Ramin Djawadi (, fa, رامین جوادی; born 19 July 1974) is an

Iranian Iranian may refer to: * Iran, a sovereign state * Iranian peoples, the speakers of the Iranian languages. The term Iranic peoples is also used for this term to distinguish the pan ethnic term from Iranian, used for the people of Iran * Iranian lan ...

and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

score Score or scorer may refer to: *Test score, the result of an exam or test Business * Score Digital, now part of Bauer Radio * Score Entertainment, a former American trading card design and manufacturing company * Score Media, a former Canadian ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Def ...

. He is known for his scores for the 2008 Marvel film ''

Iron Man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The cha ...

'' and the HBO series ''

Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It is an adaptation of '' A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, the fir ...

'', for which he was nominated for

Grammy Award 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 pr ...

s in 2009, 2018 and 2020. He is also the composer for the HBO ''Game of Thrones'' prequel series, ''

House of the Dragon ''House of the Dragon'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by George R. R. Martin and Ryan Condal for HBO. A prequel to '' Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019), it is the second TV show in the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' franchi ...

'' (2022—present). He has scored films such as '' Clash of the Titans'', ''

Pacific Rim The Pacific Rim comprises the lands around the rim of the Pacific Ocean. The '' Pacific Basin'' includes the Pacific Rim and the islands in the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Rim roughly overlaps with the geologic Pacific Ring of Fire. List of ...

'', ''

Warcraft ''Warcraft'' is a franchise of video games, novels, and other media created by Blizzard Entertainment. The series is made up of five core games: '' Warcraft: Orcs & Humans'', '' Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness'', '' Warcraft III: Reign of Chao ...

'', '' A Wrinkle in Time'' and '' Eternals'', television series including ''

Prison Break ''Prison Break'' is an American serial drama television series created by Paul Scheuring for Fox. The series revolves around two brothers, Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell) and Michael Scofield ( Wentworth Miller); Burrows has been sentenced ...

'', ''

Person of Interest "Person of interest" is a term used by law enforcement in the United States, Canada, and other countries when identifying someone possibly involved in a criminal investigation who has not been arrested or formally accused of a crime. It has no le ...

'', '' Jack Ryan'', and ''

Westworld ''Westworld'' is an American science fiction-thriller media franchise that began with the 1973 film ''Westworld'', written and directed by Michael Crichton. The film depicts a technologically advanced Wild-West-themed amusement park populate ...

'', and video games such as ''

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of val ...

'', '' Gears of War 4'', and '' Gears 5''. He won two consecutive

Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

for ''Game of Thrones'', in 2018 for the episode "

The Dragon and the Wolf "The Dragon and the Wolf" is the seventh and final episode of the seventh season of HBO's fantasy television series '' Game of Thrones'', and the 67th episode overall. It was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and direc ...

" and in 2019 for " The Long Night".

Early life

Djawadi was born in

Duisburg Duisburg () is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine and the Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruhr Region, Duisburg is the 5th largest city in ...

, to an

father and a

mother. He went to Krupp Gymnasium in

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 ...

and studied at

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

Career

After graduating from

in 1998, Djawadi garnered the attention of

Hans Zimmer Hans Florian Zimmer (; born 12 September 1957) is a German film score composer and music producer. He has won two Oscars and four Grammys, and has been nominated for two Emmys and a Tony. Zimmer was also named on the list of Top 100 Living G ...

, who recruited him to Remote Control Productions. Djawadi moved to Los Angeles and worked as an assistant to Klaus Badelt. From there on he made additional music and arrangements for Badelt and Zimmer movies, such as '' Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl'', '' The Time Machine'', and the

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 ...

-nominated film '' Something's Gotta Give''. He co-composed the music for ''

System Shock 2 ''System Shock 2'' is a 1999 action role-playing survival horror video game designed by Ken Levine and co-developed by Irrational Games and Looking Glass Studios. Originally intended to be a standalone title, its story was changed during produc ...

'' (1999). In 2003, he and Badelt composed the score of ''

Beat the Drum ''Beat the Drum'', written and produced by W. David McBrayer and directed by David Hickson, is a South African film starring Clive Scott and Owen Sejake. Premiering at the 2003 Mill Valley Film Festival, ''Beat The Drum'' won 30 international ...

''. In 2004, Djawadi went out on his own with '' Blade: Trinity'', collaborating with RZA for director

David S. Goyer David Samuel Goyer (born December 22, 1965) is an American filmmaker, novelist and comic book writer. He is best known for writing the screenplays for several superhero films, including '' Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' (1998), the '' Blade'' ...

. This was the beginning of his relationship with Goyer for both film and television. The following year, Djawadi continued making additional music for Zimmer in films such as '' Batman Begins'' and '' The Island'', which was his last time working in the background of another composer. The same year, he composed the Emmy-nominated main title themes and scores for ''

'' and the related show ''

Breakout Kings ''Breakout Kings'' is an American drama television series that aired on the A&E network. It is a production of Fox 21. The series was created, written, and executive-produced by Nick Santora and Matt Olmstead, who previously worked together o ...

''. In 2006, Djawadi scored the first

Sony Pictures Animation Sony Pictures Animation Inc. is an American animation studio owned by Sony Entertainment's Sony Pictures Entertainment through their Motion Picture Group division and founded on May 9, 2002. The studio's films are distributed worldwide by So ...

project, '' Open Season'', followed by the sequel '' Open Season 2'' (2008). Djawadi's ethereal score for the film '' Mr. Brooks'' (2007) earned him a

World Soundtrack Award for Discovery of the Year Discovery of the Year is an award handed out yearly at the World Soundtrack Awards to commemorate an excellent piece of musical work in the field of TV and movie soundtracks that seemed to come out of nowhere, hence the title of the award. It has be ...

nomination. His other scores include ''

Deception Deception or falsehood is an act or statement that misleads, hides the truth, or promotes a belief, concept, or idea that is not true. It is often done for personal gain or advantage. Deception can involve dissimulation, propaganda and sleight o ...

'',

Robert Towne Robert Towne (born Robert Bertram Schwartz;'' Easy Riders, Raging Bulls'' by Peter Biskind page 30, 1999 Bloomsbury edition November 23, 1934) is an American screenwriter, producer, director and actor. He started with writing films for Roger ...

's '' Ask the Dust'', and ''

''. Djawadi was nominated for Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media for his work on ''Iron Man. Djawadi wrote the score for Goyer's horror thriller '' The Unborn'' (2009), produced by

Michael Bay Michael Benjamin Bay (born February 17, 1965) is an American film director and producer. He is best known for making big-budget, high-concept action films characterized by fast cutting, stylistic cinematography and visuals, and extensive use ...

. Djawadi collaborated with Goyer on the television show ''

FlashForward A flashforward (also spelled flash-forward, and more formally known as prolepsis) is a scene that temporarily takes the narrative forward in time from the current point of the story in literature, film, television and other media. Flashforwards a ...

'' that year, earning him his second

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

nomination. In 2010, Djawadi completed Warner Brothers' '' Clash of the Titans''. The same year, he scored the soundtrack for the video game ''

''. In 2011, he was selected to score HBO's fantasy drama ''

''. His work on ''Game of Thrones'' has garnered him several industry awards and recognition including a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series in September 2018 for the score "The Dragon and the Wolf". For his work on season 7, he was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media. This was his second nomination in this category after being nominated before for ''Iron Man'' in 2009. In 2011, he worked on the CBS crime drama ''

''. In 2013, Djawadi composed for the science fiction film ''

''. He scored FX's vampire drama ''

The Strain ''The Strain'' is a 2009 vampire horror novel by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan. It is the first installment in ''The Strain Trilogy'', and was followed by '' The Fall'' (2010) and ''The Night Eternal'' (2011). Plot synopsis A Boeing 777 ...

'', created by ''Pacific Rim'' director

Guillermo del Toro Guillermo del Toro Gómez (; born October 9, 1964) is a Mexican filmmaker, author, and actor. He directed the Academy Award–winning fantasy films ''Pan's Labyrinth'' (2006) and '' The Shape of Water'' (2017), winning the Academy Awards for ...

. In 2016, Djawadi composed for the fantasy film ''

'' and the HBO science fiction show ''

''. The same year, Djawadi composed the score for the fantasy action monster film ''The Great Wall''. Djawadi scored ''

The Queen's Corgi ''The Queen's Corgi'' is a 2019 English-language Belgian computer-animated comedy film produced by nWave Pictures. The film was directed by Ben Stassen and Vincent Kesteloot and written by John R. Smith and Rob Sprackling. Inspired by Queen El ...

'', an animation film directed by frequent collaborator

Ben Stassen Ben Stassen is a Belgian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for directing and producing several computer-animated films such as '' A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures'' (2010), ''Robinson Crusoe'' (2016), and ''The Quee ...

. He co-wrote "Hollow Crown " alongside

Ellie Goulding Elena Jane Goulding ( ; born 30 December 1986) is an English singer and songwriter. Her career began when she met record producers Starsmith and Frankmusik, and she was later spotted by Jamie Lillywhite, who became her manager and Artists and ...

in '' For the Throne: Music Inspired by the HBO Series Game of Thrones''. In 2019, he won his second Emmy Award in a row for the ''Game of Thrones'' episode " The Long Night". In 2019, Djawadi also made the soundtrack for the Microsoft Studios and The Coalition video game, ''Gears 5''. The soundtrack was copyrighted and cannot be used even while playing the game online. He received a third Grammy nomination for his work in season 8 of ''Game of Thrones'', in the Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media category. Djawadi composed the score for the 2021

Marvel Studios Marvel Studios, LLC (originally known as Marvel Films from 1993 to 1996) is an American film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, a division of the Walt Disney Company. Marvel Studios produces the Ma ...

film '' Eternals'', which marked his return to the

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published ...

(MCU) since 2008's ''Iron Man''. Djawadi composed music for the trailer of Magic: The Gathering: Theros Beyond Death, a card game. Djawadi co-composed music with

Brandon Campbell Brandon Campbell is an American music composer for film, TV and video games and is best known for his music contributions to TV series' like '' Game of Thrones'' and ''Person of Interest'' and movies such as '' The Thinning'' and '' The Great Wall ...

for the second episode of

Apple TV+ Apple TV+ is an American subscription streaming service owned and operated by Apple Inc. Launched on November 1, 2019, it offers a selection of original production film and television series called Apple Originals. The service was announced ...

's series ''

Amazing Stories ''Amazing Stories'' is an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction. Science fiction stories had made regular appearances ...

'' titled "The Heat". He composed music for the

Disney+ Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television se ...

's nature documentary film ''

Elephant Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantida ...

''. Djawadi composed the score for Lisa Joy's feature film debut ''Reminiscence''. He also co-composed the music for the Amazon Game's ''New World'' with

. He scored the music for Ruben Fleischer's ''Uncharted'' based on the videogame franchise of same name. He reunited with ''Game Of Thrones'' creator D.B Weiss and

Tom Morello Thomas Baptist Morello (born May 30, 1964) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and political activist. He is best known for his tenure with the rock band Rage Against the Machine and then with Audioslave. Between 2016 and 2019, More ...

, scoring the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

film, ''

Metal Lords ''Metal Lords'' is a 2022 American teen comedy-drama film written by D. B. Weiss and directed by Peter Sollett. Its story follows two high school best friends and metal music lovers, Hunter and Kevin, who set out to start a metal band, against s ...

,'' directed by Peter Solliet. He scored upcoming Sony's ''The Man from Toronto'', directed by Patrick Hughes and the ''

Game Of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It is an adaptation of '' A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, the fir ...

'' prequel series'',

House Of the Dragon ''House of the Dragon'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by George R. R. Martin and Ryan Condal for HBO. A prequel to '' Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019), it is the second TV show in the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' franchi ...

.''

Personal life

Djawadi is married to Jennifer Hawks, a music executive in the film industry. They are parents of twins. According to Djawadi, he experiences the perceptual phenomenon known as

synesthesia Synesthesia (American English) or synaesthesia (British English) is a perceptual phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway. People who re ...

whereby he may "associate colours with music, or music with colours", and it allows him to visualize music.

Works and awards

Tours

* ''Game of Thrones'' Live Concert Experience (2017–2019)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Djawadi, Ramin 1974 births Berklee College of Music alumni German classical composers German emigrants to the United States German film score composers German male classical composers German people of Iranian descent German record producers German television composers Living people Male film score composers Male television composers Musicians of Iranian descent People from Duisburg Primetime Emmy Award winners Video game composers