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John Altman

Composer · Born December 5, 1949 (76) · London, England, UK

John is a musician's musician. Music royalty. Accolade after accolade. He's won BAFTA's and EMMY's. He is the proud recipient of a Gold Badge of Excellence for services to British music awarded by his peers in The British Academy of Songwriters & Composers in 2011, a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Monaco Film Festival, and in 2012 with an honorary Doctorate of Music from the University of Sussex where he was the first ever Creative Arts Fellow in the Department of Humanities. John scored the 1928 restored silent move Shooting Stars which was premiered at London's Odeon Leicester Square as part of the 2015 London Film Festival. He's jammed with Clapton, Zoot Money, Hendrix, Jimmy Page and the late Amy Winehouse. He was Van Morrison's MD for years and Hot Chocolate's MD and sax player. He's responsible for classics by Alison Moyet's 'That Old Devil Called Love', George Michael's 'Kissing A Fool' and Bjork's 'It's Oh So Quiet', to name but a few. He is a highly regarded award winner for his contemporary orchestral scores, big band music and small group ensemble work and respected critic Don Heckman in the Los Angeles Times describes him as "one of the few film composers with authentic jazz skills." He's a songwriter too, and writes end title songs and pastiches where source music is difficult to clear. Feature films include RKO281 (EMMY winner), Hear My Song (BAFTA winner), Miramax's Shall We Dance, starring Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez; the thriller Shoot On Sight and a contemporary version of Ibsen's The Master Builder (Crossover Productions). Funny Bones (Hollywood Pictures); wrote and produced all the period music for Titanic (20th Century Fox); Matchmaker (Working Title); King Of Texas (Hallmark); Fidel (Showtime); the classic tank chase in Goldeneye (United Artists) which remains number 2 in the all-time James Bond favourite scenes; The Lost Empire (Hallmark); Beautiful Joe (Capitol Films); the award winning Little Voice (Scala/Miramax); Garden Of Redemption (Paramount); Beautiful Thing (World/Channel Four Films); Vendetta (Limelight/Miramax); and Boss Of Bosses (Turner). Also the films Breaking Through, starring Diane Keaton; Hope Springs (Disney), starring Colin Firth, Minnie Driver and Heather Graham; The Roman Spring of Mrs Stone (Showtime), starring Helen Mirren for which he received an EMMY Nomination; the Christmas movie Mr St. Nick starring Kelsey Grammer; and The Reagans (CBS/Showtime). UK TV credits include The Good Samaritan (ITV); BBC Film's Mr Harvey Lights A Candle starring Timothy Spall; the Channel 4 drama The Queen's Sister. As an arranger John has worked with the best - Diana Ross, George Michael, Goldie, Bjork, Rod Stewart, Tom Jones, Tina Turner etc etc. He's a featured sax player in leading jazz clubs and festivals round the world and regularly records jazz albums with a jazz quartet or his big band. Carolynne Wyper, SMA Talent

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Biography from IMDb.

Born
December 5, 1949 (76)
From
London, England, UK
Works as
Composer
Titles
28 on MovieCove · 44 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 37 days to Oct 26Down 2% in 30 days

What are John Altman's films like?

Across their 24 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy10 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 64th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 51st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 19th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 70th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography 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%
Self
27%
Morality
13%
Power
12%
Survival
10%
Society
8%
Ideas
2%
Romantic love5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds6 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose4 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption2 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 23 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 12 · Stylized 10 · Heightened 1

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

Gentle 7 · Charged 10 · Intense 6

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

A split, not a type: Steady 12 · Shifting 9 · Whiplash 2

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

Straight-faced 9 · Some laughs 13 · Funny 1

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

Slow burn 10 · Even-paced 12 · Relentless 1

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

Casual 10 · Engaged 12 · Full focus 1

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

Resolved 16 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 3

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
14
Warm
8
Joyful
7
Melancholic
7
Hopeful
4
Other
20

How their films linger

Hopeful11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy7
  • Bittersweet8
  • Tragic5
  • Ambiguous4

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 John Altman's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 14 of their 28 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (8).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for John Altman'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

44 credits, 28 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Aakasha Gopuram (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Composer

  • Shoot on Sight(2007)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • The Queen's Sister (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Composer

  • Mr. Harvey Lights a Candle(2005)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Shall We Dance?(2004)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Suburban Madness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Composer

  • On Thin Ice(2003)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Hope Springs(2003)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone(2003)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Mr. St. Nick(2002)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • King of Texas(2002)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • Boss of Bosses(2001)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • The Lost Empire(2001)

    Show Composer

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all shows

  • Beautiful Joe(2000)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • RKO 281(1999)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Vendetta(1999)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Legionnaire(1998)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Little Voice(1998)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Berkeley Square (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Show 10 episodes · Composer

  • Dogboys(1998)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • A Royal Scandal(1996)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • The MatchMaker(1997)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Pronto (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Composer

  • Drovers' Gold (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Show 5 episodes · Composer

  • The Garden of Redemption (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Composer

  • Beautiful Thing(1996)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Funny Bones(1995)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Camilla(1994)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Fair Game(1994)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Bhaji on the Beach(1993)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Bad Behavior (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Composer

  • The Long Roads (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Composer

  • Miss Marple: The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side(1992)

    Music Director

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Hear My Song(1991)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Tsareubiytsa(1991)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Broke (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Composer

  • Ice Dance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Composer

  • The Bell-Run (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Composer

  • Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: 4:50 from Paddington(1987)

    Music Director

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • John Lennon: A Journey in the Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Composer · Music Arranger

  • Star Quality (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Composer

  • Crystal Gazing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Composer

  • One in Five (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Composer

  • The Secret Policeman's Other Ball(1982)

    Music Director

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 40 titles from 1982 to 2008.

Biggest box office

Shall We Dance? (2004)

$170M worldwide

Highest rated

Beautiful Thing (1996)

Midcredits 94th

Most popular right now

Shall We Dance? (2004)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Music37 of 40: 36 only music, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score51stOther crew4 of 40: 3 only other crew, 1 with another role

By decade

1980s8 · crew1990s22 · crew2000s10 · 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 John Altman's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 57th percentile, the median of all 27; across their 23 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 53rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

53rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 23

Approval · how many liked their films

55thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 23

Reach · how many have seen their films

63rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 23

Midcredits score across 28 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up7
  • 50th to 74th11
  • 25th to 49th6
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

13 of their 28 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved4
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser13
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed9

Most divisive · composer

Fair Game (1994)

89th percentile spread · 28% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · composer

Beautiful Thing (1996)

Midcredits 94th · 82% liked

Reviewers score the sound and music 65/100 in their films, across 17 reviewed titles; fans 73, detractors 45. 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 John Altman's work okay for kids?

Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Sex & Nudity6 titles36–53 · median 45 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32

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 John Altman work with?

People who share at least 2 of John Altman's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Peter Chelsom shares the most, 3.

Directors

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers