Hans Zimmer is one of the top contenders for best original score at the 94th annual Academy Awards for his work on Dune. He was shortlisted for the award on Dec. 21 along with such other top prospects as Jonny Greenwood (The Power of the Dog), Alexandre Desplat (The French Dispatch) and Germaine Franco (Encanto).
Of the 15 scores that were shortlisted for the Oscar, Zimmer’s is the only one that is nominated for best score soundtrack for visual media at the 64th annual Grammy Awards on Jan. 31, 2022.
If Zimmer wins the Oscar on March 27, he’ll set a record. He’ll have waited longer to win his second scoring Oscar than any other composer in history. Zimmer won his first Oscar for best original score 27 years ago for The Lion King. Since then, he’s been nominated nine times, for such films as As Good as It Gets, Gladiator and Dunkirk, but has yet to return to the winners circle.
The late Henry Mancini is the current record-holder for having waited the longest to win a second scoring Oscar. Mancini won his first for Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) and waited 21 years to win his second, for Victor/Victoria (1982).
Should Zimmer win, he’ll assume second place on the list of composers with the longest span of scoring Oscars. Alfred Newman, father of contemporary film scorers Thomas Newman and David Newman, heads the list. He won his first scoring Oscar for Alexander’s Ragtime Band (1938) and his last for Camelot (1967).
Other composers with scoring Oscars spanning 20 years or more are John Barry (1966-90), Maurice Jarre (1962-84), John Williams (1971-93), Mancini (1961-82), Johnny Green (1948-68), Lennie Hayton (1949-69) and Ray Heindorf (1942-62).
Voting for Oscar nominations runs from Jan. 27 to Feb. 1, 2022. Nominations will be announced on Feb. 8. The Oscars are set to return to the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood after being shifted to Los Angeles’ Union Station in April because of the pandemic.
