Presentation
Four-time Oscar nominee, Alexandre Desplat is one of the most acclaimed composers of his generation. It was his joint passion for music and cinema that led him firmly in the direction of composition for film and to create a new and unique voice in film music.
Alexandre Desplat's approach to film composition is not only based on his strong musicality, but also on his understanding of cinema, which allows him to truly communicate with directors. He believes that a great film score should find a balance between function and fiction. Function will ensure that the music fits well into the mechanics of the film but the fiction can tap into the invisible - the deep psychology and emotions of the characters, creating a "vibration".
Under the mixed cultural influence of a Greek mother and a French father who had met and studied in California, he was classically trained as a flautist, but extended his musical interests much further into the worlds of Jazz, Brazilian and African music. As a teenager, Alexandre Desplat spent hours in movie theatres studying the great films and directors of the 20th Century and of course, listening intently to the scores. Delerue, Jarre, Rota, Waxman, Herrmann, Mancini, Williams and Goldsmith became his idols. He began his career in Europe and throughout the 1990's he wrote more than 50 scores, to great critical acclaim.
Early in his career he met his wife, the violinist Dominique Lemonnier who will become his favorite soloist and artistic producer. They developed a close collaboration, which enabled Alexandre to create a unique style of writing for strings. This led to the formation of the Traffic Quintet (string ensemble) for which he has written and transcribed some of his favourite film scores for concert performance.
In 2003 he burst onto the Hollywood scene with his evocative score to GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING (starring Scarlett Johansson and Colin Firth), which earned him nominations at the Golden Globes, BAFTAs and European Film Awards. Following this success, Alexandre solidified his position as one of Hollywood's elite composers with his highly respected scores to Jonathan Glazer's BIRTH and Stephen Gaghan's SYRIANA.
In 2006, he received his first Academy Award nomination for his score to Stephen Frears's THE QUEEN. In the same year, he also won a Golden Globe for his score to John Curran's THE PAINTED VEIL, performed by Lang Lang.
Desplat's success continued to grow with, among others, his scores for Ang Lee's LUST CAUTION, David Fincher's THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON and Wes Anderson's THE FANTASTIC MR. FOX. These films brought him two further Academy Award nominations along with recognition from BAFTA and Golden Globes.
In 2010, he wrote the score to Tom Hooper's THE KING'S SPEECH, for which he won a BAFTA and was again nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe. The same year, he scored David Yates' HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1 and in 2011 ARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2 which has become the third highest-grossing film of all time. His latest work includes Terence Malik's THE TREE OF LIFE, Roman Polanski's CARNAGE and George Clooney's THE IDES OF MARCH.
Desplat still makes time to lend his talents to a select number of European films, for example Jacques Audiard's THE PROPHET and THE BEAT THAT MY HEART SKIPPED, Anne Fontaine's COCO BEFORE CHANEL and Roman Polanski's THE GHOST WRITER for which he won the Cesar and the European Film Award.
Awards
2011 San Diego Film Critics Award, for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2"
2011 BMI London Award, for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" and "The King's Speech"
2011 World Soundtrack Award, Soundtrack Composer of the Year for "A Better Life", "Tamara Drewe", "The Burma Conspiracy", "The King's Speech", "The Tree Of Life" "The Well Digger's Daughter", "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1", "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2", and "Best Original Film Score of the Year" for "The King's Speech"
2011 Harry Warren Award at "Sonora, Una Musica per il Cinema" festival (Italy) for "The King's Speech"
2011 Etoiles d'Or du Cinéma Français, for "The Ghost Writer"
2011 International Film Music Critics' Award:
Alexandre Desplat Film Composer Of The Year 2010, Best Original Score For a Drama Film for "The King's Speech" and Best Original Score For an Action/Adventure/Thriller Film" for
"The Ghost Writer"
2011 César (France), for "The Ghost Writer"
2011 Sammy Award for film music CD, for "The King's Speech"
2011 British Academy Film Award for "The King's Speech"
2010 World Soundtrack Awards, Best Original Score of the Yearfor "Fantastic Mr Fox", and Soundtrack Composer of the Year for "The Ghost Writer", "Fantastic Mr Fox", "The Twilight Saga - New Moon" and "Julie and Julia"
2010 Etoile D'Or du Compositeur de Musique Originale de Films Français, Académie de la Presse du Cinéma Français (France), for "A Prophet", "The Army Of Crime", "Afterwards", "Coco Before Chanel" and "Chéri"
2010 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for "The Ghost Writer"
2010 European Film Award for "The Ghost Writer"
2009 Alexandre Desplat receives the Golden Alexander for his career in film music at 2009 Thessaloniki International Film Festival (Greece)
2009 BMI Film Music Award for "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button"
2009 Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Award
2009 World Soundtrack Academy Awards Alexandre Desplat Film Composer of the Year and Best Film Score of the Year for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
2009 Sammy Award for "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button"
2009 Frederick Loewe Award for Film Composing
at 20th Palm Springs International Film Festival
2009 Ohio Film Critics Association Award,
for "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button"
2008 Phoenix Film Critics Society Award,
for "The Curious Case Of Benjamion Button"
2008 Grand Prix de la musique pour l'audiovisuel, SACEM (France)
2007 Movie Music UK Award, Film Composer of the Year
2007 Movie Music UK Awards, Score of the Year and Best Original Score Fantasy/Science Fiction for "The Golden Compass"
2007 Film Music Critics Association Awards(IFMCA), Film Composer of the Year and Best Original Score for Fantasy-Science Fiction for "The Golden Compass"
2007 Golden Horse Award (Taiwan), for "Lust, Caution"
2007 European Film Academy Award (EFA), for "The Queen"
2007 World Soundtrack Award, for "The Queen" and "The Painted Veil"
2007 BMI London Film Music Award for "The Queen" and "The Painted Veil"
2007 Golden Globe Award, for "The Painted Veil"
2006 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award,
for "The Queen" and "The Painted Veil"
2006 César Award (France), for "The Beat My Heart Skipped"
2006, Académie de la Presse du Cinéma Français, (France), Etoile D'Or du Compositeur de Musique Originale de Films Français for "The Beat My Heart Skipped"
2005 Berlin Film Festival Silver Bear for "The Beat My Heart Skipped"
Nominations
2011 San Diego Film Critics Awards, for "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" and "The Tree of Life"
2011 Grammy Awards, for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow - Part 2" (WaterTower Music) and "The King's Speech" (Decca)
2011 Hollywood Music In Media Awards (HMMA), for "The Ides of March"
2011 Prix France Musique-Sacem de la musique de film, for "The Ghost Writer"
2011 International Cinephile Society Awards, for "The Ghost Writer"
2011 International Film Music Critics Awards7 nominations: "Film Composer Of The Year", "Film Score Of The year" and "Best Original Score For a Drama Film" for "The King's Speech", "Film Score Of The year", "Best Original Score For an Action/Adventure/Thriller Film" for "The Ghost Writer", "Film Music Composition Of The Year" for "The Truth About Ruth" from "The Ghost Writer", "Best Original Score For A Fantasy/Science Fiction/Horror Film" for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" 1st part
2011 Oscars (Academy Awards), for "The King's Speech"
2011 Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards, for "The Ghost Writer"
2011 Golden Globes, for "The King's Speech"
2011 Prix France Musique-Sacem de la musique de film, for "The Army Of Crime"
2010 Satellite Awards, for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1""
2010 César (France), for "Un Prophète"
2010 Oscars (Academy Awards), for " fantastic Mr Fox"
2010 British Academy Awards (BAFTA), for "Fantastic Mr Fox"
2009 Chicago Film Critics Association Awards, for "Fantastic Mr Fox"
2009 Online Film Critics Society Awards, for "Fantastic Mr Fox"
2009 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards, for "Fantastic Mr Fox"
2009 Grammy Awards, for "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button"
2009 European Film Awards, for "Coco Before Chanel"
2008 Online Film Critics Society Awards,
for "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button"
2008 Annual Saturn Awards, for "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button"
2008 Oscars (Academy Awards), for "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button"
2008 British Academy of Film and Television Arts
Awards (BAFTA),
for "The Curious Case Of Benjamin
Button"
2008 International Film Music Critics Association Awards (IFMCA), "Film Score of the Year" and "Best Original Score for a Drama Film" for "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button"
2008 International Film Music Critics Association
Awards (IFMCA),
Film Composer of the Year
2008 Golden Globes, for "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button"
2008 Etoiles d'Or du Cinéma Français (France), for "L'Ennemi Intime"
2008 World Soundtrack Awards, for "The Golden Compass"
2008 Chicago Film Critics Association Awards,
for "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button"
2008 Critics Choice Awards, for "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button"
2008 Movie Music UK Awards, Best score / fantasy, science fiction or horror,
for "Mr Magorium's Wonder
Emporium"
2008 Movie Music
UK Awards 2007, Score Of The Year and Best score/Drama,
for "Lust, Caution"
2008 Asian Films Awards 2008, for "Lust, Caution"
2008 Césars (France), for "L'Ennemi Intime"
2007 Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) Awards, 7 Nominations: film score of the year, film composer of the year...
2007 Critics Choice Awards, for "Lust Caution"
2007 Chicago Film Critics Awards, for "Lust Caution"
2007 Oscars (Academy Awards), for "The Queen"
2007 British Academy Film Awards, for "The Queen"
2006 Chicago Film Critics Awards, for "The Queen"
2006 Golden Globes, for "Syriana"
2004 Online Film Critics Society Awards, for "Birth"
2004 European Film Awards, for "Girl With a Pearl Earring"
2004 Golden Globes, for "Girl With a Pearl Earring"
2004 British Academy Film Awards, for "Girl With a Pearl Earring"
2001 Césars (France), for "Read My Lips"
1997 Césars (France), for "Self Made Hero"