Alexandre Desplat

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Alexandre Desplat
File:AlexandreDesplat-gros-plan.jpg
Desplat in 2015
Background information
Birth name Alexandre Michel Gérard Desplat
Born (1961-08-23) 23 August 1961 (age 63)
Paris, France
Genres Film score, contemporary classical, jazz
Occupation(s) Composer, orchestrator, conductor
Website Alexandredesplat.net

Alexandre Michel Gérard Desplat (fr;[1] born 23 August 1961)[2] is a French film composer and conductor. He has received numerous accolades throughout his career spanning over four decades, including, two Academy Awards, three British Academy Film Awards, three César Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and two Grammy Awards. Desplat was made an Officer of the Ordre national du Mérite and a Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres both in 2016.

Desplat has received two Academy Awards for Best Original Score for The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) and The Shape of Water (2017). He also received nominations for his work on The Queen (2006), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), The King's Speech (2010), Argo (2012), Philomena (2013), The Imitation Game (2014), Isle of Dogs (2018), and Little Women (2019).

Desplat has composed scores for a wide range of films, including low-budget independent productions and large-scale blockbusters, such as The Golden Compass (2007), Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (2008), The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010) & Part 2 (2011), Moonrise Kingdom (2012), Zero Dark Thirty (2012), Godzilla (2014), Unbroken (2014), The Secret Life of Pets (2016), The Midnight Sky (2020), The French Dispatch (2021), and Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022). He has collaborated with several directors such as Wes Anderson, Chris Weitz, George Clooney, and Roman Polanski.

Early life

Alexandre Desplat was born in Paris.[3] His father, Jacques Desplat, was a Frenchman originally from Sarlat-la-Canéda.[4] His mother, Katie Ladopoulou, is a Greek poet originally from Athens.[5] Desplat's parents had met in the United States while they were both students at the University of California, Berkeley. They married in San Francisco and returned to France, settling in Paris.[3] Alexandre has two older sisters, Marie-Christine (also known as Kiki) and Rosalinda.[4]

Desplat began playing the piano at the age of five.[3] He later picked up the trumpet, before switching to flute at nine.[3][6] Desplat's musical interests were wide, ranging from French composers such as Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy, to jazz and world music.[7] 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's Hitchcock soundtracks as a teen and eventually decided to pursue a career as a film composer after hearing John Williams's Star Wars score in 1977.[8] Other early sources of Desplat's inspiration include the music of Maurice Jarre, Nino Rota and Georges Delerue.[7]

Desplat studied at the Royal College of Music and the Conservatoire de Paris under Claude Ballif. During this period, he also took a summer course under Iannis Xenakis.[9] Desplat also studied under Jack Hayes in Los Angeles.[2]

When recording the music for his first film, he met violinist Dominique Lemonnier, who became his favorite soloist and artistic director. They later married.[7][10]

Desplat has worked on many films since the 1990s. 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.[7][11]

Career

Desplat has composed extensively for French cinema, 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 (2002), Rire et Châtiment (2003), Syriana (2005), the César-winner The Beat That My Heart Skipped (2005), The Queen (2006), Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010), The Ghost Writer (2010), Daniel Auteuil's remake of La Fille du Puisatier (2011), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011) and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014).

Desplat 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. 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 Royal Philharmonic 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.

In 2007, he composed the scores for Philip Pullman's Golden Compass; Zach Helm's BAFTA nominated directorial debut Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium with American composer Aaron Zigman; and the Ang Lee movie Lust, Caution. Prior to these break-out works, he contributed scores for The Luzhin Defence, Girl with a Pearl Earring, Syriana, Birth, Hostage, Casanova 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 Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score for The Queen. He also won the Silver Berlin Bear at the Berlin Film Festival for Best Film Music in The Beat that My Heart Skipped. 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 Fantastic Mr. Fox in 2010, both of which were won by Michael Giacchino for Up.

Desplat has composed music for Largo Winch, based on the Belgian comic; Afterwards a French-Canadian psychological thriller film directed by Gilles Bourdos in English; Anne Fontaine's Coco avant Chanel, based on the life of designer Coco Chanel; Robert Guédiguian's L'Armée du Crime; Cheri, reuniting him with director Stephen Frears, whom he collaborated with on The Queen; Un Prophète reuniting with director Jacques Audiard; Julie & Julia[12] directed by Nora Ephron; Fantastic Mr. Fox, directed by Wes Anderson and based on the novel by Roald Dahl; New Moon, directed by Chris Weitz; Roman Polanski's Ghost Writer; Tamara Drewe; The Special Relationship; and The King's Speech which earned Desplat his fourth Oscar nomination.[13]

In early 2011, Desplat began to write the music to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, which would earn him a nomination for Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards.[14] 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".[15][16] 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, directed by Terrence Malick (which he actually recorded in early 2010), A Better Life,[17] La Fille du Puisatier, Roman Polanski's Carnage, George Clooney's Ides of March, and the logo for the French film company StudioCanal.

Desplat started 2012 with Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, the Florent Emilio Siri-directed biopic Cloclo, and DreamWorks Animation's Rise of the Guardians. His other scores of 2013 included Rust and Bone, Zero Dark Thirty, 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 had its U.S. premiere in October 2013 played by pianist Gloria Cheng. He received a sixth Oscar nomination for his score to Philomena, which marked his fourth collaboration with director Stephen Frears.

On 23 June 2014, it was announced that Desplat would head the jury at the 71st Venice International Film Festival.[18] He wrote five major scores during 2014, with The Grand Budapest Hotel winning him his first Academy Award.[19] His score for The Imitation Game 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) in 1978, and only the seventh time overall (Alfred Newman, Bernard Herrmann, Max Steiner, Miklos Rozsa and Johnny Green 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.[20] In September 2016, he stepped down due to reshoots of the film, and was then replaced by Michael Giacchino.[21]

In 2018, he won his second Academy Award for The Shape of Water and premiered a new work for solo flute played by Emmanuel Pahud.

Personal life

Desplat is married to violinist Dominique "Solre" Lemmonier.[10] They have two daughters, Antonia and Ninon.[22] Desplat has studios both in Los Angeles and Paris and makes his home in the latter city.[10]

Filmography

Films

Year Film Director Notes
1997 Sous les pieds des femmes Rachida Krim
La femme du cosmonaute (fr) Jacques Monnet (fr)
1998 Sweet Revenge Malcolm Mowbray
Atilano for President Santiago Aguilar
Luis Guridi
1999 A Monkey's Tale Jean-François Laguionie
Empty Days Marion Vernoux
2000 The Luzhin Defence Marleen Gorris
2001 A Hell of a Day Marion Vernoux (2)
2002 Tous les chagrins se ressemblent N/A
Paroles d'étoiles N/A
11′09″01 September 11 Various Composed the title music
2003 Girl with a Pearl Earring Peter Webber
Rire et châtiment (fr) Isabelle Doval (fr)
Les baisers des autres N/A
Le pacte du silence (fr) Graham Guit
Virus au paradis N/A
Eager Bodies Xavier Giannoli
Les beaux jours (fr) Jean-Pierre Sinapi (fr)
A Sight for Sore Eyes (2003 film) (fr) Gilles Bourdos
2004 Birth Jonathan Glazer
Le pays des enfants perdus (fr) Francis Girod
The Corsican File Alain Berbérian
2005 The Upside of Anger Mike Binder
Hostage Florent-Emilio Siri
Casanova Lasse Hallström
Syriana Stephen Gaghan
Tu vas rire, mais je te quitte (fr) Philippe Harel
The Beat That My Heart Skipped Jacques Audiard
Une aventure (fr) Xavier Giannoli (2)
2006 The Alibi Matt Checkowski
Kurt Mattila
Firewall Richard Loncraine
The Queen Stephen Frears
The Painted Veil John Curran
The Valet Francis Veber
When I Was a Singer Xavier Giannoli (3)
2007 Lust, Caution Ang Lee
Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium Zach Helm With Aaron Zigman
The Golden Compass Chris Weitz
Intimate Enemies Florent-Emilio Siri (2)
Michou d'Auber (fr) Thomas Gilou (fr)
Ségo et Sarko sont dans un bateau (fr) Karl Zéro
Michel Royer (fr)
2008 Afterwards Gilles Bourdos (2)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button David Fincher
Largo Winch Jérôme Salle
2009 Julie & Julia Nora Ephron
Chéri Stephen Frears (2)
Fantastic Mr. Fox Wes Anderson
The Twilight Saga: New Moon[23] Chris Weitz (2)
Coco Before Chanel Anne Fontaine
A Prophet Jacques Audiard (2)
The Army of Crime Robert Guédiguian
2010 The Ghost Writer Roman Polanski
The Special Relationship Richard Loncraine (2)
Tamara Drewe Stephen Frears (3)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 David Yates Themes by John Williams
The King's Speech Tom Hooper
2011 The Tree of Life Terrence Malick
A Better Life Chris Weitz (3)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 David Yates (2) Themes by John Williams
The Ides of March George Clooney
Carnage Roman Polanski (2)
My Week with Marilyn Simon Curtis Composed "Marilyn's Theme"
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close Stephen Daldry
The Well-Digger's Daughter Daniel Auteuil
Largo Winch II Jérôme Salle (2)
2012 Moonrise Kingdom Wes Anderson (2)
A Therapy Roman Polanski (3) Short
Argo Ben Affleck
Rise of the Guardians Peter Ramsey
Zero Dark Thirty Kathryn Bigelow
My Way Florent-Emilio Siri (3)
Reality Matteo Garrone
Renoir Gilles Bourdos (3)
Rust and Bone Jacques Audiard (3)
2013 Zulu Jérôme Salle (3)
Venus in Fur Roman Polanski (4)
Philomena Stephen Frears (4)
Marius Daniel Auteuil (2)
Fanny Daniel Auteuil (3)
2014 The Monuments Men George Clooney (2)
The Grand Budapest Hotel Wes Anderson (3)
Godzilla[24] Gareth Edwards
The Imitation Game[25] Morten Tyldum
Unbroken Angelina Jolie
2015 Tale of Tales Matteo Garrone (2)
Every Thing Will Be Fine Wim Wenders
The Danish Girl Tom Hooper (2)
Suffragette Sarah Gavron
Suite Française Saul Dibb Composed "Bruno's Piano Piece"
Don't Tell Me the Boy Was Mad Robert Guédiguian (2)
2016 Alone in Berlin Vincent Pérez
Florence Foster Jenkins Stephen Frears (5)
The Secret Life of Pets[26] Chris Renaud
The Light Between Oceans Derek Cianfrance
American Pastoral Ewan McGregor
Les Habitants (film) (fr) Raymond Depardon
The Odyssey Jérôme Salle (4)
Heal the Living Katell Quillévéré
2017 Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets Luc Besson
The Shape of Water Guillermo del Toro
Suburbicon George Clooney (3)
Based on a True Story Roman Polanski (5)
12 Days Raymond Depardon (2)
2018 Isle of Dogs Wes Anderson (4)
Operation Finale Chris Weitz (4)
The Sisters Brothers Jacques Audiard (4)
Kursk Thomas Vinterberg
2019 The Secret Life of Pets 2[27] Chris Renaud (2)
Little Women Greta Gerwig
An Officer and a Spy Roman Polanski (6)
Adults in the Room Costa-Gavras
2020 The Midnight Sky[28] George Clooney (4)
2021 The French Dispatch Wes Anderson (5)
Eiffel Martin Bourboulon
2022 The Outfit Graham Moore
The Lost King Stephen Frears (6)
Pinocchio[29] Guillermo del Toro (2) Score and songs
Final Cut Michel Hazanavicius
Lui (film) (fr) Guillaume Canet
Father & Soldier Mathieu Vadepied
2023 Asteroid City Wes Anderson (6) Composed six score tracks[30]
The Palace Roman Polanski (7) [31]
Nyad
[32]
The Boys in the Boat
  • George Clooney
(5)		 [33]
2024 The Most Precious of Cargoes Michel Hazanavicius (2)
The Piano Lesson Malcolm Washington
Unstoppable William Goldenberg
TBA Frankenstein Guillermo del Toro (3) Post-production

Television series

Year Film Director Notes
2016 Marseille Florent-Emilio Siri
Thomas Gilou (fr)
Laïla Marrakchi		 TV series
2016 Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia Various TV series; "Hero Theme", "Dark Theme" with Tim Davies
2024 The Regime Stephen Frears
Jessica Hobbs		 miniseries

Accolades

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Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Alexandre Desplat

Desplat has received many awards and nominations for his work including two Academy Awards, three BAFTA Awards and two Golden Globe Awards.

Decorations

References

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  16. ↑ [1][dead link]
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  34. ↑ Décret du 14 novembre 2016 portant promotion et nomination
  35. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  36. ↑ Décret du 13 juillet 2011 portant promotion et nomination

External links

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