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Todd Boekelheide

Todd Boekelheide

Composer · Born June 27, 1954 (72) · Chico, California, USA

Oscar winner · Primetime Emmy nominee

Todd Boekelheide began his film career in 1974 as the projectionist at American Zoetrope, Francis Ford Coppola's production company in San Francisco. Late in his tenure there, Walter Murch came in to mix "The Godfather: Part II," and Todd was his machine room tech. Two years later he was offered his first freelance job, as apprentice (and soon assistant) editor on "Star Wars." His next film was "The Black Stallion," on which he edited picture and sound. He became fascinated by the idea of scoring films, and decided to further his music education at Mills College in Oakland. After a few years at Mills, he began to score short films, and produced Mark Isham's first score, for "Never Cry Wolf." As his scoring career began to get off the ground, he had a parallel career as a rerecording mixer, working on a number of high-profile films at the Saul Zaentz film center in Berkeley. He won an Oscar for mixing the music on "Amadeus" in 1984. In 1999 he won an Emmy for his score for the documentary "Kids of Survival: The Life and Art of Tim Rollins and the KOS." In 2007 he was nominated for an Emmy for his score for "Boffo! Tinseltown's Bombs and Blockbusters," and in 2010 he was nominated for another Emmy, this time for the score for "Blessed is the Match." Recent scoring credits include "3½ Minutes, Ten Bullets" for director Marc Silver and Participant Media, and "Marmato" for director Mark Grieco.

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Biography from IMDb.

Born
June 27, 1954 (72)
From
Chico, California, USA
Works as
Composer
Titles
35 on MovieCove · 58 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 156 days to Oct 27Down 8% in 30 days

What are Todd Boekelheide's films like?

Across their 23 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Society.

Genres

Documentary16 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 81st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Drama3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 54th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 49th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Survival
25%
Society
18%
Bonds
15%
Morality
15%
Self
12%
Ideas
8%
Power
6%
Community5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief4 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice4 titles, browse their movies with this themeLegacy3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 22 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 5 · Serious 5 · Dark 12

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 20 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 4 · Charged 10 · Intense 8

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 16 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 1

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 19 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 0

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 15 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 1

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 3 · Engaged 16 · Full focus 3

Heavy: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their heavy movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 1 · Affecting 8 · Heavy 13

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 19 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Melancholic
13
Contemplative
14
Tense
10
Hopeful
7
Warm
2
Other
12

How their films linger

Thought-provoking13 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet13
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous7
  • Other1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Todd Boekelheide's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 15 of their 35 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (6).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Todd Boekelheide's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

58 credits, 35 with a MovieCove page.

  • Vivien’s Wild Ride (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Composer

  • Make a Circle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Director

  • Vishniac (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Composer

  • Reckonings(2022)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Waging Change(2020)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Who Will Write Our History(2018)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • My Love Affair with the Brain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Composer

  • 3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets(2015)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Paper Tigers(2015)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Marmato(2014)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • FREE: The Power of Performance(2014)

    Composer

  • After Winter, Spring (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Composer

  • The World Against Apartheid: Have You Heard from Johannesburg? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Show 2 episodes · Composer

  • The Big Picture: Rethinking Dyslexia(2012)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • The Insular Empire: America in the Marianas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Composer

  • Blessed Is the Match(2008)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • The Alzheimer's Project(2009)

    Show Composer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all shows

  • Ribbon of Sand (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Composer

  • Soldiers of Conscience(2007)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Ballets Russes(2005)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Last Letters Home: Voices of American Troops from the Battlefields of Iraq(2004)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Exploring the Reef (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Composer

  • Spin(2003)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • The Outsider(2002)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Panic Room(2002)

    Sound Re-Recording Mixer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Autumn in New York(2000)

    Sound Re-Recording Mixer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Fight Club(1999)

    Sound Re-Recording Mixer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Meltdown at Three Mile Island (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Composer

  • One (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Composer

  • A Midwife's Tale (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Composer

  • The Game(1997)

    Sound Re-Recording Mixer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Round Eyes in the Middle Kingdom (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Composer

  • The Five Suns, A Sacred History of México (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Composer

  • Nina Takes a Lover(1994)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Shimmer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Composer

  • Digger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Composer

  • Earth and the American Dream(1992)

    Composer · Compositor

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse(1991)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • A Grande Arte(1991)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Maria's Story(1990)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Nixon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Composer

  • Henry & June(1990)

    Sound Re-Recording Mixer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Mountains of the Moon(1990)

    Sound Re-Recording Mixer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Waldo Salt: A Screenwriter's Journey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Composer

  • Popol Vuh: The Creation Myth Of The Maya (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Composer

  • The Blood of Heroes(1989)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Yosemite: The Fate of Heaven (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Composer · Sound Re-Recording Mixer

  • Pin(1988)

    Sound Re-Recording Mixer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Deadly Dreams (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Composer

  • The Unbearable Lightness of Being(1988)

    Sound Re-Recording Mixer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam(1987)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • River's Edge(1986)

    Sound Re-Recording Mixer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Contrary Warriors: A Film of the Crow Tribe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Composer

  • Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart(1985)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Mrs. Soffel(1984)

    Music Supervisor

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Amadeus(1984)

    Sound Re-Recording Mixer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The Right Stuff(1983)

    Sound Re-Recording Mixer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • American Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Show 1 episode · Composer

Career shape

A full career of 51 titles from 1982 to 2025.

Biggest box office

Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991)

$1.3M worldwide

Highest rated

Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991)

Midcredits 99th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing1 of 51: 1 only directing, 0 with another roleMusic37 of 51: 36 only music, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score72ndOther crew14 of 51: 13 only other crew, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score76th

By decade

1980s13 · crew1990s18 · crew2000s9 · crew2010s8 · crew2020s3 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

Awards

an Oscar from 4 major nominations, 1984–2010.

WinNomination
  1. 2010
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special
  2. 2007
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special (Original Dramatic Score)
  3. 1985
    • Oscar, won · Best Sound
  4. 1984
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Sound

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Todd Boekelheide's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 76th percentile, the median of the 33 of 34 with a score; across their 22 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 70th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

70thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 22

Approval · how many liked their films

75thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 22

Reach · how many have seen their films

30thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 22

Midcredits score across 34 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up18
  • 50th to 74th10
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

14 of their 34 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved7
  • Loved with Detractors2
  • Divisive2
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser14
  • Mixed8

Most divisive · composer

Maria's Story (1990)

96th percentile spread · 24% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · composer

Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991)

Midcredits 99th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the sound and music 69/100 in their films, across 6 reviewed titles; fans 73, detractors 50. The element that speaks to their work as a composer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Todd Boekelheide's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 33 · mildMedian of all films: 32

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Todd Boekelheide work with?

People who share at least 2 of Todd Boekelheide's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Gary Weimberg shares the most, 5.

Directors

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers