In 1950, Goldsmith found work on CBS, as a clerk on the station's music department. For CBS, Goldsmith would go on to compose the music for multiple radio and television shows, including The Twilight Zone. He remained at CBS until 1960. From CBS, he moved on to Revue Studios, where he would also compose the music of many shows, including Dr. Kildare and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. He also worked on the score of Patton.
In 1962, Goldsmith was nominated for an Oscar for his job in Freud. Shortly after, he met Alfred Newman, who was instrumental in Goldsmith's hiring by Universal Studios. At Universal, Goldsmith worked on several famous movies, such as The Omen, Poltergeist, Alien, Chinatown, Gremlins, Supergirl, First Blood, Total Recall, Basic Instinct, Hoosiers and many others. He was awarded his first and, to date, only Oscar for The Omen. He also was awarded an Emmy award, for his work on QVBII. Additional television series that Goldsmith has composed for include The Waltons, and he has also composed the scores for five Star Trek films.
Goldsmith lives with his wife, singer Carol Heather Goldsmith, in Beverly Hills His son, Joel Goldsmith, is a composer in his own right.