---
name: "Lennie Niehaus"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/lennie-niehaus"
fi1m_id: "lennie-niehaus"
imdb_id: "nm0006215"
tmdb_id: 195
wikidata_id: "Q1818079"
roles: ["Composer"]
born: "11 June 1929"
died: "28 May 2020"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 9
average_fi1m_score: 77
average_over: 9
updated: "2026-10-04T23:21:06.903451+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."
---

# Lennie Niehaus

## Identity

Lennie Niehaus

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/lennie-niehaus
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** lennie-niehaus
- **IMDb ID:** nm0006215
- **TMDB ID:** 195
- **Wikidata ID:** Q1818079
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lennie_Niehaus, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1818079, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006215/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/195

Composer. Born 11 June 1929 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Died 28 May 2020.

## Details

- **Work:** Composer
- **Born:** 11 June 1929, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- **Died:** 28 May 2020
- **Active:** 1984–2008
- **Also known as:** Leonard Niehaus
- **Frequently works with:** [Clint Eastwood](https://film.one/person/clint-eastwood.md)
- **Primetime Emmy Awards:** 1 Emmy (1 won)
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1980s 72 (3), 1990s 83 (3), 2000s 77 (3)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 80 to 76 across 7 titles
- **Score spread:** 3 at 80+, 6 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 6, Crime 3, Mystery 2, Thriller 2, Western 2, Comedy 1
- **Screen time:** 19 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $1,257m across 9 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lennie_Niehaus, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1818079, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006215/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/195

## Biography

Lennie Niehaus (also credited as Leonard Niehaus) was an American composer, arranger and alto saxophonist. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, he played with the Stan Kenton Orchestra in the 1950s and served as one of its principal arrangers. He met Clint Eastwood while both were serving in the US Army at Fort Ord in the early 1950s.

Niehaus orchestrated scores for several Eastwood films in the 1970s and 1980s before composing original music for Eastwood-directed features from *Pale Rider* (1985) onwards. His credits include *Unforgiven* (1992) and *The Bridges of Madison County* (1995). He also orchestrated later Eastwood projects such as *Million Dollar Baby* (2004) and *Gran Torino* (2008). Niehaus won BMI Film & TV Awards for several of these scores and received a Primetime Emmy for the 1993 television film *Lush Life*.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, variety.com.*

## On Fi1m (9)

- *Changeling* (2008), Fi1m 68, Orchestrator, Conductor — [page](https://film.one/film/changeling.md)
- *Gran Torino* (2008), Fi1m 76, Orchestrator — [page](https://film.one/film/gran-torino.md)
- *Million Dollar Baby* (2004), Fi1m 86, Conductor, Orchestrator — [page](https://film.one/film/million-dollar-baby.md)
- *The Bridges of Madison County* (1995), Fi1m 84, Original Music Composer, Music — [page](https://film.one/film/the-bridges-of-madison-county.md)
- *A Perfect World* (1993), Fi1m 74, Original Music Composer, Music — [page](https://film.one/film/a-perfect-world.md)
- *Unforgiven* (1992), Fi1m 92, Music, Original Music Composer — [page](https://film.one/film/unforgiven.md)
- *Back to School* (1986), Fi1m 72, Conductor — [page](https://film.one/film/back-to-school.md)
- *Pale Rider* (1985), Fi1m 77, Music, Original Music Composer — [page](https://film.one/film/pale-rider.md)
- *Tightrope* (1984), Fi1m 66, Original Music Composer, Music — [page](https://film.one/film/tightrope.md)

## Complete filmography (49)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Eastwood Symphonic* (2023), Music
- *Gran Torino* (2008), Orchestrator — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/gran-torino.md)
- *Changeling* (2008), Orchestrator, Conductor — Fi1m 68, [page](https://film.one/film/changeling.md)
- *Comanche Moon* (2008), series, Original Music Composer
- *Mitch Albom's For One More Day* (2007), Original Music Composer
- *Million Dollar Baby* (2004), Orchestrator, Conductor — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/million-dollar-baby.md)
- *Blood Work* (2002), Original Music Composer
- *Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows* (2000), Original Music Composer, Music Arranger, Orchestrator
- *Space Cowboys* (2000), Original Music Composer
- *The Jack Bull* (1999), Original Music Composer
- *True Crime* (1999), Original Music Composer
- *Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World* (1998), Music
- *No Laughing Matter* (1998), Music
- *Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil* (1997), Original Music Composer
- *Dog Watch* (1997), Original Music Composer
- *Absolute Power* (1997), Original Music Composer
- *Titanic* (1996), series, Original Music Composer
- *Crazy Horse* (1996), Original Music Composer
- *The Bridges of Madison County* (1995), Original Music Composer — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/the-bridges-of-madison-county.md)
- *A Perfect World* (1993), Original Music Composer — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/a-perfect-world.md)
- *Lush Life* (1993), Original Music Composer
- *Unforgiven* (1992), Original Music Composer — Fi1m 92, [page](https://film.one/film/unforgiven.md)
- *The Rookie* (1990), Original Music Composer
- *White Hunter, Black Heart* (1990), Original Music Composer
- *Bird* (1988), Original Music Composer, Music Supervisor
- *The Child Saver* (1988), Music
- *Heartbreak Ridge* (1986), Original Music Composer, Conductor
- *Ratboy* (1986), Original Music Composer
- *Back to School* (1986), Conductor — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/back-to-school.md)
- *Vanessa in the Garden* (1985), Music
- *Amazing Stories* (1985), series, Music
- *Follow That Bird* (1985), Music
- *Pale Rider* (1985), Original Music Composer — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/film/pale-rider.md)
- *City Heat* (1984), Original Music Composer
- *Tightrope* (1984), Original Music Composer — Fi1m 66, [page](https://film.one/film/tightrope.md)
- *Hansel and Gretel* (1983), Original Music Composer
- *Little Red Riding Hood* (1983), Original Music Composer
- *Sleeping Beauty* (1983), Original Music Composer
- *Rapunzel* (1983), Original Music Composer
- *Rumpelstiltskin* (1982), Original Music Composer
- *The Tale of the Frog Prince* (1982), Original Music Composer
- *Below the Belt* (1980), Orchestrator
- *The Outlaw Josey Wales* (1976), Orchestrator
- *Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia* (1974), Orchestrator
- *The Super Cops* (1974), Orchestrator
- *The Outfit* (1973), Orchestrator
- *Shirts/Skins* (1973), Orchestrator
- *Scorpio* (1973), Orchestrator
- *Lawman* (1971), Orchestrator

## Awards

### BAFTA Film Awards — 0 won, 1 nominated

- 1988: Best Original Music (nominated), for *Bird*

### Primetime Emmy Awards — 1 won

- 1994: Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie, or a Special (won), for *Lush Life*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© 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/lennie-niehaus