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Alan Silvestri

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Alan Silvestri
Silvestri in 2009
Silvestri in 2009
Background information
Birth nameAlan Anthony Silvestri
Born (1950-03-26) March 26, 1950 (age 74)
New York City, New York, U.S.
GenresFilm score, contemporary classical, jazz, ambient
Occupation(s)Composer, conductor, orchestrator, music producer
Years active1972–present
Spouse
Sandra Silvestri
(m. 1978)
Websitewww.alansilvestri.com Edit this at Wikidata

Alan Anthony Silvestri (born March 26, 1950) is an American composer, conductor, orchestrator and music producer of film scores. He has received two Grammy Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards as well as nominations for two Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards.

He has been associated with director Robert Zemeckis since 1984, composing music for nearly all of his feature films including the Back to the Future film series (1985–1990), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), Death Becomes Her (1992), Forrest Gump (1994), Contact (1997), What Lies Beneath (2000), Cast Away (2000), The Polar Express (2004), Beowulf (2007), Flight (2012) and The Walk (2015).

Silvestri also scored many other popular movies, including Predator (1987), The Abyss (1989), Father of the Bride (1991), The Bodyguard (1992), Eraser (1996), The Parent Trap (1998), Stuart Little (1999), The Mummy Returns (2001), Van Helsing (2004), Night at the Museum trilogy, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009), The A-Team (2010), Ready Player One (2018), and several Marvel Cinematic Universe films, including the Avengers films.

Early life and education

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Silvestri was born March 26, 1950.[1] His grandparents emigrated in 1909 from the Italian town of Castell'Alfero, and settled in Teaneck, New Jersey.[2] He grew up in Teaneck,[3] and graduated in 1968 from Teaneck High School.[4] He attended Berklee College of Music for two years. He was a drummer for a short time in 1966 with Teaneck-based rock band the Wildcats.

Career

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Silvestri moved to Los Angeles in 1970. "I came to Hollywood in 1970 broke.... I didn't even have any goals or plans. I didn't even go to movies. And I knew nothing about composers or composing," he said.[5] In 1972, while he was working intermittently as a session guitarist, the producer of the low-budget action film The Doberman Gang asked him to score the picture. Silvestri agreed, despite a lack of experience: "I went out and bought a how-to-compose book by Earl Hagen.... At one point, I was using beer cans for percussion."[5]

From 1978 to 1983, Silvestri was the main composer for the television series CHiPs, writing music for 95 of the show's 139 episodes.

Silvestri met film director Robert Zemeckis when they worked together on Zemeckis's film Romancing the Stone (1984). Since then, he has composed the music for all of Zemeckis's movies, including the Back to the Future trilogy (1985–1990), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), Death Becomes Her (1992), Forrest Gump (1994), Contact (1997), Cast Away (2000), The Polar Express (2004), Beowulf (2007), A Christmas Carol (2009), Flight (2012), and The Walk (2015).

In 1989, Silvestri composed the score for the James Cameron-directed film The Abyss. Since 2001, he has also collaborated regularly with director Stephen Sommers, scoring the films The Mummy Returns (2001), Van Helsing (2004), and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009). He also composed the ImageMovers opening theme.

Silvestri has composed the scores for four Marvel Cinematic Universe films: Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), The Avengers (2012), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019). His themes and motifs from those films have been referenced and reprised by other composers in multiple other MCU films.

Silvestri has also composed music for television series, including T. J. Hooker (one episode), Starsky & Hutch (three episodes), and Tales from the Crypt (seven episodes). In 2014, he composed the award-winning music for the science documentary series Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey. He wrote new songs with Glen Ballard for the live-action/CGI film adaptation of Disney's Pinocchio.[6]

Personal life

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Silvestri and his wife Sandra own a vineyard, Silvestri Vineyards, in Carmel Valley, California.[7] He also has a wine tasting room for his vineyards on the ground floor of the Enchanted Oaks Building.[8] He has a daughter and two sons. A licensed pilot, he flies his own jet aircraft.[9]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Director Notes
1972 The Doberman Gang Byron Chudnow
1975 Las Vegas Lady Noel Nosseck
1976 The Amazing Dobermans Byron Ross Chudnow
1978 The Fifth Floor Howard Avedis
1983 Tiger Man Matt Cimber Credited as Alan Sylvestri
1984 Romancing the Stone Robert Zemeckis First collaboration with Robert Zemeckis
Par où t'es rentré ? On t'a pas vu sortir Philippe Clair
1985 Fandango Kevin Reynolds
Cat's Eye Lewis Teague
Back to the Future Robert Zemeckis
Summer Rental Carl Reiner
1986 The Clan of the Cave Bear Michael Chapman
The Delta Force Menahem Golan
American Anthem Albert Magnoli
Flight of the Navigator Randal Kleiser
No Mercy Richard Pearce
1987 Critical Condition Michael Apted
Outrageous Fortune Arthur Hiller
Predator John McTiernan
Overboard Garry Marshall
1988 Mac and Me Stewart Raffill
Who Framed Roger Rabbit Robert Zemeckis
My Stepmother Is an Alien Richard Benjamin
1989 She's Out of Control Stan Dragoti
The Abyss James Cameron
Back to the Future Part II Robert Zemeckis
1990 Downtown Richard Benjamin
Back to the Future Part III Robert Zemeckis
Young Guns II Geoff Murphy
Predator 2 Stephen Hopkins Also conductor
1991 Shattered Wolfgang Petersen Also orchestrator / Replaced Angelo Badalamenti
Soapdish Michael Hoffman Also orchestrator
Dutch Peter Faiman Also pianist
Ricochet Russell Mulcahy Also conductor
Father of the Bride Charles Shyer
1992 Two-Fisted Tales Richard Donner
Tom Holland
Robert Zemeckis
Segment: Yellow
Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot Roger Spottiswoode
FernGully: The Last Rainforest Bill Kroyer
Death Becomes Her Robert Zemeckis
Diner Graham Morris
Karen Peterson
Short film
The Bodyguard Mick Jackson
Sidekicks Aaron Norris
1993 In Search of the Obelisk Douglas Trumbull
Arish Fyzee
IMAX film
Cop and a Half Henry Winkler
Super Mario Bros. Rocky Morton / Annabel Jankel Replaced Jerry Goldsmith
Judgment Night Stephen Hopkins Also conductor
Grumpy Old Men Donald Petrie
1994 Clean Slate Mick Jackson
Forrest Gump Robert Zemeckis
Blown Away Stephen Hopkins Also conductor
Richie Rich Donald Petrie
1995 The Quick and the Dead Sam Raimi
The Perez Family Mira Nair
Judge Dredd Danny Cannon Also conductor / Replaced David Arnold and Jerry Goldsmith
Father of the Bride Part II Charles Shyer
Grumpier Old Men Howard Deutch
1996 Sgt. Bilko Jonathan Lynn Also conductor
Mission: Impossible Brian De Palma Rejected Score
Eraser Chuck Russell Also conductor
The Long Kiss Goodnight Renny Harlin Also conductor
1997 Fools Rush In Andy Tennant
Volcano Mick Jackson Also conductor
Contact Robert Zemeckis
Mouse Hunt Gore Verbinski
1998 The Odd Couple II Howard Deutch Also conductor
The Parent Trap Nancy Meyers
Holy Man Stephen Herek
Practical Magic Griffin Dunne
1999 Siegfried & Roy: The Magic Box Brett Leonard IMAX film
Stuart Little Rob Minkoff Also conductor
2000 Reindeer Games John Frankenheimer Also conductor
Cast Away Robert Zemeckis Also conductor
What Lies Beneath Also conductor and orchestrator
What Women Want Nancy Meyers Also conductor and orchestrator
2001 The Mexican Gore Verbinski
The Mummy Returns Stephen Sommers Replaced Jerry Goldsmith
Serendipity Peter Chelsom Also conductor
2002 Showtime Tom Dey Also conductor and orchestrator
Lilo & Stitch Chris Sanders
Dean DeBlois
Also choir arranger and conductor
Stuart Little 2 Rob Minkoff Also conductor
Maid in Manhattan Wayne Wang
2003 Identity James Mangold Also conductor / Replaced Angelo Badalamenti
Stitch! The Movie Tony Craig / Bobs Gannaway Themes only. Score composed by Michael Tavera
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life Jan de Bont Also conductor / Replaced Craig Armstrong and Graeme Revell
Two Soldiers Aaron Schneider Short film; Also conductor
2004 Van Helsing Stephen Sommers Also conductor
The Polar Express Robert Zemeckis Also conductor
2006 The Wild Steve "Spaz" Williams Also conductor
Leroy & Stitch Tony Craig / Bobs Gannaway Themes only. Score composed by J. A. C. Redford
Night at the Museum Shawn Levy
2007 Beowulf Robert Zemeckis Also conductor and orchestrator
2009 Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian Shawn Levy Also conductor
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra Stephen Sommers Also conductor and orchestrator
G.I. Joe: The Invasion of Cobra Island Rupinder Malhotra Two-part web film
A Christmas Carol Robert Zemeckis Also lyricist, conductor and orchestrator
2010 The A-Team Joe Carnahan Also conductor and orchestrator
Themes by Mike Post and Pete Carpenter
2011 Captain America: The First Avenger Joe Johnston Also conductor and orchestrator
2012 The Avengers Joss Whedon Also conductor and orchestrator
Flight Robert Zemeckis
2013 The Croods Chris Sanders / Kirk DeMicco Also conductor and orchestrator
RED 2 Dean Parisot Themes by Christophe Beck
2014 Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb Shawn Levy
2015 Avengers: Age of Ultron Joss Whedon Themes only; score composed by Brian Tyler and Danny Elfman
The Walk Robert Zemeckis
Doc Brown Saves the World Glenn Sanders
Brett Levisohn
Thomas Guindon
2016 Allied Robert Zemeckis
2018 Ready Player One Steven Spielberg Replaced John Williams
Avengers: Infinity War Anthony & Joe Russo Score composer only
Welcome to Marwen Robert Zemeckis Also conductor
2019 Avengers: Endgame Anthony & Joe Russo Score conducted with Mark Graham
2020 The Witches Robert Zemeckis
2022 Pinocchio Also lyricist, conductor and orchestrator
2024 Here
2025 The Electric State Anthony & Joe Russo
2026 Avengers: Doomsday
2027 Avengers: Secret Wars

Television

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Year Title Channel Notes
1978–1979 Starsky & Hutch ABC 3 episodes
1978–1983 CHiPs NBC 95 episodes
1983 Manimal 5 episodes
T. J. Hooker ABCCBS Episode: "A Child Is Missing"
1986 Amazing Stories NBC Episode: "Go to the Head of Class"
1989–1995 Tales from the Crypt HBO 7 episodes
1991–1992 Back to the Future CBS Theme only
2014 Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey Fox / National Geographic Channel 13 episodes
2020 Cosmos: Possible Worlds 13 episodes

Awards and nominations

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Silvestri has received two Academy Award nominations: Best Original Score for Forrest Gump (1994); and Best Original Song for "Believe" on The Polar Express soundtrack. He also received two Golden Globe nominations: Best Score for Forrest Gump and Best Song for The Polar Express. Silvestri received an honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music in 1995.[10]

He has also received nine Grammy Award nominations, winning two awards: Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media for "Believe" from The Polar Express in 2004; and Best Instrumental Composition for "Cast Away End Credits" from Cast Away in 2002. His other nominations were for Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special and Best Instrumental Composition, for Back to the Future in 1985, Best Album of Original Instrumental Background Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television, for Who Framed Roger Rabbit in 1988, Best Instrumental Composition, for "Who Framed Roger Rabbit Suite" in 1989, Best Pop Instrumental Performance, for "I'm Forrest...Forrest Gump (The Feather Theme)" in 1994, Best Instrumental Composition, for Avengers: Infinity War in 2018, and Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media, for Avengers: Endgame in 2019.[11] During the 2005 Grammy Awards, Josh Groban performed "Believe".

He has won two Emmys, both for Cosmos: A Spacetime OdysseyOutstanding Main Title Theme Music and Outstanding Music Composition for a Series for the episode "Standing Up in the Milky Way". He has won the Saturn Award for Best Music three times, for his scores for Predator (1987), Back to the Future Part III (1989/90), and Van Helsing (2004). On September 23, 2011, he received the Max Steiner Film Music Achievement Award from the City of Vienna the yearly film-music gala concert Hollywood in Vienna.

Association Year Category Project Result Ref.
Academy Awards 1994 Best Original Score Forrest Gump Nominated [12]
2004 Best Original Song The Polar Express ("Believe") Nominated [13]
Golden Globe Awards 1994 Best Original Score Forrest Gump Nominated [14]
2004 Best Original Song The Polar Express ("Believe") Nominated [14]
Primetime Emmy Awards 2014 Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey Won [15]
Outstanding Music Composition for a Series Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey ("Standing Up in the Milky Way") Won
Grammy Awards 1986 Best Instrumental Composition Back to the Future Nominated [16]
Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media Nominated
1989 Who Framed Roger Rabbit Nominated [17]
1990 Best Instrumental Composition Who Framed Roger Rabbit ("Who Framed Roger Rabbit Suite") Nominated [18]
1995 Best Pop Instrumental Performance Forrest Gump Nominated [19]
2002 Best Instrumental Composition Cast Away ("End Credits") Won [20]
2006 Best Song Written for Visual Media The Polar Express ("Believe") Won [21]
2019 Best Instrumental Composition Avengers: Infinity War Nominated [22]
2020 Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media Avengers: Endgame Nominated [23]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Rose, Mike (March 26, 2020). "Today's famous birthdays list for March 26, 2020 includes celebrities Keira Knightley, Martin Short". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  2. ^ Meredith May, "Alan Silvestri pairs music with wine", SFGate (June 7, 2013).
  3. ^ Subscribe to Ali A ASCAP Henry Mancini Award Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, ASCAP. Accessed October 21, 2008. Manhattan-born and Teaneck, New Jersey-bred, Silvestri attended Boston's prestigious Berklee College of Music before joining a Las Vegas band as a guitarist."
  4. ^ Coutros, Evonne. "The Drummer Whom Gump Marches To", The Record (Bergen County), March 26, 1995. Accessed October 21, 2008. "Nearly three decades after Alan Silvestri drummed out beats for the Teaneck High School band, he's hoping to march to the podium Monday night to collect an Oscar."
  5. ^ a b Stanley, John (November 9, 1986). "Composer Hits a High Note 'Overnight'". The San Francisco Examiner. p. Datebook 21.
  6. ^ "Pinocchio 2022 soundtrack: All the new and old songs in the Disney remake". Radio Times. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  7. ^ "Home". Archived from the original on February 20, 2012. Retrieved November 26, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). Silvestrivineyards.com. Retrieved on May 2, 2012.
  8. ^ Dramov, Alissandra (2019). Historic Buildings of Downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California: Arcadia Publishing. p. 63. ISBN 9781467103039. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  9. ^ "ALAN SILVESTRI COMPOSER OF MUSIC FOR THE MOVIES by D'Lynn Waldron, PhD". Dlwaldron.com. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
  10. ^ "Clint Eastwood Honored by Berklee for Contributions to Jazz - Soundtrack.Net". Soundtrack.net.
  11. ^ "Alan Silvestri". Grammy.com. November 19, 2019. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  12. ^ "67th Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  13. ^ "77th Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  14. ^ a b "Alan Silvestri - Golden Globes". Golden Globe Awards. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  15. ^ "Nominees / Winners 2014 Emmy Awards". Television Academy. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  16. ^ "28th Annual Grammy Awards". Grammy Awards. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  17. ^ "32nd Annual Grammy Awards". Grammy Awards. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  18. ^ "33rd Annual Grammy Awards". Grammy Awards. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  19. ^ "37th Annual Grammy Awards". Grammy Awards. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  20. ^ "45th Annual Grammy Awards". Grammy Awards. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  21. ^ "48th Annual Grammy Awards". Grammy Awards. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  22. ^ "61st Annual Grammy Awards". Grammy Awards. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  23. ^ "62nd Annual Grammy Awards". Grammy Awards. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
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