---
name: "Alexander Courage"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/alexander-courage"
roles: ["Composer"]
born: "10 December 1919"
died: "15 May 2008"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 2
average_fi1m_score: 56
updated: "2026-09-16T18:10:48.329673+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Alexander Courage

Composer. Born 10 December 1919 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Died 15 May 2008.

## Details

- **Work:** Composer
- **Born:** 10 December 1919, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- **Died:** 15 May 2008
- **Active:** 1966–1993
- **Also known as:** Alexander Mair „Sandy“ Courage Jr., Alexander Mair Courage Jr.
- **Works often with:** D. C. Fontana

## Biography

Alexander Courage was an American composer, orchestrator and arranger of music for film and television. Born Alexander Mair Courage Jr. in Philadelphia on 10 December 1919, he studied at the Eastman School of Music before serving in the US Army during the Second World War. He began his career in radio and joined MGM as an orchestrator in 1948.

Courage is best known for composing the theme for the original *Star Trek* television series in 1965. He scored numerous television episodes and series, including many for *The Waltons*, and composed or adapted scores for films such as *Superman IV: The Quest for Peace* (1987), for which he incorporated themes by John Williams. He also worked extensively as an orchestrator on scores by John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith, including *Jurassic Park* (1993) and *The Mummy* (1999).

Courage received an Emmy Award in 1988 and two Academy Award nominations for his arranging work. He died in Pacific Palisades, California, on 15 May 2008.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, nytimes.com, mfiles.co.uk, filmtracks.com.*

## On Fi1m (2)

- *Superman IV: The Quest for Peace* (1987), Fi1m 30, Music — [page](https://film.one/film/superman-iv-the-quest-for-peace.md)
- *Star Trek* (1966), Fi1m 83, Music — [page](https://film.one/tv/star-trek-1966.md)

## Also credited on (not yet reviewed)

- *Star Trek: Deep Space Nine* (1993), Music

## Also known for

- *Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone* (2001), Orchestrator
- *Star Wars* (1977), Orchestrator — [page](https://film.one/film/star-wars.md)
- *Jurassic Park* (1993), Orchestrator — [page](https://film.one/film/jurassic-park.md)
- *Home Alone* (1990), Orchestrator — [page](https://film.one/film/home-alone.md)
- *Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade* (1989), Orchestrator — [page](https://film.one/film/indiana-jones-and-the-last-crusade.md)
- *Home Alone 2: Lost in New York* (1992), Orchestrator
- *Mulan* (1998), Orchestrator
- *The Mummy* (1999), Orchestrator — [page](https://film.one/film/the-mummy.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/alexander-courage