---
name: "Ralph Burns"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/ralph-burns"
roles: ["Composer"]
born: "29 June 1922"
died: "21 November 2001"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 2
average_fi1m_score: 76
average_over: 2
updated: "2026-09-20T06:05:54.927296+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."
---

# Ralph Burns

Composer. Born 29 June 1922 in Newton. Died 21 November 2001.

## Details

- **Work:** Composer
- **Born:** 29 June 1922, Newton
- **Died:** 21 November 2001
- **Active:** 1974–1979
- **Frequently works with:** [Bob Fosse](https://film.one/person/bob-fosse.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 2 Oscars (2 won · 1 nominated)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Burns, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1966681, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005985/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/69343

## Streaming the US now

- **Tubi:** [*All That Jazz*](https://film.one/film/all-that-jazz.md) (84)
- **Apple TV:** [*Lenny*](https://film.one/film/lenny.md) (67)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Ralph Burns (29 June 1922 – 21 November 2001) was an American jazz pianist, composer and arranger. Born in Newton, Massachusetts, he studied at the New England Conservatory of Music and began his career in the 1940s as pianist and arranger for Woody Herman’s band, contributing many of its signature pieces.

From the 1960s he worked extensively on Broadway, providing orchestrations for shows including *Sweet Charity* and *Funny Girl*. He collaborated frequently with director Bob Fosse on film scores. His credits include *Bananas* (1971), *Cabaret* (1972), for which he won an Academy Award as music supervisor, *Lenny* (1974), *New York, New York* (1977) and *All That Jazz* (1979), for which he received a second Oscar. Later film work encompassed *Annie* (1982), *National Lampoon’s Vacation* (1983) and *All Dogs Go to Heaven* (1989).

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, catalog.afi.com, nytimes.com.*

## On Fi1m (2)

- *All That Jazz* (1979), Fi1m 84, Original Music Composer, Music — [page](https://film.one/film/all-that-jazz.md)
- *Lenny* (1974), Fi1m 67, Music Supervisor, Original Music Composer, Music — [page](https://film.one/film/lenny.md)

## Complete filmography (35)

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

- *The Muppets Take Scripthatten* (2025), Music
- *Pippin: 50th Anniversary Concert* (2025), Orchestrator
- *Fosse* (2002), Orchestrator
- *All Dogs Go to Heaven* (1989), Original Music Composer
- *Sweet Bird of Youth* (1989), Original Music Composer
- *Bert Rigby, You're a Fool* (1989), Original Music Composer
- *After the Promise* (1987), Original Music Composer
- *In the Mood* (1987), Music
- *The Christmas Star* (1986), Original Music Composer
- *The Penalty Phase* (1986), Music
- *Amazing Stories* (1985), series, Music
- *Perfect* (1985), Original Music Composer
- *Moving Violations* (1985), Original Music Composer
- *The Muppets Take Manhattan* (1984), Original Music Composer
- *Ernie Kovacs: Between the Laughter* (1984), Original Music Composer
- *Star 80* (1983), Original Music Composer
- *National Lampoon's Vacation* (1983), Original Music Composer
- *The Phantom of the Opera* (1983), Original Music Composer
- *Kiss Me Goodbye* (1982), Original Music Composer
- *My Favorite Year* (1982), Original Music Composer
- *Annie* (1982), Original Music Composer
- *Pennies from Heaven* (1981), Original Music Composer
- *Golden Gate* (1981), Music
- *History of the World: Part I* (1981), Orchestrator
- *Side Show* (1981), Music
- *Ann-Margret: Hollywood Movie Girls* (1980), Music Arranger
- *Make Me an Offer* (1980), Music
- *All That Jazz* (1979), Original Music Composer — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/all-that-jazz.md)
- *Movie Movie* (1978), Original Music Composer
- *High Anxiety* (1977), Orchestrator
- *New York, New York* (1977), Music Supervisor, Conductor
- *Lucky Lady* (1975), Original Music Composer, Conductor
- *Lenny* (1974), Original Music Composer, Music Supervisor — Fi1m 67, [page](https://film.one/film/lenny.md)
- *Bananas* (1971), Orchestrator
- *Sweet Charity* (1969), Orchestrator

## Gallery

- ![Ralph Burns](https://film.one/media/person/1244855/gallery-82de2a44ef5d.jpg) Ralph Burns — William P. Gottlieb, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/Ralph_Burns_crop_%28William_P._Gottlieb_00911%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Gottlieb, William P., 1917-, photographer. [Portrait of Ralph Burns, Bill Harris, and Dave Tough, Three Deuces, New York, N.Y., ca. Apr. 1947] 1 negative : b&am](https://film.one/media/person/1244855/gallery-f8f9bffc14a8.jpg) Gottlieb, William P., 1917-, photographer. [Portrait of Ralph Burns, Bill Harris, and Dave Tough, Three Deuces, New York, N.Y., ca. Apr. 1947] 1 negative : b&am — The Library of Congress, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/%28Portrait_of_Ralph_Burns%2C_Bill_Harris%2C_and_Dave_Tough%2C_Three_Deuces%2C_New_York%2C_N.Y.%2C_ca._Apr._1947%29_%28LOC%29_%284888069079%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 2 won, 1 nominated

- 1983: Best Original Song Score (nominated), for *Annie*
- 1980: Best Original Song Score (won), for *All That Jazz*
- 1973: Best Original Song Score (won), for *Cabaret*

*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/ralph-burns