Hans Zimmer

Hans Florian Zimmer, born September 12, 1957 in Frankfurt, Germany has taken the movie world by storm, ever since his breakthrough movie score for Rain Man in 1988. His style and sound has forever changed Hollywood and influences a multitude of artists. His career start long before Rain Man. He has played keyboard and synthesizers in a few bands like The Camera Club, Krisma, Ultravox and The Buggles which included The hit single "Video Killed The Radiostar."

After that he went to London to make movie scores with another composer, Stanley Myers. It wasn't until he got asked to do the score to the academy award winning movie Rain Man directed by Barry Levinson and starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman. Hans Zimmer was nominated for an academy award for best music, original score, but didn't win.

He had to wait until 1995 for his first academy award for The Lion King. The astounding thing is that he spent less than a month making the score. He is a perfectionist, and he said in an interview that he learned a few things from that experience. First of all, he should have spent more time on it to make it a lot better and that standing up there receiving an academy award is one of the most seductive moments of his life. After that he could have chosen the easy route and make Oscar worthy scores, but he chose a different route. He said that if he chose the Oscar route, then he wouldn't be happy with himself so he makes a point of it to score different things from comedies to action movies and he is not afraid to experiment.

Hans Zimmer is one of the few composers who has his own studio. It was originally called Media Ventures but was later called Remote Control Productions. It is located in Santa Monica and his partner is Jay Rifkin. He has taught some of the biggest names in Hollywood and you can probably hear a little of the Hans Zimmer sound whenever you hear these composers. Composers Harry Gregson-Williams, Rupert Gregson-Williams, Mark Mancina, John Powell, Nick Glennie-Smith, Klaus Badelt, Steve Jablonsky, James Dooley, Heitor Pereira, Jeff Rona, Ramin Djawadi, Trevor Morris and Geoff Zanelli works or have worked in Hans Zimmer's studio learning from the master. He is also the head of DreamWorks film music division.

Hans Zimmer is by many known as the father of integrating the electronic musical world with traditional orchestral arrangements, he never conducts his own scores, and he writes everything in a computer not on paper. His favourite time is when he can sit with his Yamaha synthesizer and a cup of coffee and just create. He is very critical of himself and movie scores as a whole. He thinks 98% of everything that is released is not good at all and that includes his own work. The scores which he really likes are The English Patient by Gabriel Yared, The Cell by Howard Shore and The Mission by Ennio Morricone which is a true inspiration to Hans Zimmer.

Some of his own scores Hans Zimmer are satisfied with are A World Apart, Driving Miss Daisy, Crimson tide (A couple of cues), Drop Zone, Black Rain, Two Deaths, The Prince of Egypt and The Thin Red Line.

He is currently living in Los Angeles with his wife and 4 children.

Interesting info: His only rejected score is the movie K2, which was scored by Chaz Jankel, but the European version still has Hans Zimmer's score. Hans Zimmer's secret desire is to make an opera of "Faust".

Some of Hans Zimmer's finest work includes Rain Man, Black Rain, Driving Miss Daisy, Backdraft, The Power of One, True Romance, The Lion King, Crimson Tide, The Peacemaker, The Prince of Egypt, The Thin Red Line, Gladiator, Mission: Impossible II, Hannibal, Pearl Harbor, Black Hawk Down, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, The Last Samurai, King Arthur, Batman Begins and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

The Simpsons Movie (co-wrote)
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (co-wrote)



The Holiday (co-wrote)
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (co-wrote)
The Da Vinci Code (co-wrote)



The Weather Man (co-wrote)
Batman Begins (co-wrote)
The Little Polar Bear 2: The Mysterious Island (co-wrote)
Madagascar (co-wrote)



Spanglish
Lauras Stern (co-wrote)
Shark Tale (co-wrote)
Thunderbirds (co-wrote)
King Arthur (co-wrote)



Something's Gotta Give
The Last Samurai
Matchstick Men
Tears of the Sun (co-wrote)



The Ring (co-wrote)
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron

Black Hawk Down (co-wrote)
Pearl Harbor
The Pledge (co-wrote)
Invincible (co-wrote)
Hannibal (co-wrote)
Riding in Cars with Boys



An Everlasting Piece
Mission: Impossible 2
Gladiator (co-wrote) (Academy Award Nomination)
The Road to El Dorado (co-wrote)



Chill Factor (co-wrote)



The Thin Red Line (co-wrote) (Academy Award Nomination)
The Prince of Egypt (co-wrote) (Academy Award Nomination)
The Last Days



As Good As It Gets (Academy Award Nomination)
The Peacemaker (co-wrote)
Smilla's Sense of Snow (co-wrote)



The Fan (co-wrote)
Muppet Treasure Island
The Preacher's Wife (Academy Award Nomination)
The Rock (two themes only)
The Whole Wide World (minimal contributor)
Broken Arrow (co-wrote)

Crimson Tide
Nine Months
Something to Talk About
Beyond Rangoon
Two Deaths



Drop Zone
I'll Do Anything
The Lion King (Academy Award Winner)
Renaissance Man



Calendar Girl
Cool Runnings
The House of the Spirits
Point of No Return
True Romance
Younger and Younger



A League of Their Own
The Power of One
Radio Flyer
Toys (co-wrote)



Backdraft
K2 (European Version)
Regarding Henry
Thelma & Louise
Where Sleeping Dogs Lie

Bird on a Wire
Chicago Joe and the Showgirl
Days of Thunder
Fools of Fortune
Green Card
Pacific Heights



Black Rain
Driving Miss Daisy
Twister
Diamond Skulls



Paperhouse
Burning Secret
The Fruit Machine
The Nature of the Beast (co-wrote)
Rain Man (Academy Award Nomination)
Spies Inc.
A World Apart
Taffin
Nightmare at Noon



Terminal Exposure
The Wind



Separate Vacations
The Zero Boys



Insignificance (co-wrote)
My Beautiful Laundrette (co-wrote)



Success Is the Best Revenge

Best Score: Gladiator (2000) Nominated
Best Dramatic Score: The Thin Red Line (1998) Nominated
Best Musical or Comedy Score: The Prince of Egypt (1998) Nominated
Best Musical or Comedy Score: As Good As It Gets (1997) Nominated
Best Musical or Comedy Score: The Preacher's Wife (1996) Nominated
Best Score: The Lion King (1994) Win
Best Score: Rain Man (1988) Nominated



Best Music: Gladiator (2000) Nominated



Best Score: The Da Vinci Code (2006) Nominated
Best Composer: Gladiator (2000) Win
Best Composer: Mission: Impossible 2 (2000) Win
Best Composer: The Road to El Dorado (2000) Win



Best Original Score: Batman Begins (2005) Nominated



Best Original Score: The Da Vinci Code (2006) Nominated
Best Score: Spanglish (2004) Nominated
Best Score: The Last Samurai (2003) Nominated
Best Original Song: Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002) Nominated
Best Original Score: Pearl Harbor (2001) Nominated
Best Original Score: Gladiator (2000) Win
Best Original Score: The Lion King (1994) Win