James S. Levine

Levine worked across composer and film score composer. This article rests on 100 catalogued compositions, 6 published texts, 2 issued recordings and 23 scholarly references drawn from named institutional registers. Every statement below returns to a source shown in the evidence panel; where the record is silent or divided, the article says so instead of resolving it.

James Levine grew up in Medford, Massachusetts, where he played multiple instruments in various genres. The main instrument he played growing up was the piano, performing at multiple events growing up. At the age of 13 Levine shifted his focus from playing the piano, to learning Jazz, as well as improvisation. Composers that Levine looked up to when he was younger were Mozart, Morricone and James Newton Howard. He is of Jewish heritage. Levine attended Tufts University, where he was originally a pre-med student. However he switched subject areas, and subsequently in college Levine studied Sociology and Musicology, and got his degree in American Studies. He graduated from Tufts in 1996.

Levine came to Hollywood in 1997 to begin his career as a composer, leaving behind money and family. He first started off his career by doing intern work around Los Angeles. James Levine is a composer for shows like American Horror Story, Glee, Nip/Tuck, Royal Pains and The Closer. The music for American Horror Story is one of his most known works, receiving many awards such as the Best Music in a Series, Best music in a non-series, and has been nominated for outstanding sound mixing for television movies and miniseries two years in a row. Due to the success of his music he has continued to create music for the show. His work on Glee has also won him many awards and he has gone on to keep composing for the show until the final season.

• Year — Title — Notes • 1990 — The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera — Short • 1999 — Chill Factor — Film (Additional music for Hans Zimmer and John Powell) • A Little Inside — Film • 2000 — Die Motorrad-Cops – Hart am Limit — TV series • 2001 — Siren — Film • About Barbers — Short • 2003 — Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie — Documentary • Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast — Short • The Challenge — TV movie • The In-Laws — Film • 2003–2010 — Nip/Tuck — TV series • 2003 — SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom — Video game (Composed with Robert Crew and Alex Wilkinson) • 2004 — The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie — Video game (Composed with Robert Crew, John O'Kennedy, Barry Fasman and Beth Ertz) • Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again — TV documentary • 2005 — More Sex and the Single Mom — TV movie • Roar: Lions of the Kalahari — Documentary short • Madagascar — Film (Additional music for Hans Zimmer) • The Weather Man — Film (Co-composer with Hans Zimmer) • 2005–2012 — The Closer — TV series • 2006 — 3 lbs — TV series • Running with Scissors — Film • American Storage — Short • Ajax — Short • 2007 — Hidden Palms — TV series • Delta Farce — Film • 2007–2012 — Damages — TV series • 2008 — Otis — Film • 2008–2009 — Raising the Bar — TV series • 2009–2015 — Glee — TV series • 2009–2012 — Royal Pains — TV series • 2009–2010 — NCIS: Los Angeles — TV series • 2009 — SpongeBob's Truth or Square — Video game (Archived music from SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom and The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie) • 2010 — Outlaw — TV series • 2010–2016 — Rizzoli & Isles — TV series • 2011 — Glee: The 3D Concert Movie — Documentary • 2011–2014 — American Horror Story — TV series (40 episodes, composed with Mac Quayle) • 2012–2018 — Major Crimes — TV series • 2012–2013 — The New Normal — TV series • 2013 — Do No Harm — TV series • The Blacklist — TV series (3 episodes, replaced by Dave Porter) • 2014–2018 — The Last Ship — TV series (Composed with James Dooley) • 2019 — Chambers — TV series • Soundtrack — TV series (Composed with Andrew McMahon and Zac Clark) • 2020 — Katy Keene — TV series • 2020–2021 — For Life — TV series (Composed with Dustin O'Halloran) • 2020 — SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated — Video game (Archived and remastered music from the original Battle for Bikini Bottom) • 2021–2024 — La Brea — TV series • 2025 — Doc — TV series

Levine was born on 29 August 1974 in Boston. Levine held the nationality of United States. Influenced by: Andrea Morricone, James Newton Howard, Jean-Michel Jarre, Joel Goldsmith, Joseph Williams, Chris Mancini, David Newman, Peter Bernstein, Rolfe Kent, Hans Zimmer and John Powell.