Joel Goldsmith was born on November 19, 1957, in Los Angeles, California, the third of four children of Sharon (née Hennagin), a singer, and renowned composer Jerry Goldsmith. His mother's brother was composer and professor Michael Hennagin.

He was the main composer for the TV series Stargate SG-1, although the main titles were written by David Arnold (who composed the score to Stargate, the film that began the Stargate franchise). On Stargate Atlantis he composed the main titles and the score.

During his career, he usually collaborated with two composers; his father Jerry Goldsmith, and Neal Acree. He made his first move into video games music in 2006, scoring Call of Duty 3. During his final years, Goldsmith relocated to Hidden Hills, California, where he built a home studio in his backlot.

Goldsmith died of cancer on April 29, 2012, aged 54, at his home in Hidden Hills, California.