| HANSZIMMER | Composer who won an Oscar for 2021's "Dune" |
| CHARLIECHAPLIN | English actor, director and composer who won an Oscar for the Best Music in an Original Dramatic Score for the 1952 film Limelight |
| HAYES | Isaac, composer who won an Oscar for Theme from Shaft (5) |
| NELSONRIDDLE | American composer who won an Oscar for his score of The Great Gatsby (6,6) |
| JOHNBARRY | Film music composer who won an Oscar for his score to Dances With Wolves (4,5) |
| LEGRAND | Michel ___, French composer who won an Oscar for the song The Windmills of Your Mind from The Thomas Crown Affair |
| ERICA | Schmidt who wrote the screenplay for 2021's "Cyrano" (and who is married to its star, Peter Dinklage) |
| ISAAC | Oscar of 2021's "Dune" |
| TIMOTHEE | Chalamet of 2021's "Dune" |
| REMAKES | 2005's "King Kong" and 2021's "Dune" |
| ZENDAYA | Her character Chani says the first lines in 2021's Dune |
| AHMED | Riz ___ (Best Actor nominee for 2021's "Sound of Metal") |
| DEBOSE | Ariana ___, Best Supporting Actress winner for 2021's "West Side Story" |
| TANDU | Letters Of the alphabet, which are, fittingly for 2021's first crossword, the initials of the theme entries |
| GORANSSON | Ludwig ___ Swedish composer who won the 2019 Oscar for Best Original Score for the film Black Panther |
| JUSTINHURWITZ | American composer who won the 2017 Oscar for Best Original Score for the film La La Land: 2 wds. |
| ALEXANDRE | ___ Desplat French composer who won the 2018 Oscar for Best Original Score for the film The Shape of Water |
| MANCINI | Henry ___, composer who won a Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture Oscar for Breakfas |
| PREVIN | Andre, conductor-composer who won Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture Oscar for Gigi (6) |
| RACHELPORTMAN | British composer who won a Best Original Score Oscar in 1996 for Emma (6.7) |
