36–87 · median 63 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity40 titles14–56 · median 37 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity34 titles25–87 · median 51 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs31 titles25–64 · median 33 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense31 titles28–70 · median 53 · moderateheavier 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 Michael Kamen work with?

People who share at least 2 of Michael Kamen's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Joel Silver shares the most, 11.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles