Gold was born on July 13, 1921, in Vienna, Austria, but settled in the United States in 1938 after his family fled the Nazi regime. Having studied piano at the Vienna State Academy, he continued his musical training in New York by receiving instruction in composition, theory, and conducting. Success as a songwriter came in 1940 with ‘Practice Makes Perfect' and ‘Accidentally on Purpose'.

Gold moved to Hollywood in the mid-1940s to write music for films, and his early credits included ‘Smooth as Silk' (1946) and ‘Exposed' (1947). He became a United States citizen in 1946 and married Marni Nixon, a a soprano known for providing the vocals for many nonsinging film actresses, in 1950; the couple later divorced.

Gold developed into one of the top film scorers of the 1950s and 1960s. He received Academy award nominations for ‘On the Beach' (1959), ‘It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World' (1963), and ‘The Secret of Santa Vittoria (1969); he won an Academy award for ‘Exodus' (1960). The soundtrack and theme song from ‘Exodus' also earned him Grammy awards for best original score for a motion picture and song of the year.

Among the other films to which Gold contributed music were ‘The Young Philadelphians' (1959), ‘Judgment at Nuremberg' (1961), ‘Pressure Point' (1962), ‘Ship of Fools' (1965), ‘Fun With Dick and Jane' (1977), and ‘The Runner Stumbles' (1979). He also wrote some classical works and lectured as a visiting artist. His son, Andrew, became a backup musician for Linda Ronstadt as well as a solo performer.