Composer Thomas Newman was destined for a life in music. His father was the classical composer Alfred Newman, his brother is film scorer David Newman, his sister is violinist Maria Newman, and his cousin is singer/songwriter Randy Newman. It was his uncle, Lionel Newman, the musical director for 20th Century Fox, who gave Thomas his first break after he'd studied under Stephen Sondheim at Yale, writing the music for a 1979 episode of The Paper Chase. It would prove to be the start of an epic career for Thomas, whose motion picture scores would earn him 12 individual Oscar nominations.