Alexandre Michel Gérard Desplat (; born 23 August 1961) is a French film composer and conductor. He has won many awards, including two

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

, for his musical scores to the films ''

The Grand Budapest Hotel ''The Grand Budapest Hotel'' is a 2014 comedy-drama film written and directed by Wes Anderson. Ralph Fiennes leads a seventeen-actor ensemble cast as Monsieur Gustave H., famed concierge of a twentieth-century mountainside resort in the fiction ...

'' and ''

The Shape of Water ''The Shape of Water'' is a 2017 romantic fantasy film directed by Guillermo del Toro and written by del Toro and Vanessa Taylor. It stars Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Octavia Spencer ...

'', and has received nine additional

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nominations, ten César nominations (winning three), eleven BAFTA nominations (winning three), twelve

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

nominations (winning two) and ten

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

nominations (winning two). Desplat has composed scores for a wide range of films, including low-budget independent productions and large-scale blockbusters, such as ''

The Queen In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to: * Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death The Queen may also refer to: * Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...

'', ''

The Golden Compass ''Northern Lights'' (titled ''The Golden Compass'' in North America and some other countries) is a young-adult fantasy novel by Philip Pullman, published in 1995 by Scholastic UK. Set in a parallel universe, it follows the journey of Lyra Be ...

'', '' Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium'', '' The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'', '' The Twilight Saga: New Moon'', ''

Fantastic Mr. Fox ''Fantastic Mr Fox'' is a children's literature, children's novel written by British author Roald Dahl. It was published in 1970, by Allen & Unwin, George Allen & Unwin in the UK and Alfred A. Knopf in the U.S., with illustrations by Donald Ch ...

'', ''

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1'' is a 2010 fantasy film directed by David Yates from a screenplay by Steve Kloves. The film is the first of two cinematic parts based on the 2007 novel ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow ...

'' '' & Part 2'', '' Little Women'', ''

The King's Speech ''The King's Speech'' is a 2010 British historical drama film directed by Tom Hooper and written by David Seidler. Colin Firth plays the future King George VI who, to cope with a stammer, sees Lionel Logue, an Australian speech and language ...

'', ''

The Danish Girl ''The Danish Girl'' is a novel by American writer David Ebershoff, published in 2000 by the Viking Press in the United States and Allen & Unwin in Australia. Summary The novel is a fictionalized account of the life of Lili Elbe, one of the fi ...

'', ''

The Imitation Game ''The Imitation Game'' is a 2014 American historical drama film directed by Morten Tyldum and written by Graham Moore, based on the 1983 biography '' Alan Turing: The Enigma'' by Andrew Hodges. The film's title quotes the name of the game c ...

'', ''

Moonrise Kingdom ''Moonrise Kingdom'' is a 2012 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Wes Anderson, written by Anderson and Roman Coppola, and starring Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzm ...

'', '' Argo'', ''

Rise of the Guardians ''Rise of the Guardians'' is a 2012 American 3D computer-animated fantasy action-adventure film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film was directed by Peter Ramsey (in his feature directorial debut ...

'', ''

Zero Dark Thirty ''Zero Dark Thirty'' is a 2012 American thriller film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by Mark Boal. The film dramatizes the nearly decade-long international manhunt for Osama bin Laden, leader of terrorist network Al-Qaeda, after the ...

'', ''

The Midnight Sky ''The Midnight Sky'' is a 2020 American science fiction film directed by George Clooney based on the 2016 novel ''Good Morning, Midnight'' by Lily Brooks-Dalton. The script was written by Mark L. Smith. Clooney plays a leading role in his ...

'', ''

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', originating from a series of Japanese films. The character first appeared in the 1954 film ''Godzilla'' and became a worldwide pop culture icon, appearing in various media, including 32 films produc ...

'', ''

Philomena Philomena ( el, Ἁγία Φιλομένα), also known as Saint Philomena or ''Philomena of Rome'' was a young virgin martyr whose remains were discovered on May 24–25, 1802, in the Catacomb of Priscilla. Three tiles enclosing the tomb bore ...

'', '' Unbroken'', ''

The Secret Life of Pets ''The Secret Life of Pets'' is a 2016 American computer-animated comedy film produced by Illumination Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures. It is directed by Chris Renaud, co-directed by Yarrow Cheney (in his feature directorial ...

'', ''

Isle of Dogs The Isle of Dogs is a large peninsula bounded on three sides by a large meander in the River Thames in East London, England, which includes the Cubitt Town, Millwall and Canary Wharf districts. The area was historically part of the Manor, Ha ...

'', and ''

The French Dispatch ''The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun'', or simply ''The French Dispatch'', is a 2021 American anthology comedy drama film written, directed, and produced by Wes Anderson from a story he conceived with Roman Coppola, Hugo Gui ...

''.

Early life

Alexandre Desplat was born in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. His father, Jacques Desplat, was a Frenchman originally from

Sarlat-la-Canéda Sarlat-la-Canéda (; oc, Sarlat e La Canedat), commonly known as Sarlat, is a commune in the southwestern French department of Dordogne, a part of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Sarlat and La Canéda were distinct towns until merged into one commune in 196 ...

. His mother, Katie Ladopoulou, is a

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

poet originally from

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

. Desplat's parents had met in the United States while they were both students at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

. They married in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

and returned to France, settling in Paris. Alexandre has two older sisters, Marie-Christine (also known as Kiki) and Rosalinda. Desplat began playing the piano at the age of five. He later picked up the trumpet, before switching to flute at nine. Desplat's musical interests were wide, ranging from French composers as

Maurice Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composers rejected the term. In ...

and

Claude Debussy (Achille) Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influential composers of the ...

, to jazz and world music. He developed an early appreciation for film music, courtesy of the movie soundtracks his parents brought back from the United States. He began collecting

Bernard Herrmann Bernard Herrmann (born Maximillian Herman; June 29, 1911December 24, 1975) was an American composer and conductor best known for his work in composing for films. As a conductor, he championed the music of lesser-known composers. He is widely re ...

Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

soundtracks as a teen and eventually decided to pursue a career as a film composer after hearing

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who wa ...

's ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...

'' score in 1977. Other early sources of Desplat's inspiration include the music of

Maurice Jarre Maurice-Alexis Jarre (; 13 September 1924 – 28 March 2009) allmusic Biography/ref> was a French composer and conductor. Although he composed several concert works, Jarre is best known for his film scores, particularly for his collaborations wit ...

Nino Rota Giovanni Rota Rinaldi (; 3 December 1911 – 10 April 1979), better known as Nino Rota (), was an Italian composer, pianist, conductor and academic who is best known for his film scores, notably for the films of Federico Fellini and Luchino Visco ...

and

Georges Delerue Georges Delerue (12 March 1925 – 20 March 1992) was a French composer who composed over 350 scores for cinema and television. Delerue won numerous important film music awards, including an Academy Award for '' A Little Romance'' (1980), three C ...

. Desplat studied at the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...

under

Claude Ballif Claude Ballif (22 May 1924 – 24 July 2004) was a French composer, writer, and pedagogue. He worked at a number of institutions throughout more than 40 years of teaching, one of which he had attended as a student. Among his pupils were Raynald A ...

. During this period, he also took a summer course under

Iannis Xenakis Giannis Klearchou Xenakis (also spelled for professional purposes as Yannis or Iannis Xenakis; el, Γιάννης "Ιωάννης" Κλέαρχου Ξενάκης, ; 29 May 1922 – 4 February 2001) was a Romanian-born Greek-French avant-garde ...

. Desplat also studied under Jack Hayes in Los Angeles. After leaving the Conservatoire, the then 20-year-old Desplat joined a theatrical troupe, where he wrote and played music. When recording the music for his first film, he met violinist Dominique Lemonnier, who became his favorite soloist and artistic director. They later married. Desplat has worked on many films since the 1980s. His big Hollywood break came in 2003 with the soundtrack for the film '' Girl with a Pearl Earring,'' a drama set in 17th-century Delft exploring a fictional muse of

Vermeer Johannes Vermeer ( , , see below; also known as Jan Vermeer; October 1632 – 15 December 1675) was a Dutch Baroque Period painter who specialized in domestic interior scenes of middle-class life. During his lifetime, he was a moderately succe ...

Career

Desplat has composed extensively for

French cinema French cinema consists of the film industry and its film productions, whether made within the nation of France or by French film production companies abroad. It is the oldest and largest precursor of national cinemas in Europe; with primary influ ...

, Hollywood, and incidental music for over 100 films, including ''Lapse of Memory'' (1992), ''Family Express'' (1992), '' Regarde Les Hommes Tomber'' (1994), '' Les Péchés Mortels'' (1995), César-nominated '' Un Héros Très Discret'' (1996), ''Une Minute de Silence'' (1998), '' Sweet Revenge'' (1998), '' Le Château des Singes'' (1999), ''Reines d'un Jour'' (2001), the César-nominated ''

Sur mes lèvres ''Read My Lips'' (french: Sur mes lèvres) is a 2001 French film by Jacques Audiard, co-written with Tonino Benacquista. The film stars Vincent Cassel as Paul, an ex-con on parole, and Emmanuelle Devos as Carla, a nearly deaf secretary whose co ...

'' (2002), ''Rire et Châtiment'' (2003), ''

Syriana ''Syriana'' is a 2005 American political thriller film written and directed by Stephen Gaghan, loosely based on Robert Baer's 2003 memoir '' See No Evil''. The film stars an ensemble cast consisting of George Clooney, Matt Damon, Jeffrey Wrig ...

'' (2005), the César-winner ''

The Beat That My Heart Skipped ''The Beat That My Heart Skipped'' (french: De battre mon cœur s'est arrêté) is a 2005 French neo-noir drama film directed by Jacques Audiard and starring Romain Duris. It is a remake of the 1978 American film '' Fingers'', and tells the st ...

'' (2005), ''

'' (2006), ''

'' (2009), ''

'' (2010), ''

The Ghost Writer ''The Ghost Writer'' is a 1979 novel by the American author Philip Roth. It is the first of Roth's novels narrated by Nathan Zuckerman, one of the author's putative fictional alter egos, and constitutes the first book in his '' Zuckerman Bound ...

'' (2010),

Daniel Auteuil Daniel Auteuil (; born 24 January 1950) is a French actor and director who has appeared in a wide range of film genres, including period dramas, romantic comedies, and crime thrillers. In 1996 he won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Fest ...

's remake of '' La Fille du Puisatier'' (2011), ''

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2'' is a 2011 fantasy film directed by David Yates from a screenplay by Steve Kloves. The film is the second of two cinematic parts based on the 2007 novel ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow ...

'' (2011) and ''

'' (2014). Desplat has composed individual songs that have been sung in films by such artists as

Akhenaton Akhenaten (pronounced ), also spelled Echnaton, Akhenaton, ( egy, ꜣḫ-n-jtn ''ʾŪḫə-nə-yātəy'', , meaning "Effective for the Aten"), was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh reigning or 1351–1334 BC, the tenth ruler of the Eighteenth Dy ...

Kate Beckinsale Kathrin Romany Beckinsale (born 26 July 1973) is an English actress and model. After some minor television roles, her film debut was ''Much Ado About Nothing'' (1993) while a student at the University of Oxford. She appeared in British costume ...

Charlotte Gainsbourg Charlotte Lucy Gainsbourg (; born 21 July 1971) is a British-French actress and singer. She is the daughter of English actress Jane Birkin and French musician Serge Gainsbourg. After making her musical debut with her father on the song " Lemo ...

Valérie Lemercier Valérie Lemercier (; born 9 March 1964) is a French actress, screenwriter, director and singer. Life and career Born in Dieppe, Seine-Maritime as the daughter of farmers, Lemercier grew up in Gonzeville and then studied at the Rouen Conserva ...

, Miosotis and

Catherine Ringer Catherine Ringer (, born 18 October 1957 in Suresnes, France) is a French singer, songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, dancer, choreographer, actress, and co-founder of the pop rock group Les Rita Mitsouko. She is also the daughter of ...

. He has also written music for the theatre, including pieces performed at the Comédie Française. Desplat has conducted performances of his music played by the

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

, the

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, that performs and produces primarily classic works. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable ...

and the

Munich Symphony Orchestra The Munich Symphony Orchestra (Münchner Symphoniker) is a German orchestra based in Munich but active statewide in Bavaria. It gives subscription concerts at the Herkulessaal and the Prinzregententheater and, to a lesser degree, at the Philharm ...

. Desplat has also given

Master Class A master class is a class given to students of a particular discipline by an expert of that discipline—usually music, but also science, painting, drama, games, or on any other occasion where skills are being developed. "Masterclass" is als ...

es at

La Sorbonne , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

and the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a music school, conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the Undergraduate education, undergraduate to the Doctorate, doctoral level in a ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. In 2007, he composed the scores for

Philip Pullman Sir Philip Nicholas Outram Pullman (born 19 October 1946) is an English writer. His books include the fantasy trilogy ''His Dark Materials'' and ''The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ'', a fictionalised biography of Jesus. In 2008, ''The ...

's '' Golden Compass'';

Zach Helm Zach Helm (born January 21, 1975) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He wrote the internationally-performed stage play ''Good Canary'', wrote and directed the film '' Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium'' (2007) and has staged ...

's BAFTA nominated directorial debut '' Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium'' with American composer Aaron Zigman; and the

Ang Lee Ang Lee (; born October 23, 1954) is a Taiwanese filmmaker. Born in Pingtung County of southern Taiwan, Lee was educated in Taiwan and later in the United States. During his filmmaking career, he has received international critical and popula ...

movie ''

Lust, Caution ''Lust, Caution'' () is a 2007 erotic period espionage mystery romance film directed by Ang Lee, based on the 1979 novella by Eileen Chang. ''Lust, Caution'' is set in Hong Kong in 1938 and in Shanghai in 1942, when the city was occupied by t ...

''. Prior to these break-out works, he contributed scores for ''

The Luzhin Defence ''The Luzhin Defence'' is a 2000 romantic drama film directed by Marleen Gorris, starring John Turturro and Emily Watson. The film centres on a mentally tormented chess grandmaster and the young woman he meets while competing at a world-class ...

'', '' Girl with a Pearl Earring'', ''

'', ''

Birth Birth is the act or process of bearing or bringing forth offspring, also referred to in technical contexts as parturition. In mammals, the process is initiated by hormones which cause the muscular walls of the uterus to contract, expelling the f ...

'', ''

Hostage A hostage is a person seized by an abductor in order to compel another party, one which places a high value on the liberty, well-being and safety of the person seized, such as a relative, employer, law enforcement or government to act, or ref ...

'', ''

Casanova Giacomo Girolamo Casanova (, ; 2 April 1725 – 4 June 1798) was an Italian adventurer and author from the Republic of Venice. His autobiography, (''Story of My Life''), is regarded as one of the most authentic sources of information about the c ...

'' and '' The Nest.'' For '' The Painted Veil'', he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score, Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Music, and the 2006 World Soundtrack Award. He won the 2007 BMI Film Music Award, 2007 World Soundtrack Award, 2007 European Film Award, and received his first

nomination for Best Original Score for ''

''. He also won the Silver Berlin Bear at the

Berlin Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

for Best Film Music in ''

The Beat that My Heart Skipped ''The Beat That My Heart Skipped'' (french: De battre mon cœur s'est arrêté) is a 2005 French neo-noir drama film directed by Jacques Audiard and starring Romain Duris. It is a remake of the 1978 American film '' Fingers'', and tells the st ...

''. In 2008, Desplat received his second Oscar nomination for David Fincher's '' Curious Case of Benjamin Button''. Desplat received his third Oscar nomination and a BAFTA nomination for ''

'' in 2010, both of which were won by

Michael Giacchino Michael Giacchino (; born October 10, 1967) is an American composer of music for films, television and video games. He has also served as a director for television. He has received many awards, including an Oscar for his work on '' Up'' (2009), ...

for '' Up''. Desplat has composed music for ''

Largo Winch ''Largo Winch'' is a Belgian comic book series by Philippe Francq and Jean Van Hamme, published by Dupuis. It started as a series of novels by Van Hamme in the late 1970s, but stopped due to a lack of success and the huge amount of work Van Hamme ...

'', based on the Belgian comic; '' Afterwards'' a French-Canadian psychological thriller film directed by

Gilles Bourdos Gilles Bourdos (born 1963) is a French film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known for his atmospheric cinema, which uses troubling themes in contrast with strong aesthetic imagery. He was one of the founders of the French productio ...

in English; Anne Fontaine's '' Coco avant Chanel,'' based on the life of designer

Coco Chanel Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel ( , ; 19 August 1883 – 10 January 1971) was a French fashion designer and businesswoman. The founder and namesake of the Chanel brand, she was credited in the post-World War I era with popularizing a sporty, c ...

;

Robert Guédiguian Robert Jules Guédiguian (born 3 December 1953) is a French film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. Most of his films star Ariane Ascaride and Jean-Pierre Darroussin. Life and career Guédiguian is the son of a German mother and an Armen ...

's '' L'Armée du Crime''; '' Cheri'', reuniting him with director

Stephen Frears Stephen Arthur Frears (born 20 June 1941) is an English director and producer of film and television often depicting real life stories as well as projects that explore social class through sharply drawn characters. He's received numerous accola ...

, whom he collaborated with on ''The Queen''; '' Un Prophète'' reuniting with director

Jacques Audiard Jacques Audiard (; born 30 April 1952) is a French film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is the son of Michel Audiard, also a film director and screenwriter. He has won both the César Award for Best Film and the BAFTA Award for Best Fi ...

; ''

Julie & Julia ''Julie & Julia'' is a 2009 American biographical comedy-drama film written and directed by Nora Ephron starring Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci, and Chris Messina. The film contrasts the life of chef Julia Child in the early years of her ...

'' directed by

Nora Ephron Nora Ephron ( ; May 19, 1941 – June 26, 2012) was an American journalist, writer, and filmmaker. She is best known for her romantic comedy films and was nominated three times for the Writers Guild of America Award and the Academy Award for ...

; ''

'', directed by

Wes Anderson Wesley Wales Anderson (born May 1, 1969) is an American filmmaker. His films are known for their eccentricity and unique visual and narrative styles. They often contain themes of grief, loss of innocence, and dysfunctional families. Cited by ...

and based on the novel by

Roald Dahl Roald Dahl (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a British novelist, short-story writer, poet, screenwriter, and wartime fighter ace of Norwegian descent. His books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide. Dahl has be ...

; ''

New Moon In astronomy, the new moon is the first lunar phase, when the Moon and Sun have the same ecliptic longitude. At this phase, the lunar disk is not visible to the naked eye, except when it is silhouetted against the Sun during a solar eclipse. ...

'', directed by

Chris Weitz Christopher John Weitz (born November 30, 1969) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for his work with his brother Paul on the comedy films '' American Pie'' and '' About a Boy''; the latter earned the Weit ...

;

Roman Polanski Raymond Roman Thierry Polański , group=lower-alpha, name=note_a (né Liebling; 18 August 1933) is a French-Polish film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, two ...

's ''

Ghost Writer A ghostwriter is hired to write literary or journalistic works, speeches, or other texts that are officially credited to another person as the author. Celebrities, executives, participants in timely news stories, and political leaders often ...

''; ''

Tamara Drewe ''Tamara Drewe'' is a weekly comic strip serial by Posy Simmonds, which had a 13 month run in ''The Guardian''s Review section. The strip is based upon a modern reworking of Thomas Hardy's 1874 novel '' Far from the Madding Crowd''. The stor ...

''; '' The Special Relationship''; and ''

'' which earned Desplat his fourth Oscar nomination. In early 2011, Desplat began to write the music to ''

''. He reunited with director David Yates, who offered Desplat the opportunity to score the second part after his work on the '' Part 1'' soundtrack in 2010 "enchanted everyone in the control room". Desplat's soundtrack sequel to the 2008 film ''Largo Winch'' was released in 2011 and was well received. Desplat's 2011 projects included ''

The Tree of Life ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'', directed by

Terrence Malick Terrence Frederick Malick (born November 30, 1943) is an American filmmaker. His films include '' Days of Heaven'' (1978), '' The Thin Red Line'' (1998), for which he received Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenp ...

(which he actually recorded in early 2010), '' A Better Life'', '' La Fille du Puisatier'', Roman Polanski's '' Carnage'',

George Clooney George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by George Clooney, numerous accolades, including a British Academy Film Awards, British Academy Film A ...

's ''

Ides of March The Ides of March (; la, Idus Martiae, Late Latin: ) is the 74th day in the Roman calendar, corresponding to 15 March. It was marked by several religious observances and was notable in Rome as a deadline for settling debts. In 44 BC, it became ...

'', and the logo for the French film company

StudioCanal StudioCanal S.A.S. (formerly known as Le Studio Canal+, Canal Plus, Canal+ Distribution, Canal+ D.A., Canal+ Production, and Canal+ Image and also known as StudioCanal International) is a French film production and distribution company that owns ...

. Desplat started 2012 with ''

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close ''Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close'' is a 2005 novel by Jonathan Safran Foer. The book's narrator is a nine-year-old boy named Oskar Schell. In the story, Oskar discovers a key in a vase that belonged to his father, a year after he is killed in ...

'', the Florent Emilio Siri-directed biopic '' Cloclo'', and DreamWorks Animation's ''

''. His other scores of 2013 included ''

Rust and Bone ''Rust and Bone'' (french: link=no, De rouille et d'os) is a 2012 romantic drama film directed by Jacques Audiard, starring Marion Cotillard and Matthias Schoenaerts, based on Craig Davidson's short story collection '' Rust and Bone''. It tell ...

'', ''

'', and '' Argo'', the latter of which earned him Oscar, Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations. In June 2013, Desplat's first Concerto for Flute & Orchestra premiered in France with flautist Jean Ferrandis and the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire conducted by John Axelrod. His Trois Etudes for piano originally written for pianist

Lang Lang Lang Lang (; born 14 June 1982) is a Chinese pianist who has performed with leading orchestras in China, North America, Europe, and elsewhere. Active since the 1990s, he was the first Chinese pianist to be engaged by the Berlin Philharmonic, ...

had its U.S. premiere in October 2013 played by pianist Gloria Cheng. He received a sixth Oscar nomination for his score to ''

'', which marked his fourth collaboration with director

. On 23 June 2014, it was announced that Desplat would head the jury at the 71st Venice International Film Festival. He wrote five major scores during 2014, with ''

'' winning him his first Academy Award. His score for ''

'' was also nominated, and his win therefore marked the first time a composer had won against another of their own scores since John Williams won for ''Star Wars'' (beating ''

Close Encounters of the Third Kind ''Close Encounters of the Third Kind'' is a 1977 American science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Richard Dreyfuss, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, Cary Guffey, and François Truffaut. It tells the story ...

'') in 1978, and only the seventh time overall ( Alfred Newman,

Max Steiner Maximilian Raoul Steiner (May 10, 1888 – December 28, 1971) was an Austrian composer and conductor who emigrated to America and went on to become one of Hollywood's greatest musical composers. Steiner was a child prodigy who conducted ...

, Miklos Rozsa and

Johnny Green John Waldo Green (October 10, 1908 – May 15, 1989) was an American songwriter, composer, musical arranger, conductor and pianist. He was given the nickname "Beulah" by colleague Conrad Salinger. His most famous song was one of his earli ...

are the only other composers to achieve this). On 16 March 2015, It was announced that Desplat would be composing the first anthology film of the new Disney Star Wars films, called ''

Rogue One ''Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'' (or simply ''Rogue One'') is a 2016 American epic space opera film directed by Gareth Edwards. The screenplay by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy is from a story by John Knoll and Gary Whitta. It was produced by L ...

''. In September 2016, he stepped down due to reshoots of the film, and was then replaced by

. In 2018, he won his second Academy Award for ''

'' and premiered a new work for solo flute played by Emmanuel Pahud. 2022 saw Desplat nominated for Best Original Score for ''The French Dispatch'' at the BAFTA Awards.

Filmography

English

Film Television

Other languages

* ''

Sous les pieds des femmes ''Sous les pieds des femmes'' (also known as ''Under Women's Feet'') is a 1997 French drama film written and directed by Rachida Krim and starring Claudia Cardinale. Plot Cast * Claudia Cardinale as Aya in 1996 * Fejria Deliba as Aya ...

'' (1997) rance (original title)* ''

A Monkey's Tale ''A Monkey's Tale'' (french: Le Château des singes; literally "The Castle of Monkeys") is a feature-length animated film directed by Jean-François Laguionie. It was released in 1999, and won the Award for Best Animated Feature Film at the fifth ...

'' (1999) 'Le Château des singes'' – France (original title)* ''

Empty Days ''Empty Days'' (french: Rien à faire) is a 1999 French drama film written and directed by Marion Vernoux and starring Valeria Bruni Tedeschi. The film was entered into the main competition at the 56th Venice International Film Festival, winnin ...

'' (1999) 'Rien à faire'' – France (original title)* ''Une autre femme'' rance (original title)* ''Tous les chagrins se ressemblent'' (2002) rance (original title)* ''Paroles d'étoiles'' (2002) rance (original title)* ''Rire et châtiment'' rance (original title)* ''Les baisers des autres'' (2003) rance (original title)* ''Le pacte du silence'' (2003) rance (original title)* ''Virus au paradis'' (2003) rance (original title)* ''Eager Bodies'' (2003) 'Les corps impatients'' – France (original title)* ''Les beaux jours'' (2003) rance (original title)* ''A Sight for Sore Eyes'' (2003) 'Inquiétudes'' – France (original title)* ''Le pays des enfants perdus'' (2004) rance (original title)* ''L'enquête Corse'' (2004) rance (original title)* ''Tu vas rire, mais je te quitte'' (2005) rance (original title)* ''

'' (2005) 'De battre mon coeur s'est arrêté'' – France (original title)* ''Une aventure'' (2005) * ''Lies & Alibis'' (2006) 'The Alibi'' – Netherlands (original title)* ''

The Valet ''The Valet'' (french: La Doublure, lit=The Stand-In) is a 2006 comedy film written and directed by Francis Veber and starring Gad Elmaleh, Alice Taglioni, Daniel Auteuil and Kristin Scott Thomas. The film is about a Valet parking, parking valet ...

'' (2006) 'La doublure'' – France (original title)* '' Quand j'étais chanteur'' (2006) rance (original title)* ''

L'Ennemi Intime ''Intimate Enemies'' (french: L'Ennemi intime) is a 2007 French war film directed by Florent Emilio Siri, starring Benoît Magimel and Albert Dupontel. It was filmed in France and Morocco. Plot The film is set in 1959 during the Algerian War. Lie ...

'' (2007) – France (original title) * ''

'' (2007) 'Se, jie'' – China/USA/Taiwan (original title)* ''Michou d'Auber'' (2007) rance (original title)* ''Ségo et Sarko sont dans un bateau...'' (2007) rance (original title)* ''

'' (2008) * ''

Coco Before Chanel ''Coco Before Chanel'' (french: Coco avant Chanel) is a 2009 biographical drama film directed and co-written by Anne Fontaine. The film stars Audrey Tautou and details the early life of French fashion designer Coco Chanel. The film premiered in P ...

'' (2009) 'Coco avant Chanel'' – France (original title)* ''

A Prophet ''A Prophet'' (french: Un prophète) is a 2009 French prison crime film directed by Jacques Audiard with a screenplay by Audiard, with Thomas Bidegain, Abdel Raouf Dafri, and Nicolas Peufaillit, from a story by Dafri. The film stars Tahar Rahi ...

'' (2009) 'Un prophète'' – France (original title)* ''

The Army of Crime ''The Army of Crime'' (french: L'Armée du crime) is a 2009 French drama-war film directed by Robert Guédiguian and based on a story by Serge Le Péron, who is also one of three credited for the screenplay. It received a wide release in France o ...

'' (2009) 'L'armée du crime'' – France (original title)* '' La Fille du Puisatier'' (2011) – France (original title) * '' Largo Winch 2'' (2011) * '' Cloclo'' (2012) * ''

Reality Reality is the sum or aggregate of all that is real or existent within a system, as opposed to that which is only imaginary. The term is also used to refer to the ontological status of things, indicating their existence. In physical terms, r ...

'' (2012) * ''

Renoir Pierre-Auguste Renoir (; 25 February 1841 – 3 December 1919) was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially feminine sensuality, it has been said that "Re ...

'' (2012) * ''

'' (2012) 'De rouille et d'os'' – France (original title)* ''

Venus in Fur Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never f ...

'' (2013) 'La Vénus à la fourrure'' – France (original title)* '' Marius'' (2013) * '' Fanny'' (2013) * '' Suite Francaise'' (2015) – Bruno's Piano Piece * ''

Don't Tell Me the Boy Was Mad ''Don't Tell Me the Boy Was Mad'' (French title: ''Une histoire de fou'') is a 2015 French drama film co-written, produced and directed by Robert Guédiguian. The film is based on the true story of a Spanish journalist, José Antonio Gurriarán, ...

'' (2015) * '' Les Habitants'' (2016) * ''

The Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Iliad'', th ...

'' (2016) * ''

Heal the Living ''Heal the Living'' (french: Réparer les vivants) is a 2016 drama film directed by Katell Quillévéré from a screenplay she co-wrote with Gilles Taurand, based on the 2013 novel ''Réparer les vivants'' (''Mend the Living'') by Maylis de Keran ...

'' (2016) * ''12 jours'' (2017) * ''

Based on a True Story Based on a True Story may refer to: Albums * ''Based on a T.R.U. Story'', by 2 Chainz, 2012 * ''Based on a True Story...'', by Blake Shelton, 2013 * Based on a True Story (The Del-Lords album), ''Based on a True Story'' (The Del-Lords album), 1988 ...

'' (2017) 'D'après une histoire vraie'' – France (original title)* ''

An Officer and a Spy ''An Officer and a Spy'' is a 2013 historical fiction thriller by the English writer and journalist Robert Harris. It tells the true story of the French officer Georges Picquart from 1896 to 1906, as he struggles to expose the truth about the ...

'' (2019) * ''

Adults in the Room ''Adults in the Room'' ( gr, Ενήλικοι στην αίθουσα, Enílikoi stin aíthousa) is a 2019 French-Greek political film directed by Costa-Gavras. It is based on the book ''Adults in the Room: My Battle with Europe's Deep Establishme ...

'' (2019) * ''

Eiffel Eiffel may refer to: Places * Eiffel Peak, a summit in Alberta, Canada * Champ de Mars – Tour Eiffel station, Paris, France; a transit station Structures * Eiffel Tower, in Paris, France, designed by Gustave Eiffel * Eiffel Bridge, Ungheni, M ...

'' (2021) * ''Lui'' (2022) * '' Father & Soldier'' (2022) 'Tirailleurs'' – France/Senegal (original title)* ''

The Palace ''The Palace'' is a British drama television series that aired on ITV in 2008. Produced by Company Pictures for the ITV network, it was created by Tom Grieves and follows a fictional British Royal Family in the aftermath of the death of King ...

'' (2023)

Accolades

Desplat has received many awards and nominations for his work including two

, three

BAFTA Awards The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cere ...

and two

Golden Globe Awards The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

Decorations

* Officer of the

Ordre national du Mérite The Ordre national du Mérite (; en, National Order of Merit) is a French order of merit with membership awarded by the President of the French Republic, founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle. The reason for the order's estab ...

(2016) * Commander of the

Order of Arts and Letters The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is ...

(2016) * Chevalier of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

(2011)

References

External links

Alexandre Desplat, official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Desplat, Alexandre 1961 births Living people French classical composers French film score composers French male classical composers French people of Greek descent Greek film score composers Academics of the Royal College of Music Animation composers French male film score composers Musicians from Paris Best Original Music BAFTA Award winners Best Original Music Score Academy Award winners Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres European Film Award for Best Composer winners Golden Globe Award-winning musicians Grammy Award winners Varèse Sarabande Records artists