Joel Goldsmith was born on November 19, 1957, in
Los Angeles,
California, the third of four children of Sharon (
née Hennagin), a singer, and renowned composer
Jerry Goldsmith. He was of
Jewish descent. Goldsmith's maternal uncle was composer and professor
Michael Hennagin. He was the main composer for the TV series
Stargate SG-1, although the main titles were written by
David Arnold (who composed the score to
Stargate, the film that began the
Stargate franchise). For
Stargate Atlantis, Goldsmith composed the main titles and the score. He also composed the main title theme and score for the second season of the CBS series
Martial Law. During his career, he usually collaborated with two composers; his father
Jerry Goldsmith, and
Neal Acree. He made his first move into video games music in 2006, scoring
Call of Duty 3. During his final years, Goldsmith relocated to Hidden Hills, California, where he built a home studio in his back yard. Goldsmith died of cancer on April 29, 2012, aged 54, at his home in Hidden Hills, California. His interment was at
Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery. ==Emmy Award nominations==