Presentation
Alexandre's Greek mother and French father met while attending College at Berkeley in the United States. The multilingual Alexandre was classically trained, but fed a constant diet of American Jazz and Hollywood movie scores. These influences have been fused in his music to create a fresh and unique, new voice in film music.
After composing the music for over 50 European films and being nominated for 2 César Awards, Alexandre Desplat burst onto the Hollywood scene with his evocative score to GIRL WITH THE PEARL EARRING (2003), which earned him nominations from the Golden Globes, BAFTA and European Film Awards.
His reputation was solidified by his critically acclaimed score to Jonathan Glazier's film BIRTH (starring Nicole Kidman), followed in close succession by the scores to THE UPSIDE OF ANGER (starring Joan Allen and Kevin Costner), HOSTAGE (starring Bruce Willis and directed by Florent Siri) and Stephen Gaghan's film SYRIANA (Produced by Steven Soderbergh, starring George Clooney and Matt Damon), which earned him another Golden Globe nomination.
THE QUEEN (directed by Stephen Frears and starring Helen Mirren) got him his first Academy Awards nomination in 2007 and he has won the 2007 Golden Globe for his score to THE PAINTED VEIL (starring Edward Norton and Naomi Watts).
In 2008, he has written the music for MR. MAGORIUM'S WONDER EMPORIUM (starring Dustin Hoffman and Natalie Portman), THE GOLDEN COMPASS (starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig), which is the first movie based upon the beloved trilogy, HIS DARK MATERIALS by Philip Pullman, and for Academy Award winner, director Ang Lee‘s film LUST CAUTION.
Balancing his busy Hollywood schedule, Alexandre still makes time to lend his talents to a select number of European films, his most recent score for DE BATTRE MON COEUR S'EST ARRÊTÉ ("The Beat that My Heart Skipped") earned him a Silver Bear Award for Best Score at the Berlin Film Festival and a César Award in 2006.
Awards
2007 Film Composer of the Year and Best Original Score for Fantasy-Science Fiction for "The Golden Compass" Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA)
2007 Best Film Music by Soundtracks.pl for "Lust, Caution"
2007 Best Original Film Score at the 44e Golden Horse Awards Competition (Taiwan) for "Lust, Caution"
2007 European Composer by European Film Academy (EFA) for "The Queen"
2007 Film Composer of the Year at the Ghent Film Festival for "The Queen" and "The Painted Veil"
2007 BMI London Film Music Awards for "The Queen" and "The Painted Veil"
2007 Golden Globe Award, Best Original Score for "The Painted Veil"
2006 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award, Best Music for "The Queen" and "The Painted Veil"
2006 César (France) for "The Beat My Heart Skipped"
2006 Etoiles de la presse (France) for "The Beat My Heart Skipped"
2005 Silver Bear for Best Score at the Berlin Film Festival for "The Beat My Heart Skipped"
Nominations
Nomination at the Asian Films Awards 2008 for "Lust, Caution"
Nomination at the Césars 2008 for "L'Ennemi Intime"
7 Nominations at the 4th Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) Awards: film score of the year, film composer of the year...
Nomination at the Critics Choice Awards 2007 for "Lust Caution"
Nomination at the Chicago Film Critics Awards 2007 for "Lust Caution"
Nomination at the Oscars (Academy Awards) 2007 for "The Queen"
Nomination at the British Academy Film Awards 2007 for "The Queen"
Nomination at the 2006 Chicago Film Critics Awards, Best Original Score for "The Queen"
Nomination at the Golden Globes 2006 for "Syriana"
Nominations at the Golden Globes, BAFTAS and European Film Awards in 2004 for "Girl With a Pearl Earring"
Nomination at the Césars (France) in 1997 for "Self Made Hero" and in 2001
for "Read My Lips", both films directed by Jacques Audiard