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Alan Anthony Silvestri (born March 26, 1950) is an American composer and conductor who works primarily in film and television. He is best known for his frequent collaboration with friend and film legend Robert Zemeckis, including composing major hit films such as the Back to the Future film series, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and Forrest Gump, as well as the superhero films such as Marvel's Captain America: The First Avenger and The Avengers.
Early life and education
Silvestri's grandparents emigrated in 1908 from the Italian town of Castell'Alfero, and settled in Teaneck to raise a family.[1] He grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey[2] and attended Teaneck High School.[3] He went to Berklee College of Music for two years. Alan was a drummer for a short time in 1966 with Teaneck-based rock band, "The Herd".
Career
Silvestri started his film/television composing career in 1972 at age 21, composing the score for the low-budget action film The Doberman Gang.
From 1977 to 1983, Silvestri served as the main composer for the television series CHiPs, writing music for 109 of the series' 139 episodes.
Silvestri met producer Robert Zemeckis, when the two worked together on Zemeckis's film Romancing the Stone (1984). Since then, Silvestri 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 blockbuster The Abyss, and is also known for his work on the films Predator (1987) and Predator 2 (1990), both of which are considered preeminent examples of action/science fiction film scores. Since 2001, Silvestri 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). His most recent work includes The Avengers (2012), The Croods (2013), and Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014).
Silvestri has also composed music for television series, including T. J. Hooker (one episode), Starsky & Hutch (three episodes), Tales from the Crypt (seven episodes). In 2014, he composed the award-winning music for the science documentary series Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey.
On 31 January 2014, it was announced that a stage musical adaptation of Back to the Future was in production.[4] The show, which is being co-written by original writers Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, is expected to be performed in 2015, on the 30th anniversary year of the film.[5] Silvestri[6] will team up with Glen Ballard to compose a new score, with the addition of original songs from the film, including "The Power of Love", "Johnny B. Goode", "Earth Angel" and "Mr. Sandman".[7]
Personal life
Silvestri owns a vineyard, Silvestri Vineyards, located in Carmel Valley, California.[8]
Awards
Silvestri has received two Academy Award nominations, one for Best Original Score for Forrest Gump (1994) and one for 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.
He has also received four 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 nomination was for Best Soundtrack Album, for Back to the Future. During the 2005 Grammy Awards, Josh Groban performed "Believe".[9]
He has won two Emmys, both for Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey – Outstanding 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 was awarded with the Max Steiner Film Music Achievement Award by the City of Vienna at the yearly film music gala concert Hollywood in Vienna.
Discography
Films
1970s
| Year | Title | Director | Studio | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | The Doberman Gang | Byron Chudnow | Dimension Pictures | With Bradford Craig |
| 1975 | Las Vegas Lady | Noel Nosseck | Crown International Pictures | N/A |
| 1976 | The Amazing Dobermans | Byron Ross Chudnow | Golden Films | N/A |
| 1978 | The Fifth Floor | Howard Avedis | Film Ventures International | N/A |
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
Television series
| Year | Title | Channel | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978–1979 | Starsky & Hutch | | Episodes: "Deckwatch" "Starsky's Brother" "Sweet Revenge" |
| 1978–1983 | CHiPs | | 95 episodes |
| 1983 | Manimal | <center>NBC | |
| 1983 | T. J. Hooker | <center>ABC – CBS | Episode: "A Child Is Missing" |
| 1986 | Amazing Stories | <center>NBC | Episode: "Go to the Head of Class" |
| 1989–1995 | Tales from the Crypt | <center>HBO | Episodes: "And All Through the House" "Abra Cadaver" "Yellow" "Beauty Rest" "House of Horror" "Till Death Do We Part" "You, Murderer" |
| 2014 | Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey | <center>Fox/National Geographic Channel | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series |
References
- ↑ Meredith May, "Alan Silvestri pairs music with wine", SFGate (June 7, 2013).
- ↑ ASCAP Henry Mancini Award, ASCAP. Accessed October 21, 2007. Mannhattan-born and Teaneck, New Jersey-bred, Silvestri attended Boston's prestigious Berklee College of Music before joining a Las Vegas band as a guitarist."
- ↑ Coutros, Evonne. "THE DRUMMER WHOM `GUMP' MARCHES TO", The Record (Bergen County), March 26, 1995. Accessed October 21, 2007. "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."
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- ↑ Home at the Wayback Machine (archived February 20, 2012). Silvestrivineyards.com. Retrieved on 2012-05-02.
- ↑ TribLIVE: #(gSection.name)#. Pittsburghlive.com (2012-01-05). Retrieved on 2012-05-02.
- ↑ Script error
External links
- AlanSilvestri.com
- Script error at AllMusic
- Script error at the Internet Movie Database
- Alan Silvestri at Soundtrackguide.net
- Castell'Alfero (Italy) country of Asti of which it is City Honorarium
- Complete Alan Silvestri Discography at the Wayback Machine (archived October 23, 2012)Template:Saturn Award for Best Music
