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IMDbPro

Alexandre Desplat

  • Composer
  • Music Department
  • Actor
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Alexandre Desplat
A clip from the movie Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.
Play clip1:22
"Drop Your Wands"
8 Videos
77 Photos
Composer and conductor Alexandre Desplat, Oscar winner and seven-time Academy Award nominated, for his prolific filmography and his collaborations with Stephen Frears, Terrence Malick, Ang Lee, Kathryn Bigelow, Jacques Audiard, Wes Anderson, Roman Polanski, George Clooney or Matteo Garrone is one of the most worthy heirs of the French masters of film music.

Brought up in a cultural and musical mix thanks to his Greek mother and his French father who studied and got married in California, he grew up listening to French symphonists, Ravel or Debussy , world music and jazz.

He studied piano and trumpet before choosing the flute as the main instrument. As a free auditor in Claude Ballif's analysis class at the CNSM, he enriches his classical musical education by studying Brazilian and African music. He will record later with Carlinhos Brown or Ray Lema.

Passionate about film music, it's as much his musical sensitivity as his intimate approach to cinematographic language that will allow his privileged relationship with filmmakers. Inspired by the scores of Maurice Jarre, Bernard Herrmann, Nino Rota or Georges Delerue, it is after hearing the score of John Williams for Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) that he decides to compose exclusively for the big screen.

During the recording of his first feature film he meets violinist Dominique Lemonnier. This is the beginning of an exceptional artistic exchange as she becomes her favorite soloist, artistic director and wife. With his strong sense of interpretation, his creative spirit and his singular violin playing, Solré inspired Alexandre's compositions, influencing his music in depth, initiating a new way of writing for the strings in the cinema.

Collaborator of Jacques Audiard since his first film, he creates for his works strong and singular compositions and he won in 2005 for The Beat That My Heart Skipped (2005) the Silver Bear of the Berlinale, and his first Caesar. He works in France with Philippe de Broca and Francis Girod but Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003) of Peter Webber, his 50th score for the film, he gets a first Golden Globe nomination and BAFTA and began his rise in Hollywood. Leading American career and European collaborations and remaining faithful to his directors, he composes among others Syriana (2005)'s scores of Stephen Gaghan, Birth (2004) of Jonathan Glazer, Coco Before Chanel (2009) by Anne Fontaine, Army of Crime (2009) by Robert Guédiguian, The Heir Apparent: Largo Winch (2008) by Jérôme Salle, Intimate Enemies (2007) or Hostage (2005) by Florent-Emilio Siri.

Prizes and collaborations with the greatest directors follow one another. In 2007, he received his first Oscar nomination for Stephen Frears's The Queen (2006) and won his first European Film Award. The same year, he won the Golden Globe, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award, and the World Soundtrack Award for John Curran's score The Painted Veil (2006), performed by pianist Láng Lang. He composed in 2008 for Lust, Caution (2007) by Ang Lee and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) by David Fincher which will earn him a second Oscar nomination and a fourth Golden Globes and BAFTA nomination.

With his score for The Ghost Writer (2010) by Roman Polanski, he won in 2010 a second César and a second European Film Award. The same year he wrote the music of The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009) by Chris Weitz, whose album was a platinum record, and Tom Hooper's The King's Speech (2010) for which he won the BAFTA, the Grammy Award, and was nominated for the fourth time at the Oscars and for the fifth time at the Golden Globes.

In 2010-2011 he wrote the music of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) which became the third greatest success of all time. He composed in 2011 nine partitions, The Tree of Life (2011) of Terrence Malick, Carnage (2011) by Roman Polanski, Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) by George Clooney , which earned him another Oscar nomination, The Well Digger's Daughter (2011) by Daniel Auteuil and The Ides of March (2011) by George Clooney.

In 2012 he worked with Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty (2012), Matteo Garrone for Reality (2012), Gilles Bourdos for Renoir (2012), Jérôme Salle for Zulu (2013), George Clooney for Moonrise Kingdom (2012) and Jacques Audiard for Rust and Bone (2012) for which he won a third Cesar. For his score of Argo (2012) of Ben Affleck, Oscar for Best Picture, it is named for the sixth time BAFTA, and for the fifth time at the Golden Globes and the Oscars.

He signed in 2013 the partition The Monuments Men (2014) from George Clooney, Venus in Fur (2013) of Roman Polanski, and was appointed to the BAFTAs and the Oscars for Philomena (2013) of Stephen Frears.

In 2014 he composed the music Godzilla (2014) of Gareth Edwards, and receives exceptional fact, two Oscar nominations for The Imitation Game (2014) of Morten Tyldum and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) by George Clooney, for which he won a BAFTA, Grammy and Oscar.

Member of the jury of the Cannes Film Festival in 2012, he became in 2014 the first composer President of the jury of the Venice Film Festival. Crowning long years of collaboration, he directed the London Symphony Orchestra in December 2014 for a concert of his works at the Barbican Theater in London.

In 2018, Alexandre Desplat received a second Oscar, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA for The Shape of Water (2017) of Guillermo del Toro.
BornAugust 23, 1961
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BornAugust 23, 1961
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Unlock contact info on IMDbPro
  • Won 2 Oscars
    • 118 wins & 335 nominations total

Photos77

Alexandre Desplat
Alexandre Desplat
Alexandre Desplat
Alexandre Desplat in Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022)
Kate Hudson, Alexandre Desplat, Guillermo del Toro, and Roeban Katz
Alexandre Desplat and Kobe Bryant
Alexandre Desplat at an event for 2020 Golden Globe Awards (2020)
Alexandre Desplat at an event for 2020 Golden Globe Awards (2020)
Alexandre Desplat
Alexandre Desplat at an event for The Oscars (2018)
Alexandre Desplat at an event for The Oscars (2018)
Alexandre Desplat at an event for The Oscars (2018)

Known for

Colin Firth in The King's Speech (2010)
The King's Speech
8.0
  • Composer
  • 2010
Argo (2012)
Argo
7.7
  • Composer(music composed by)
  • 2012
Helen Mirren in The Queen (2006)
The Queen
7.3
  • Composer
  • 2006
Judi Dench and Steve Coogan in Philomena (2013)
Philomena
7.6
  • Composer
  • 2013

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Composer

  • Asteroid City
    • Composer
    • Post-production
    • 2023
  • Barbie
    • Composer
    • Post-production
    • 2023
  • The Most Precious of Cargoes
    • Composer
    • In Production
  • Frankenstein
    • Composer
    • Pre-production
  • The Palace
    • Composer
    • Completed
  • Lee
    • Composer
    • Post-production
  • Tilda Swinton and Gregory Mann in Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022)
    Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio
    • Composer
    • 2022
  • A Cooler Climate (2022)
    A Cooler Climate
    • Composer
    • 2022
  • Cinéma Guerilla: dans les coulisses de Coupez!
    • Composer (original music by)
    • Video
    • 2022
  • Steve Coogan, Harry Lloyd, and Sally Hawkins in The Lost King (2022)
    The Lost King
    • Composer
    • 2022
  • Father & Soldier (2022)
    Father & Soldier
    • Composer
    • 2022
  • Final Cut (2022)
    Final Cut
    • Composer
    • 2022
  • Nikki Amuka-Bird, Simon Russell Beale, Mark Rylance, Johnny Flynn, Zoey Deutch, Dylan O'Brien, Michael Addo, Alan Mehdizadeh, and Chiedu Agborh in The Outfit (2022)
    The Outfit
    • Composer
    • 2022
  • Lui (2021)
    Lui
    • Composer
    • 2021
  • Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Frances McDormand, Liev Schreiber, Bob Balaban, Benicio Del Toro, Edward Norton, Henry Winkler, Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman, Owen Wilson, Mathieu Amalric, Steve Park, Lois Smith, Tilda Swinton, Christoph Waltz, Wallace Wolodarsky, Jeffrey Wright, Jarvis Cocker, Mohamed Belhadjine, Saoirse Ronan, Tony Revolori, Timothée Chalamet, Lyna Khoudri, and Krishna Bagadiya in The French Dispatch (2021)
    The French Dispatch
    • Composer (music by)
    • 2021
  • Eiffel (2021)
    Eiffel
    • Composer
    • 2021
  • George Clooney and Caoilinn Springall in The Midnight Sky (2020)
    The Midnight Sky
    • Composer
    • 2020
  • Emma Watson, Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, and Eliza Scanlen in Little Women (2019)
    Little Women
    • Composer (music by)
    • 2019
  • Christos Loulis in Adults in the Room (2019)
    Adults in the Room
    • music composer
    • 2019
  • Jean Dujardin and Louis Garrel in An Officer and a Spy (2019)
    An Officer and a Spy
    • Composer
    • 2019
  • Harrison Ford, Tara Strong, Kevin Hart, Patton Oswalt, Eric Stonestreet, Lake Bell, Bobby Moynihan, Tiffany Haddish, and Jenny Slate in The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019)
    The Secret Life of Pets 2
    • Composer (music by)
    • 2019

Music Department

  • Tilda Swinton and Gregory Mann in Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022)
    Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio
    • executive music producer
    • songs: music by
    • 2022
  • Nikki Amuka-Bird, Simon Russell Beale, Mark Rylance, Johnny Flynn, Zoey Deutch, Dylan O'Brien, Michael Addo, Alan Mehdizadeh, and Chiedu Agborh in The Outfit (2022)
    The Outfit
    • musician: flutes, piano
    • orchestrations
    • 2022
  • Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Bradley Cooper, and Rooney Mara in Nightmare Alley (2021)
    Nightmare Alley
    • composer: unused music (uncredited)
    • 2021
  • George Clooney and Caoilinn Springall in The Midnight Sky (2020)
    The Midnight Sky
    • musician: Flute
    • orchestrations by
    • 2020
  • Emma Watson, Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, and Eliza Scanlen in Little Women (2019)
    Little Women
    • score conductor
    • 2019
  • Christos Loulis in Adults in the Room (2019)
    Adults in the Room
    • music composed and conducted by
    • musician: flutes
    • orchestrations
    • 2019
  • Harrison Ford, Tara Strong, Kevin Hart, Patton Oswalt, Eric Stonestreet, Lake Bell, Bobby Moynihan, Tiffany Haddish, and Jenny Slate in The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019)
    The Secret Life of Pets 2
    • orchestra conductor
    • orchestrator
    • score producer
    • 2019
  • Max Tranberg, Kian Lawson-Khalili, and Jannik Schow Petersen in Theo & det magiske Talkshow - med Jannik Schow (2018)
    Theo & det magiske Talkshow - med Jannik Schow
    • music
    • TV Series
    • 2018
  • Operation Finale (2018)
    Operation Finale
    • orchestrator
    • 2018
  • Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia (2016)
    Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia
    • composer: Main Title Theme
    • composer: main title theme
    • composer: theme music
    • TV Series
    • 2016–2017
  • Julianne Moore, Matt Damon, and Oscar Isaac in Suburbicon (2017)
    Suburbicon
    • music composed and conducted by
    • 2017
  • Doug Jones and Sally Hawkins in The Shape of Water (2017)
    The Shape of Water
    • conductor
    • musician: whistle, jazz flute
    • 2017
  • John Goodman, Clive Owen, Rihanna, Dane DeHaan, and Cara Delevingne in Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)
    Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
    • conductor
    • 2017
  • James Earl Jones, Forest Whitaker, Wen Jiang, Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen, Riz Ahmed, and Abrey Steve in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
    Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
    • composer: unused music
    • 2016
  • Hollywood in Vienna 2019: A Night at the Oscars & A Tribute to Gabriel Yared (2019)
    Hollywood in Vienna
    • conductor
    • TV Series
    • 2016

Actor

  • George Clooney, Bill Murray, Matt Damon, John Goodman, Bob Balaban, Hugh Bonneville, and Jean Dujardin in The Monuments Men (2014)
    The Monuments Men
    • Emile
    • 2014
  • Ma vie est un enfer (1991)
    Ma vie est un enfer
    • Le pianiste du bar du golf
    • 1991

Videos8

"Drop Your Wands"
Clip 1:22
"Drop Your Wands"
"Cafe Attack"
Clip 1:07
"Cafe Attack"
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Clip 0:46
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
"Horcruxes"
Featurette 3:35
"Horcruxes"
"Where We Left Off"
Featurette 4:01
"Where We Left Off"
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1: Behind the Scenes
Featurette 2:34
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1: Behind the Scenes
Cheri
Featurette 1:40
Cheri
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Promo 0:32
The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Personal details

Edit
  • Official sites
    • Discogs
    • France's national library catalogue
  • Alternative name
    • Alexandre Desplats
  • Height
    • 6′ (1.83 m)
  • Born
    • August 23, 1961
    • Paris, Île-de-France, France
  • Spouse
    • Dominique Lemonnier? - present (2 children)
  • Children
    • Antonia Desplat

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    He is known for being able to compose a full film score in a short time.
  • Quotes
    Over the past 15 years, I've been able to build a voice, something that looks like me. I don't know if it's a "new" voice as some say, it's not within my ability to say - but I write what I like! So it's "me". I come from France, and I've worked here, and in England, and Spain, and I'm not going to dump the past 15 years of my life when I come to Hollywood. I will still improve by doing a European movie once in a while, because there's a different approach to film scoring. Even a film with a small budget - I don't care, as long as I can be creative. And being creative is the way to move forward.
  • Trademark
      Frequently composes the score of films directed by Wes Anderson, Jacques Audiard and Roman Polanski.

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