My Favorite Composers
This is a list of my top-top favorite composers. Of course I listen to more soundtracks from more composers, but those are the names in my top list.
The order is not very relevant. Names in this list made (and make) film/TV music that I love and that even inspired me when messing around with composing/producing/creating myself.
The order is not very relevant. Names in this list made (and make) film/TV music that I love and that even inspired me when messing around with composing/producing/creating myself.
List activity
60 views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
8 people
- Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
Max Richter was born on 22 March 1966 in Hamelin, Lower Saxony, West Germany. He is a composer and actor, known for Arrival (2016), The Leftovers (2014) and Ad Astra (2019).I came to know Richter because of The Leftovers. Then, a year after the first season (while Season 2 was running) I started listening to a lot of his works, enjoying them very much and I became a big fan of his. I started listening to him a LOT.
Now, Richter is mostly a composer in general, not mainly for film. I love his work. His 8.5 hour long project 'SLEEP', is one of my favourite composed works ever, something there really sticked to me. Listen to the whole thing, worth it. I find Richter's music comforting and beautiful, very thought provoking too. Oftentimes it affects me on an emotional level, I get the chills. No one else has that effect on me that often.- Composer
- Actor
- Music Department
Trent Reznor is an American songwriter/musician/producer and sole member of multi-platinum act Nine Inch Nails, and now an Academy Award, Emmy and Grammy Award winning film composer. He began creating music as a child in Western Pennsylvania, first on piano and then taking up other instruments. He eventually moved to Cleveland, OH where he took a job at a local recording studio as an assistant engineer/janitor, recording his own material during unused studio time.
Those recordings became the first Nine Inch Nails album, 1989's Pretty Hate Machine. NIN soon developed a reputation as one of the best live acts in rock and joined the inaugural Lollapalooza tour in 1991. The Broken EP followed in 1992, garnering NIN's first Grammy Award (NIN has received twelve Grammy nominations and won two awards). In 1994, the breakthrough album The Downward Spiral was released and featured the radio hits "Closer" and "Hurt." The controversial music video for "Closer" was directed by Mark Romanek and is considered among the best music videos of all time having won various awards (it is one of the few music videos included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City). NIN's mud-covered appearance that Summer at Woodstock 1994 is now legendary. Also released that year was the Reznor produced soundtrack to Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers (1994). He returned to film 3 years later, producing the soundtrack for David Lynch's Lost Highway (1997). In 1997, Reznor appeared on Time magazine's most influential people list, and Spin magazine named him "the most vital artist in music."
Five years later NIN's next album, The Fragile, was released - the double album debuted at number one. In 2002, "Hurt" was covered by Johnny Cash to critical acclaim; it was one of Cash's final hit releases before his death. NIN's next album, With Teeth, also reached number one in 2005 as did the single "The Hand That Feeds." Reznor broke new ground by posting the single's source tracks as a free download for fans to edit/remix/sample as they pleased and creating an online community for fans to share their creations. David Fincher directed the video for "Only," With Teeth's second single.
The concept album Year Zero was released in 2007 alongside an accompanying ARG (alternate reality game). Conceived by Trent Reznor and assisted in execution by 42 Entertainment, the ARG progressed through the album release and beyond, featuring no less than 29 websites, hidden messages within NIN merchandise, recordings and bar codes, hot lines, flier and poster campaigns, and even resistance cell "meetings" organized via calls made to pre-paid cell phones distributed to participants. Within two months, the ARG amassed 2.5 million cumulative site visits, 7.5 million cumulative page views and 2 million phone calls. Reznor has developed Year Zero into an HBO/BBC mini-series.
In 2008, free of contractual obligations, NIN released Ghosts I-IV, a 36-track instrumental album, NIN's first independent release. Soon after, a new studio album, The Slip, was released as a free digital download alongside a simple message: "Thank you for your continued and loyal support over the years - this one's on me" - TR (In less than a year, it exceeded 1.8M downloads). Ghosts I-IV and The Slip were both released under Creative Commons licenses allowing extensive use of the material within independent film projects. Following these two releases, NIN embarked on the acclaimed Lights In The Sky Tour featuring groundbreaking production effects, layering and programming that allowed the performers to interact and control aspects of the show's visuals. The tour was recognized by the industry as one of the top-ten most creative tours of all time.
Over the course of his career, Reznor has also collected countless production and remix credits including collaborations with David Bowie, producing Saul Williams and the discovery and production of Marilyn Manson.
In 2010, Reznor composed his first film score; for David Fincher's masterwork The Social Network (2010). The score won the Academy Award for best score and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score. Additionally, he received a Critics' Choice Movie Award and a Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for best score. He also scored Fincher's next film, the highly anticipated The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011).
In addition to his continued work in Nine Inch Nails, Reznor is recording new music as a member of the group How to Destroy Angels.I remember hearing about this unique and special soundtrack that The Social Network has, but not giving it the needed attention. Only when I watched Gone Girl in the cinema, I noticed the music of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Then I went to listen to their other work -> Instant fan of their soundtracks, and their style of music (electronic, drone, ambient -all together)- Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
Atticus Ross was born on 16 January 1968 in England, UK. He is a composer and actor, known for The Social Network (2010), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) and Mank (2020). He has been married to Claudia Sarne since 2001. They have three children.Same story as Trent Reznor, because they compose together - a very powerful duo.
Now, Atticus has a few more soundtracks, mostly with his brother Leopold and Claudia Sarne.- Music Department
- Composer
- Actor
German-born composer Hans Zimmer is recognized as one of Hollywood's most innovative musical talents. He featured in the music video for The Buggles' single "Video Killed the Radio Star", which became a worldwide hit and helped usher in a new era of global entertainment as the first music video to be aired on MTV (August 1, 1981).
Hans Florian Zimmer was born in Frankfurt am Main, then in West Germany, the son of Brigitte (Weil) and Hans Joachim Zimmer. He entered the world of film music in London during a long collaboration with famed composer and mentor Stanley Myers, which included the film My Beautiful Laundrette (1985). He soon began work on several successful solo projects, including the critically acclaimed A World Apart, and during these years Zimmer pioneered the use of combining old and new musical technologies. Today, this work has earned him the reputation of being the father of integrating the electronic musical world with traditional orchestral arrangements.
A turning point in Zimmer's career came in 1988 when he was asked to score Rain Man for director Barry Levinson. The film went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture of the Year and earned Zimmer his first Academy Award Nomination for Best Original Score. The next year, Zimmer composed the score for another Best Picture Oscar recipient, Driving Miss Daisy (1989), starring Jessica Tandy, and Morgan Freeman.
Having already scored two Best Picture winners, in the early 1990s, Zimmer cemented his position as a preeminent talent with the award-winning score for The Lion King (1994). The soundtrack has sold over 15 million copies to date and earned him an Academy Award for Best Original Score, a Golden Globe, an American Music Award, a Tony, and two Grammy Awards. In total, Zimmer's work has been nominated for 7 Golden Globes, 7 Grammys and seven Oscars for Rain Man (1988), Gladiator (2000), The Lion King (1994), As Good as It Gets (1997), The The Preacher's Wife (1996), The Thin Red Line (1998), The Prince of Egypt (1998), and The Last Samurai (2003).
With his career in full swing, Zimmer was anxious to replicate the mentoring experience he had benefited from under Stanley Myers' guidance. With state-of-the-art technology and a supportive creative environment, Zimmer was able to offer film-scoring opportunities to young composers at his Santa Monica-based musical "think tank." This approach helped launch the careers of such notable composers as Mark Mancina, John Powell, Harry Gregson-Williams, Nick Glennie-Smith, and Klaus Badelt.
In 2000, Zimmer scored the music for Gladiator (2000), for which he received an Oscar nomination, in addition to Golden Globe and Broadcast Film Critics Awards for his epic score. It sold more than three million copies worldwide and spawned a second album Gladiator: More Music From The Motion Picture, released on the Universal Classics/Decca label. Zimmer's other scores that year included Mission: Impossible II (2000), The Road to El Dorado (2000), and An Everlasting Piece (2000), directed by Barry Levinson.
Some of his other impressive scores include Pearl Harbor (2001), The Ring (2002), four films directed by Ridley Scott; Matchstick Men (2003), Hannibal (2001), Black Hawk Down (2001), and Thelma & Louise (1991), Penny Marshall's Riding in Cars with Boys (2001), and A League of Their Own (1992), Tony Scott's True Romance (1993), Tears of the Sun (2003), Ron Howard's Backdraft (1991), Days of Thunder (1990), Smilla's Sense of Snow (1997), and the animated Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002) for which he also co-wrote four of the songs with Bryan Adams, including the Golden Globe nominated Here I Am.
At the 27th annual Flanders International Film Festival, Zimmer performed live for the first time in concert with a 100-piece orchestra and a 100-voice choir. Choosing selections from his impressive body of work, Zimmer performed newly orchestrated concert versions of Gladiator, Mission: Impossible II (2000), Rain Man (1988), The Lion King (1994), and The Thin Red Line (1998). The concert was recorded by Decca and released as a concert album entitled "The Wings Of A Film: The Music Of Hans Zimmer."
In 2003, Zimmer completed his 100th film score for the film The Last Samurai, starring Tom Cruise, for which he received both a Golden Globe and a Broadcast Film Critics nomination. Zimmer then scored Nancy Meyers' comedy Something's Gotta Give (2003), the animated Dreamworks film, Shark Tale (2004) (featuring voices of Will Smith, Renée Zellweger, Robert De Niro, Jack Black, and Martin Scorsese), and Jim Brooks' Spanglish (2004) starring Adam Sandler and Téa Leoni (for which he also received a Golden Globe nomination). His 2005 projects include Paramount's The Weather Man (2005) starring Nicolas Cage, Dreamworks' Madagascar (2005), and the Warner Bros. summer release, Batman Begins (2005).
Zimmer's additional honors and awards include the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award in Film Composition from the National Board of Review, and the Frederick Loewe Award in 2003 at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. He has also received ASCAP's Henry Mancini Award for Lifetime Achievement. Hans and his wife live in Los Angeles and he is the father of four children.The first to ever pick my interest in soundtracks. After watching The Dark Knight for the 1st time - that's it (all praise the Nolans).
Then, after light research I found out about the great contribution that this man had and has to film music and music in general. Master.- Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
Cliff Martinez was born on 5 February 1954 in The Bronx, New York, USA. He is a composer and actor, known for Only God Forgives (2013), The Neon Demon (2016) and Drive (2011).If you watched some Soderbergh movies, Soderbergh's The Knick, Some of the recent Nicolas Winding Refns, Spring Breakers... You probably know his unique electronic style. There's only one Cliff Martinez. I really love his soundtracks and his style of music.- Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
Audiences worldwide have been captivated by the unique musical stylings of Emmy-winning and Grammy-nominated composer, Mac Quayle.
Quayle scores BBC's upcoming limited series The Pact; FX and Ryan Murphy's Pea-body Award-winning, Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated 80's NYC ball scene drama Pose, starring Billy Porter; Netflix and Ryan Murphy/ Evan Romansky's drama series Ratched, starring Sarah Paulson; HBO's documentary crime series The Vow by Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning directors Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer; FX's Golden Globe winning and Emmy-nominated horror anthology American Horror Story, starring Sarah Paulson and Kathy Bates - Quayle received his first Emmy nomination for his score on American Horror Story: Freak Show; Fox's procedural drama 9-1-1, starring Angela Bassett, which he co-composes with Todd Haberman; and 9-1-1: Lone Star, which he co-composes with both Haberman and Justin Caine Burnett.
Quayle's past credits include USA Network's Golden Globe winning suspense-thriller Mr. Robot, starring Christian Slater and Rami Malek, for which he won an Emmy in 2016; FX's Golden Globe nominated series Feud: Bette and Joan, starring Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon, for which he received two Emmy nominations in 2017 for both the main title and score; Emmy and Golden Globe winning hit series The Assassi-nation of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, starring Penelope Cruz, Edgar Ramirez, Ricky Martin and Darren Criss; and Emmy-winning The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, starring John Travolta, Sarah Paulson and Cuba Gooding Jr; Netflix's The Politician, starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Ben Platt; and more. Quayle received his second consecutive World Soundtrack Award nomination for his work on Feud: Bette and Joan, Mr. Robot and Scream Queens, starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Emma Roberts. Quayle, alongside Gustavo Santaolalla and Scott Hanau, were recently nominated at the 2021 BAFTA Games Awards for his music on Naughty Boy/Sony Interactive The Last of Us Part II.
Quayle has written music for over 40 diverse films, television shows, and documentaries. His music for the documentary Autism in Love premiered at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival. Mac's music as an additional composer for Cliff Martinez can be heard in HBO's Emmy-winning The Normal Heart; Film District's Critics Choice Award winning Drive; Warner Bros.'s Contagion; and A24's Spring Breakers. In 2013, Mac was chosen as one of only six composers to participate in Sundance's Music and Sound Design Lab at Skywalker Ranch.
As a producer, re-mixer and keyboardist, Quayle has worked on over 300 releases, 40 #1 Billboard Dance hits, and earned a Grammy nomination for producing Donna Summer's "I Will Go with You." Quayle has been awarded numerous Gold and Platinum records, as well as worked with some of the biggest names in the music business. Mac has created music for Madonna, Whitney Houston, Beyonce, Depeche Mode, Britney Spears, Elvis Presley, Annie Lennox, New Order, and Sting to name a few.
When asked about his career highlights, Quayle responded, "I have been very fortunate to work with so many talented people over the years. However, there is one special moment that stands out for me: playing ping pong with Peter Gabriel at Real World Studios."
Quayle lives, works and plays ping pong in the mountains near Los Angeles.Mac was a Cliff Martinez protege. I noticed that when first watching the first episode of Mr. Robot. Of course, it was only a general-style thing, Mac has his own unique style. In his Mr. Robot soundtrack (which a. I consider one of the best soundtracks ever, and b. JUST WON AN EMMY TODAY!) he has his own style, mixed with influences from Cliff Martinez, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross... He also composed more shows like The People V. OJ Simpson. He's brilliant.- Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
Clinton Darryl Mansell is an English singer, musician and film composer known for his collaborations with Darren Aronofsky. He composed Pi, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, Black Swan, The Wrestler, Noah, Ghost in the Shell, Peacemaker, Doom Patrol, Loving Vincent, Mass Effect 3, Titans, World Traveler, Smokin' Aces, Doom, The Hole, and Definitely, Maybe.Although I just discovered him this year (2016), there is no deny that Clint Mansell is one talented composer. His music is very unique, and for each project he scores you can hear different styles and genres. As I dive and listen to more of his projects I discover more and more great music that he created.- Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
Ramin Djawadi is an Iranian-German film score composer known for composing the hit HBO series Game of Thrones and the Marvel films Blade: Trinity, Iron Man and Eternals. He also composed Clash of the Titans, A Wrinkle in Time, Pacific Rim, Westworld, Gears of War 4 and 5, Medal of Honor, Open Season 1 and 2, Jack Ryan and Warcraft. He won two Emmy Awards for Game of Thrones.I have to include Ramin Djawadi. The man is now one of the busiest TV (and film) composers in the biz. I first came to know him back when I started watching TV shows, on Prison Break (one of the first shows I followed). Now he's doing so much. With credits like Nolan's Person of Interest (which's already over), Game of Thrones and the score he's made for Jonathan Nolan's WESTWORLD is so beautiful.
Trivia: He's done 'additional music' on various Hans Zimmer scores, including Batman Begins (!!!), he learned under Zimmer's wing and evolved greatly from there.