Alan Silvestri facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alan Silvestri
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Silvestri in 2009
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| Born |
Alan Anthony Silvestri
March 26, 1950 New York City, New York, U.S.
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| Occupation | Composer, conductor, orchestrator, music producer |
| Years active | 1972–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Sandra Silvestri
(m. 1978) |
| Children | 3 |
Alan Anthony Silvestri is a famous American composer, conductor, and music producer. He writes the amazing music you hear in many popular movies! He has won two Grammy Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards for his work. He's also been nominated for two Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards.
He has worked with director Robert Zemeckis for a long time, creating music for almost all of his films. These include the Back to the Future movies (from 1985 to 1990), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), Forrest Gump (1994), Contact (1997), Cast Away (2000), and The Polar Express (2004).
Silvestri also composed music for many other well-known movies. Some of these are Predator (1987), The Abyss (1989), The Bodyguard (1992), The Mummy Returns (2001), Lilo & Stitch (2002), and the Night at the Museum movies. He also created the music for several Marvel Cinematic Universe films, including the Avengers movies.
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Early Life and School
Silvestri was born on March 26, 1950. His grandparents came from Italy in 1909 and settled in Teaneck, New Jersey. He grew up in Teaneck and finished Teaneck High School in 1968. He then studied at Berklee College of Music for two years. For a short time in 1966, he was a drummer in a rock band called the Wildcats.
His Career in Music
Silvestri moved to Los Angeles in 1970. He said he arrived in Hollywood with no money and no plans. He didn't even know much about movies or composing music. In 1972, he was playing guitar for different recording sessions. Then, the producer of a low-budget action movie called The Doberman Gang asked him to write the music for it. Silvestri agreed, even though he didn't have much experience. He bought a book to learn how to compose!
From 1978 to 1983, Silvestri was the main composer for the TV show CHiPs. He wrote music for 95 episodes of the show.
Working with Robert Zemeckis
Silvestri first met film director Robert Zemeckis when they worked on the movie Romancing the Stone (1984). Since then, Silvestri has written the music for almost all of Zemeckis's films. This includes the Back to the Future trilogy (1985–1990), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), Forrest Gump (1994), Contact (1997), Cast Away (2000), and The Polar Express (2004). Their partnership continued with films like Beowulf (2007), A Christmas Carol (2009), and The Walk (2015).
Other Big Movies
In 1989, Silvestri composed the music for the movie The Abyss, directed by James Cameron. Since 2001, he has also worked often with director Stephen Sommers. He scored films like The Mummy Returns (2001), Van Helsing (2004), and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009).
Silvestri has composed the music for four Marvel Cinematic Universe films. These are Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), The Avengers (2012), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019). His musical themes from these movies have been used and referenced by other composers in many other Marvel films.
He has also written music for TV shows like Starsky & Hutch and Tales from the Crypt. In 2014, he composed the music for the science documentary series Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, which won awards. He also wrote new songs for Disney's live-action movie Pinocchio (2022).
Personal Life
Silvestri and his wife Sandra own a vineyard called Silvestri Vineyards in Carmel Valley, California. He also has a place where people can taste his wines. He has a daughter and two sons. He is also a licensed pilot and flies his own jet.
Awards and Nominations
Silvestri has been nominated for two Academy Awards. One was for Best Original Score for Forrest Gump (1994). The other was for Best Original Song, "Believe", from The Polar Express (2004). He also received two Golden Globe nominations for the same films. In 1995, he received an honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music.
He has been nominated for nine Grammy Awards and has won two. He won Best Song Written for a Motion Picture for "Believe" from The Polar Express in 2004. He also won Best Instrumental Composition for "Cast Away End Credits" from Cast Away in 2002.
Silvestri has won two Emmy Awards, both for Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey in 2014. He won for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music and for 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. These awards were for his music in Predator (1987), Back to the Future Part III (1990), and Van Helsing (2004). In 2011, he received the Max Steiner Film Music Achievement Award in Vienna.
See also
In Spanish: Alan Silvestri para niños
