Hans Zimmer

Hans Zimmer biography

Hans Florian Zimmer, ; (born 12 September 1957) is a German film composer and music producer. He has composed music for over 100 films, including award winning film scores for The Lion King (1994), Crimson Tide (1995), Gladiator (2000), The Last Samurai (2003),The Dark Knight (2008), and Inception (2010).

Zimmer spent the early part of his career in the United Kingdom before moving to the United States. He is the head of the film music division at DreamWorks studios, and works with other composers through the company which he founded, Remote Control Productions.

Zimmer's works are notable for integrating electronic music sounds with traditional orchestral arrangements. He has received four Grammy Awards, two Golden Globes, a Classical BRIT Award, and an Academy Award. He was also named on the list of Top 100 Living Geniuses, published by The Daily Telegraph.

Early life and career

Zimmer was born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. As a young child, he lived in Königstein-Falkenstein, where he played the piano at home, but had piano lessons only briefly as he disliked the discipline of formal lessons. He moved to London as a teenager, where he attended Hurtwood House school. In an interview with the German television station ZDF in 2006, he commented: "My father died when I was just a child, and I escaped somehow into the music and music has been my best friend." Zimmer began his career playing keyboards and synthesizers. He worked with The Buggles, a New Wave band formed in 1977 with Trevor Horn, Geoff Downes, and Bruce Woolley. Zimmer can be seen briefly in The Buggles' music video for the 1979 song "Video Killed the Radio Star".

Academy Awards

• 1994: The Lion King

Golden Globe Awards

• 1995: The Lion King
• 2001: Gladiator

Grammy Awards

• 1995: The Lion King (Best Instrumental Arrangement With Accompanying Vocals)
• 1995: The Lion King (Best Musical Album For Children)
• 1996: Crimson Tide
• 2009: The Dark Knight (Shared with James Newton Howard)

Satellite Award

• 1999: The Thin Red Line
• 2001: Gladiator
• 2004: The Last Samurai
• 2011: Inception

Saturn Awards

• 2009: The Dark Knight (Shared with James Newton Howard)
• 2011: Inception

Classical BRIT Awards

• 2008: The Dark Knight (Shared with James Newton Howard)

WAFCA Awards

• 2011: Inception

BFCA Awards

• 2000: Gladiator

World Soundtrack Awards

• 2011: Inception

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