There aren't many songwriters who have had a bigger impact on cinema than Diane Warren. Over the past several decades, Warren has not only written more than her fair share of hit singles with some of the world’s biggest musical acts, but she’s also received a total of 13 Oscar nominations to date for her musical contributions to a number of noteworthy films. In case that wasn’t impressive enough, Warren’s recent consecutive nominations in 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, and 2018 suggest that she doesn’t plan on slowing down anytime soon, either.
In honor of her numerous film collaborations, Warren is now set to be recognized at this year's Governors Awards. The Los Angeles-set event will take place on Saturday, Nov. 19 and will honor Warren, along with her three fellow honorees, for their contributions to cinema.
Below, A.frame presents six essential films that Warren has worked on over the course of her illustrious career.
This Michael Gottlieb-directed 1987 comedy follows an artist named Jonathan Switcher (Andrew McCarthy), who puts so much passion into the creation of a new mannequin (played by Kim Cattrall) that it eventually comes to life and becomes inhabited by the spirit of an Ancient Egyptian woman. Warren received a Best Original Song nomination for co-writing the film’s main title song, "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now," which was performed by the band Starship.
Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert Redford lead this 1996 romantic drama from director Jon Avnet. Penned by Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne, Up Close & Personal follows an ambitious woman (Pfeiffer) who begins to fall in love with her boss (Redford) while pursuing a career in television journalism. Warren received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song for writing the film’s Celine Dion-performed pop ballad, "Because You Loved Me."
Directed by Michael Bay, the big budget sci-fi action-adventure Armageddon follows a group of American workers who are recruited by NASA to try to stop the arrival of an asteroid the size of Texas that would destroy all life on Earth if it were to make impact. The film’s ensemble cast includes Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, Owen Wilson, Billy Bob Thornton, and Steve Buscemi. Armageddon, in addition to being a huge commercial success, received four Oscar nominations, including one for Best Original Song for the Warren-penned, Aerosmith-performed tear-jerker, "I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing."
Pearl Harbor gave Warren the chance to contribute to yet another Michael Bay-directed blockbuster. The historical action drama follows a pair of friends (played by Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett) and a nurse (Kate Beckinsale) who find themselves caught in the middle of the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. The film received four Oscar nominations, including one for Best Original Song for the Warren-penned, Faith Hill-performed power ballad, "There You’ll Be." Pearl Harbor went on to win the Oscar for Best Sound Editing.
This romantic drama from Love & Basketball and The Woman King director Gina Prince-Bythewood stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Noni Jean, a famous singer whose unexpected relationship with a young police officer (Nate Parker) helps give her the confidence to break free of the restrictive artistic image she has been pressured into maintaining. Beyond the Lights received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song for the Warren-penned, Rita Ora-performed song, "Grateful."
This haunting 2015 documentary from director Kirby Dick explores not only the systemic ways in which college campuses across the U.S. routinely cover up rape crimes, but also the effect that such practices have on the schools’ student bodies. Warren teamed up with Lady Gaga to write an original song for the film titled "Til It Happens to You." The pop ballad, performed by Lady Gaga, received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song.
