My Favorite Movie Composers
by bigrudedude87 | created - 10 Jan 2014 | updated - 14 Jan 2014 | Public
1. Ennio Morricone
Composer | The Hateful Eight
A classmate of director Sergio Leone with whom he would form one of the great director/composer partnerships (right up there with Eisenstein & Prokofiev, Hitchcock & Herrmann, Fellini & Rota), Ennio Morricone studied at Rome's Santa Cecilia Conservatory, where he specialized in trumpet. His first ...
2. Pino Donaggio
Composer | Dressed to Kill
Born in Burano (Venice) in 1941, Pino Donaggio studied violin at the Conservatory of Venice and Milan.
After a period of adolescent performer of classical music with the Solisti Veneti and the Soloists of Milan, in 1959 he began to devote himself to the pop music that soon led to international ...
3. Harry Manfredini
Composer | Friday the 13th
Film composer Harry Manfredini specializes in writing for horror films, but is also a song writer and jazz soloist. From his haunting dramatic scores for The Friday the 13th films, to his adventurous music for The Omega Code, Harry Manfredini has established himself as a motion picture music ...
4. Charles Bernstein
Composer | A Nightmare on Elm Street
Talented, prolific and versatile film composer Charles Bernstein was born on February 28, 1943 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He conducted his own orchestral music at age sixteen and studied composition with Vitorio Giannini and Vincent Persichetti at Juilliard. Bernstein also attended the University ...
5. John Carpenter
Writer | The Fog
John Howard Carpenter was born in Carthage, New York, to mother Milton Jean (Carter) and father Howard Ralph Carpenter. His family moved to Bowling Green, Kentucky, where his father, a professor, was head of the music department at Western Kentucky University. He attended Western Kentucky ...
6. Goblin
Soundtrack | Shaun of the Dead
For 25 years, Goblin has been scoring soundtracks for Italian films, mainly Giallo-style films directed by Dario Argento. The group consisted of keyboardist Claudio Simonetti, percussionist Walter Martino, bassist Fabio Pignatelli, guitarist Massimo Morante, percussionist Agostino Marangolo, and ...
7. Claudio Simonetti
Composer | Dèmoni
Claudio Simonetti was born on February 19, 1952 in São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. He is a composer and actor, known for Demons (1985), The Editor (2014) and Bangkok Dangerous (2008).
8. Fabio Pignatelli
Soundtrack | Shaun of the Dead
Fabio Pignatelli is known for Shaun of the Dead (2004), Tenebrae (1982) and Deep Red (1975).
9. Massimo Morante
Composer | Tenebre
Massimo Morante was born on October 6, 1952 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. He was a composer, known for Tenebrae (1982), Deep Red (1975) and Shaun of the Dead (2004). He died on June 23, 2022 in Italy.
10. Fabio Frizzi
Soundtrack | Kill Bill: Vol. 1
Fabio Frizzi was born on July 2, 1951 in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. He is a composer and actor, known for Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003), Zombie (1979) and Saint Frankenstein (2015).
11. Jay Chattaway
Composer | Star Trek: Voyager
Jay Chattaway was born on July 8, 1946 in Monongahela, Pennsylvania, USA. He is a composer, known for Star Trek: Voyager (1995), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993) and Star Trek: Enterprise (2001).
12. John Murphy
Composer | The Suicide Squad
John Murphy is a British film composer from Liverpool. He began composing music scores for films in the early 1990s, working on several successful British movies, enjoying particular success with the soundtracks to Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) and Snatch (2000).
Since 2000, Murphy has ...
13. Christopher Young
Composer | Sinister
Composer Christopher Young was born in Red Bank, New Jersey. After graduating from Hampshire College in Massachusetts with a Bachelor of Arts degree in music, Young went on to pursue his post-graduate studies at North Texas State University. After college Christopher moved to Los Angeles, ...
14. François-Eudes Chanfrault
Sound_department | The Hills Have Eyes
François-Eudes Chanfrault was born on December 2, 1974 in Suresnes, Hauts-de-Seine, France. He was a composer and actor, known for The Hills Have Eyes (2006), High Tension (2003) and Inside (2007). He was married to Lauranne. He died on March 11, 2016 in Paris, France.
15. Philip Glass
Soundtrack | The Truman Show
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Glass worked in his father's radio store and discovered music listening to the offbeat Western classical records customers didn't seem to want. He studied the violin and flute, and obtained early admission to the University of Chicago. After graduating in mathematics ...
16. Bernard Herrmann
Composer | North by Northwest
The man behind the low woodwinds that open Citizen Kane (1941), the shrieking violins of Psycho (1960), and the plaintive saxophone of Taxi Driver (1976) was one of the most original and distinctive composers ever to work in film. He started early, winning a composition prize at the age of 13 and ...
17. Keith Emerson
Soundtrack | MacGruber
Hailed as a keyboard legend, Keith Emerson has been one of the most important figures to emerge from the thriving UK rock scene of the 1960s and 70s. He is known as one of the most prominent leaders in the progressive rock movement, fusing rock 'n' roll with a myriad of musical styles, such as ...
18. Paul Zaza
Composer | Murder by Decree
Canadian composer and songwriter Paul Zaza started out as a classically trained pianist. Zaza has a degree from the prestigious Toronto Conservatory of Music. Moreover, Paul played bass in a Canadian touring company production of the hit musical "Hair" and toured with the The 5th Dimension in the ...
19. Stelvio Cipriani
Soundtrack | Never Let Me Go
He studied piano and harmony at Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome. In 1957 he started playing light music, being the pianist of important singers such as Rita Pavone. In USA he studied jazz with Dave Brubeck. In 1966 he was called by Cam to compose his first soundtrack: The Bounty Killer, a film ...
20. Rick Wakeman
Music_department | Lawrence: After Arabia
Rick Wakeman's work on the classic albums of the progressive rock band Yes, his hugely successful solo albums, as well as his contributions to classic David Bowie songs, has earned him a reputation as one of rock's greatest ever keyboardists. Wakeman was educated at Drayton Manor County Grammar ...
21. Jerry Goldsmith
Composer | L.A. Confidential
Born on February 10, 1929, Jerry Goldsmith studied piano with Jakob Gimpel and composition, theory, and counterpoint with Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. He also attended classes in film composition given by Miklós Rózsa at the Univeristy of Southern California. In 1950, he was employed as a clerk ...
22. Joseph LoDuca
Composer | Le pacte des loups
By the age of 15 (1973), Joseph LoDuca was opening for rock legends Bob Seger and Ted Nugent in smoky Detroit clubs and sneaking into Jeff Beck concerts. He was hooked. He went on to train formally in classical music at the University of Michigan and in New York City. He plugged into the jazz scene...
23. John Harrison
Director | Dune
John Harrison began his career directing rock videos and working as 1st Asst. Director for famed horror director,George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead (1968)/Creepshow (1982)). Harrison wrote and directed multiple episodes of Romero's classic TV series,Tales from the Darkside (1983)m], before ...
24. Alan Howarth
Sound_department | Escape from New York
Alan Howarth's sonic journey began in Cleveland, Ohio, where he engaged in various music-related activities. He played in regional rock bands like "Tree Stumps," "Renaissance Faire," and "The Silk," with notable performances opening for iconic bands such as "The Who" and "Cream." In addition to ...
25. Renato Serio
Composer | L'uomo puma
Renato Serio is known for The Pumaman (1980), Jugando con la muerte (1982) and Savana: Violenza carnale (1979).
26. Guido De Angelis
Soundtrack | Il mondo di Yor
Guido De Angelis was born on December 22, 1944 in Rocca di Papa, Lazio, Italy. He is a composer and producer, known for Yor: The Hunter from the Future (1983), Death Proof (2007) and All the Way Boys (1972).
27. Maurizio De Angelis
Soundtrack | Il mondo di Yor
Maurizio De Angelis was born on February 22, 1947 in Rocca di Papa, Lazio, Italy. He is a composer and producer, known for Yor: The Hunter from the Future (1983), Death Proof (2007) and All the Way Boys (1972).
28. Walter Rizzati
Composer | 1990: I guerrieri del Bronx
Walter Rizzati is known for 1990: The Bronx Warriors (1982), The Secret of the Incas' Empire (1987) and Our Men in Bagdad (1966).
29. Carlo Maria Cordio
Composer | Troll 2
Carlo Maria Cordio was born on February 24, 1952 in Rome, Italy. He is a composer and producer, known for Troll 2 (1990), Terminator II (1989) and 2020 Texas Gladiators (1983).
30. Librado Pastor
Composer | Mil gritos tiene la noche
Librado Pastor is known for Pieces (1982), Guerra sucia (1984) and Extra Terrestrial Visitors (1983).
31. Simon Boswell
Composer | Shallow Grave
'If you're a movie fan you'll certainly know his music: Simon Boswell is one of the UK's finest living soundtrack composers.' TIME OUT Magazine.
Simon has scored films by some of independent cinema's incredible mavericks such as Danny Boyle's 'Shallow Grave', Alejandro Jodorowsky's 'Santa Sangre', ...
32. Tyler Bates
Composer | John Wick: Chapter 4
It's anything but typical for the realms of film or music... Tyler Bates regularly transitions from scoring some of the world's biggest film and television franchises, such as Guardians of the Galaxy and John Wick, to rocking massive audiences with Marilyn Manson and back to the studio again ...
33. Joseph Bishara
Composer | Insidious
Joseph Bishara is known for Insidious (2010), The Conjuring 2 (2016) and The Conjuring (2013).
34. tomandandy
Composer | The Mothman Prophecies
tomandandy is known for The Mothman Prophecies (2002), The Strangers (2008) and Resident Evil: Retribution (2012).
35. Richard Band
Composer | From Beyond
Richard Howard Band is an American composer of film and television music. He has scored more than 100 films, including From Beyond which won the award for Best Original Soundtrack at the Sitges - Catalan International Film Festival. His score for Re-Animator was lauded by the magazine Music From ...
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