Alexandre Desplat

Alexandre Desplat

Alexandre Desplat was born in Paris, on the 23 August 1961. Alexandre’s Greek mother and French father met at the University of California, in Berkely. They later on moved back to France, where Alexandre would be born. Alexandre is the youngest child, sibling to Marie- Christine and Rosalinda Desplat.

 

Alexandre began playing the piano at the age of five, and the trumpet and flute later on. He later studied among side Claude Ballif, Lannis Xenakisin France and Jack Hayes in the United States.

Alexandre’s musical interests were mixed into French symphonists, jazz to more exotic world music. Amongst others, African and South American artists such as Carlinhos Brown and Ray Lema also influenced him.

As soon as his career path was chosen, he began working at making this a reality. Alexandre’ s first film he worked on was “Le souffleur” in 1986. While working o this film, he met a violinist by the name of Dominique Lemonnier, who later on became his wife.

Alexandre Desplat has composed for over 100 French cinema, Hollywood films and incidental music, including Family Express (1992), Lapse of Memory (1992), Regarde Les Hommes Tomber (1994), Les Péchés Mortels (1995), César-nominated Un Héros Très Discret (1996), , Sweet Revenge (1998), Une Minute de Silence (1998) Le Château des Singes (1999), Reines d'un Jour (2001), the César-nominated Sur mes lèvres (2002), Rire et Châtiment (2003), Césars-Winning The Beat That My Heart Skipped (2005), The Queen (2006), Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), The Ghost Writer (2010),  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011) and Daniel Auteuil's remake of La Fille du Puisatier (2011).

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 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, and the Munich Symphony Orchestra. Desplat has also given Master Classes at La Sorbonne in Paris and the Royal College of Music in London. He also has composed individual songs that have been sung in films by such artists as Akhenaton, Kate Beckinsale, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Valérie Lemercier, Miosotis, and Catherine Ringer.

In 2007, he composed the scores for The Golden Compass, directed by Philip Pullman; Zach Helm's directorial debut Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium with American composer Aaron Zigman; and the Ang Lee movie Lust, Caution. Prior to these, he contributed scores for Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Luzhin Defence, Syriana, Birth, Casanova, Hostage, The Nest and The Painted Veil. As a result, 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 also won the 2007 BMI Film Music Award, 2007 World Soundtrack Award, 2007 European Film Award, and received his first Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score for The Queen. He then also won the Silver Berlin Bear at the Berlin Film Festival for Best Film Music in The Beat that My Heart Skipped.
In 2008, he received his second Oscar nomination for David Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
In 2010, Alexandre received his third Oscar nomination and a BAFTA nomination for Fantastic Mr. Fox. Both howvere were won by Michael Giacchino for Up.
Alexandre Desplat has composed music for Largo Winch, based on the Belgian comic; Anne Fontaine's Coco avant Chanel based on the life of designer Coco Chanel; Afterwards a French-Canadian psychological thriller film directed by Gilles Bourdos; Robert Guédiguian's L'Armée du Crime; Cheri, (which reunited him with director Stephen Frears), he collaborated with Stephen Frears on The Queen; Un Prophète (which reunited him with director Jacques Audiard); Julie & Julia directed by Nora Ephron; New Moon, Fantastic Mr. Fox, directed by Wes Anderson and based on the novel by Roald Dahl ,directed by Chris Weitz; Tamara Drewe; The Special Relationship; Roman Polanski's The Ghost Writer; and The King's Speech which Alexandre received his fourth Oscar nomination for.
In early 2011, Alexandre began writing music for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2. He was reunited with the director David Yates, who asked him to score the second part after his work on the Part 1 soundtrack in 2010 "enchanted everyone in the control room". The soundtrack for the 2008 film Largo Winch was released in 2011 and was well received. Aleaxandre’s 2011 projects are The Tree of Life, directed by Terrence Malick, A Better Life, La Fille du Puisatier, Roman Polanski's Carnage, and George Clooney's The Ides of March.
Alexandre’s 2012 began with Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, the Florent Emilio Siri-directed biopic Cloclo, and Dreamworks Animation's Rise of the Guardians.
Alexandre's first Concerto for Flute & Orchestra premiered in France with flautist Jean Ferrandis and the Orchestre Nationale des Pays de la Loire conducted by John Axelrod, in June 2013. His Trios Etudes for piano (originally written for pianist Lang Lang) was premiered in the U.S. in October 2013 played by pianist Gloria Cheng.
It is rumored that Alexandre has taken part in the scoring of the cooking show, Cooking With Wormtail (a spinoff of the popular movies and books).

Along his life, Alexandre has been up for numerous nominations, along with the awards won obviously. These nominations include nominations for the following movies:

·      2005 Silver Berlin Bear for Best Film Music – The Beat That My Heart Skipped

·      2006 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Music – The Painted Veil and The Queen

·      2007 BMI Film Music Award – The Queen

·      2007 European Film Award for Best Composer – The Queen

·      2007 Golden Horse Award for Best Original Film Score – Lust, Caution

·      2007 World Soundtrack Award for Film Composer of the Year – The Queen and The Painted Veil

·      2008 Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Original Score – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

·      2009 BMI Film Music Award – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

·      2009 World Soundtrack Award for Best Original Score of the Year – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

·      2009 World Soundtrack Award for Film Composer of the Year – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Coco Before Chanel, Largo Winch and Chéri

·      2010 Étoile d'Or for Best Music (Meilleure musique) – A Prophet, The Army of Crime, Afterwards, Coco Before Chanel and Chéri

·      2010 IFMCA Award for Best Original Score for a Drama Film – The King's Speech

·      2010 IFMCA Award for Film Composer of the Year

·      2010 IFMCA Award for Best Original Score for an Action/Adventure/Thriller Film – The Ghost Writer

·      2011 Sammy Film Music Award for Best New Film Score – The King's Speech

·      2011 César Award for Best Music Written for a Film (Meilleure musique écrite pour un film) – The Ghost Writer

·      2011 World Soundtrack Award for Film Composer of the Year

·      2011 Étoile d'Or for Film Music Composer – The Ghost Writer

·      2011 San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Score – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2

Alexandre’s Awards include:

·      2004 European Film Award for Best Composer – Girl with a Pearl Earring

·      2005 Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Original Score – Birth

·      2006 Étoile d'Or for Best Music (Meilleure musique) – The Beat That My Heart Skipped

·      2006 Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Score – The Queen

·      2007 Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Score – Lust, Caution

·      2008 Étoile d'Or for Best Music (Meilleure musique) – L'ennemi intime

·      2008 Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Score – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

·      2008 Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Composer – Lust, Caution

·      2008 Asian Film Award for Best Composer – Lust, Caution

·      2008 World Soundtrack Award for Film Composer of the Year – The Golden Compass

·      2009 Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Original Score – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

·      2009 European Film Award for Best Composer – Coco Before Chanel

·      2009 Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Score – Fantastic Mr. Fox (film)

·      2009 Central Ohio Film Critics Association Award for Best Score – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

·      2009 Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Composer – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

·      2009 Saturn Award for Best Music – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

·      2010 Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Original Score – Fantastic Mr. Fox

·      2010 IFMCA Award for Film Score of the Year – The King's Speech, The Ghost Writer

·      2010 IFMCA Award for Best Original Score for a Fantasy/Science Fiction/Horror Film – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1

·      2010 IFMCA Award for Film Music Composition of the Year – Truth About Ruth from The Ghost Writer

·      2011 Hollywood Music in Media Award for Original Score-Feature Film – The Ides of March

·      2011 World Soundtrack Award for Best Original Film Score of the Year – The King's Speech

·      2011 Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Original Score – Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

·      2011 San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Score – The Tree of Life (film)

·      2011 San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Score – Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

·      2011 IFMCA Award for Film Composer of the Year

·      2011 IFMCA Award for Best Original Score for a Fantasy/Science Fiction/Horror Film – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2

·      2012 World Soundtrack Award for Best Original Film Score of the Year – The Ides of March

·      2012 World Soundtrack Award for Film Composer of the Year

·      2012 18th Critics' Choice Awards for Best Score - Argo, Moonrise Kingdom

·      2013 World Soundtrack Award for Film Composer of the Year

·      2013 58th David di Donatello Award for Best Music (Migliore Musicista)