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Alan Silvestri
Alan Silvestri 2009.jpg
Silvestri in 2009
Background information
Birth name Alan Anthony Silvestri
Born (1950-03-26) March 26, 1950 (age 74)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Genres Film score, contemporary classical, jazz, ambient
Occupation(s) Composer, conductor
Years active 1966–present

Alan Anthony Silvestri (born March 26, 1950) is an American composer and conductor of film and television scores. 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, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Forrest Gump, Cast Away, and The Polar Express. Silvestri also composed many other popular movies, including Predator, The Abyss, Father of the Bride, The Bodyguard, Eraser, The Parent Trap, Stuart Little, The Mummy Returns, Lilo & Stitch, The Wild, Night at the Museum trilogy, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, The Croods, Ready Player One, and several Marvel Cinematic Universe films, including the Avengers films.

He is a two-time Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominee, and a three-time Saturn Award and two-time Primetime Emmy Award recipient.

Early life and education

Silvestri was born March 26, 1950. His grandparents emigrated in 1909 from the Italian town of Castell'Alfero, and settled in Teaneck, New Jersey. He grew up in Teaneck, and graduated in 1968 from Teaneck High School. 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

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. 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."

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).

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), 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 film adaptation of Disney's Pinocchio.

Personal life

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

Awards

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.

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. During the 2005 Grammy Awards, Josh Groban performed "Believe".

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 received the Max Steiner Film Music Achievement Award from the City of Vienna the yearly film-music gala concert Hollywood in Vienna.

Filmography

Film - 1970s and 1980s

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
1983 Tiger Man Matt Cimber N/A Credited as Alan Sylvestri
1984 Romancing the Stone Robert Zemeckis 20th Century Fox First collaboration with Robert Zemeckis
Par où t'es rentré ? On t'a pas vu sortir Philippe Clair Gaumont Film Company N/A
1985 Fandango Kevin Reynolds Amblin Entertainment
Warner Bros.
N/A
Cat's Eye Lewis Teague De Laurentiis Entertainment Group
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
N/A
Back to the Future Robert Zemeckis Amblin Entertainment
Universal Pictures
  • Second collaboration with Robert Zemeckis
  • Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Music
  • Nominated — Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media
Summer Rental Carl Reiner Paramount Pictures N/A
1986 The Clan of the Cave Bear Michael Chapman Producers Sales Organization
Warner Bros.
N/A
The Delta Force Menahem Golan Golan-Globus
The Cannon Group
N/A
American Anthem Albert Magnoli Lorimar Motion Pictures
Columbia Pictures
N/A
Flight of the Navigator Randal Kleiser Walt Disney Pictures N/A
No Mercy Richard Pearce TriStar Pictures N/A
1987 Critical Condition Michael Apted Paramount Pictures N/A
Outrageous Fortune Arthur Hiller Silver Screen Partners II
Interscope Communications
Touchstone Pictures
Won - BMI Film Music Award
Predator John McTiernan Lawrence Gordon Productions
Silver Pictures
Davis Entertainment
20th Century Fox
  • Won - Saturn Award for Best Music
  • Won - BMI Film Music Award
Overboard Garry Marshall Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer N/A
1988 Mac and Me Stewart Raffill Orion Pictures N/A
Who Framed Roger Rabbit Robert Zemeckis Amblin Entertainment
Touchstone Pictures
  • Third collaboration with Robert Zemeckis
  • Also conductor
  • Won - BMI Film Music Award
  • Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Music
  • Nominated — Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media
My Stepmother Is an Alien Richard Benjamin Weintraub Entertainment Group
Columbia Pictures
N/A
1989 She's Out of Control Stan Dragoti Weintraub Entertainment Group
Columbia Pictures
N/A
The Abyss James Cameron Lightstorm Entertainment (special edition only)
20th Century Fox
Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Music
Back to the Future Part II Robert Zemeckis Amblin Entertainment
Universal Pictures

Film - 1990s

Year Title Director Studio Notes
1990 Downtown Richard Benjamin 20th Century Fox N/A
Back to the Future Part III Robert Zemeckis Amblin Entertainment
Universal Pictures
  • Fifth collaboration with Robert Zemeckis
  • Won - Saturn Award for Best Music
  • Won - BMI Film Music Award
Young Guns II Geoff Murphy Morgan Creek Productions
20th Century Fox
Themes by Anthony Marinelli and Brian Banks
Predator 2 Stephen Hopkins Silver Pictures
Gordon Company
Davis Entertainment
20th Century Fox
Also conductor
1991 Shattered Wolfgang Petersen Davis Entertainment
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Back to the Future: The Ride David De Vos
Douglas Trumbull
Universal Studios Florida Film in simulator ride
Soapdish Michael Hoffman Paramount Pictures Also orchestrator
Dutch Peter Faiman Hughes Entertainment
20th Century Fox
Also pianist
Ricochet Russell Mulcahy HBO Films
Silver Pictures
Warner Bros.
Also conductor
Father of the Bride Charles Shyer Sandollar Productions
Touchstone Pictures
Won - BMI Film Music Award
1992 Two-Fisted Tales Richard Donner
Tom Holland
Robert Zemeckis
Carolco Pictures
Segment: Yellow
  • Segment was extracted to become an individual episode of Tales from the Crypt
Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot Roger Spottiswoode Northern Lights Entertainment
Universal Pictures
N/A
FernGully: The Last Rainforest Bill Kroyer Kroyer Films
FAI Films
20th Century Fox
Silvestri's first score for an animated film
Death Becomes Her Robert Zemeckis Universal Pictures
  • Sixth collaboration with Robert Zemeckis
  • Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Music
Diner Graham Morris
Karen Peterson
Marvel Productions Short film
The Bodyguard Mick Jackson Tig Productions
Warner Bros.
Won - BMI Film Music Award
Sidekicks Aaron Norris Triumph Films N/A
1993 In Search of the Obelisk Douglas Trumbull
Arish Fyzee
IMAX IMAX film
Cop and a Half Henry Winkler Imagine Entertainment
Universal Pictures
N/A
Super Mario Bros. Rocky Morton
Annabel Jankel
Allied Filmmakers
Cinergi Pictures
Hollywood Pictures
Replaced Jerry Goldsmith
Judgment Night Stephen Hopkins Largo Entertainment
Universal Pictures
Also conductor
Grumpy Old Men Donald Petrie Warner Bros. Won - BMI Film Music Award
1994 Clean Slate Mick Jackson Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer N/A
Forrest Gump Robert Zemeckis Paramount Pictures
Blown Away Stephen Hopkins Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Also conductor
Richie Rich Donald Petrie Harvey Films
Silver Pictures
Davis Entertainment
Warner Bros. Family Entertainment
N/A
1995 The Quick and the Dead Sam Raimi TriStar Pictures N/A
The Perez Family Mira Nair The Samuel Goldwyn Company N/A
Judge Dredd Danny Cannon Cinergi Pictures
Hollywood Pictures
Father of the Bride Part II Charles Shyer Touchstone Pictures Won - BMI Film Music Award
Grumpier Old Men Howard Deutch Warner Bros.
1996 Sgt. Bilko Jonathan Lynn Imagine Entertainment
Universal Pictures
Also conductor
Eraser Chuck Russell Kopelson Entertainment
Warner Bros.
  • Won - BMI Film Music Award
  • Also conductor
The Long Kiss Goodnight Renny Harlin New Line Cinema Also conductor
1997 Fools Rush In Andy Tennant Columbia Pictures N/A
Volcano Mick Jackson Original Film
Fox 2000 Pictures
20th Century Fox
Also conductor
Contact Robert Zemeckis Warner Bros.
Mouse Hunt Gore Verbinski DreamWorks Pictures N/A
1998 The Odd Couple II Howard Deutch Paramount Pictures Also conductor
The Parent Trap Nancy Meyers Walt Disney Pictures
Holy Man Stephen Herek Caravan Pictures
Touchstone Pictures
Practical Magic Griffin Dunne Village Roadshow Pictures
Warner Bros.
1999 Siegfried & Roy: The Magic Box Brett Leonard IMAX IMAX film
Stuart Little Rob Minkoff Columbia Pictures

Film - 2000s

Year Title Director Studio Notes
2000 Reindeer Games John Frankenheimer Dimension Films
Miramax Films
Also conductor
Cast Away Robert Zemeckis ImageMovers
Playtone
20th Century Fox (US)
DreamWorks Pictures (International)
What Lies Beneath ImageMovers
DreamWorks Pictures (US)
20th Century Fox (International)
What Women Want Nancy Meyers Icon Productions
Wind Dancer Films
Paramount Pictures
Also conductor and orchestrator
2001 The Mexican Gore Verbinski DreamWorks Pictures Also conductor and orchestrator
The Mummy Returns Stephen Sommers Alphaville Films
Universal Pictures
Serendipity Peter Chelsom Tapestry Films
Miramax Films
Also conductor
2002 Showtime Tom Dey Village Roadshow Pictures
Warner Bros.
Also conductor and orchestrator
Lilo & Stitch Chris Sanders
Dean DeBlois
Walt Disney Animation Studios
Walt Disney Pictures
Stuart Little 2 Rob Minkoff Red Wagon Entertainment
Columbia Pictures
Also conductor
Maid in Manhattan Wayne Wang Hughes Entertainment
Revolution Studios
Columbia Pictures
N/A
2003 Identity James Mangold Konrad Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Stitch! The Movie Tony Craig
Bobs Gannaway
Walt Disney Television Animation
Walt Disney Pictures
Themes only. Score composed by Michael Tavera
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life Jan de Bont Mutual Film Company
Lawrence Gordon Productions
Paramount Pictures
  • Also conductor
  • Replaced Craig Armstrong and Graeme Revell
Two Soldiers Aaron Schneider Shoe Clerk Picture Co. Inc.
Westlake Entertainment Group
  • Short film
  • Also conductor
2004 Van Helsing Stephen Sommers Universal Pictures
The Polar Express Robert Zemeckis Shangri-La Entertainment
ImageMovers
Playtone
Castle Rock Entertainment
Warner Bros.
  • Eleventh collaboration with Robert Zemeckis
  • Also conductor
  • Won - ASCAP Award for Top Box Office Films
  • Nominated — Academy Award for Best Original Song
  • Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Music
  • Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song
  • Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Original Song
  • Nominated — World Soundtrack Award for Best Original Song Written Directly for a Film
2006 The Wild Steve "Spaz" Williams C.O.R.E.
Walt Disney Pictures
Also conductor
Leroy & Stitch Tony Craig
Bobs Gannaway
Walt Disney Television Animation
Walt Disney Pictures
Themes only. Score composed by J. A. C. Redford
Night at the Museum Shawn Levy 1492 Pictures
Ingenious Film Partners
21 Laps Entertainment
20th Century Fox
N/A
2007 Beowulf Robert Zemeckis Shangri-La Entertainment
ImageMovers
Paramount Pictures (US)
Warner Bros. (International)
  • Twelfth collaboration with Robert Zemeckis
  • Also conductor and orchestrator
  • Nominated — World Soundtrack Award for Best Original Song Written Directly for a Film
2009 Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian Shawn Levy Ingenious Film Partners
21 Laps Entertainment
Dune Entertainment
1492 Pictures
20th Century Fox
Also conductor
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra Stephen Sommers Hasbro
Spyglass Entertainment
Paramount Pictures
Also conductor and orchestrator
G.I. Joe: The Invasion of Cobra Island Rupinder Malhotra RM Productions Ltd.
Paramount Pictures
N/A
A Christmas Carol Robert Zemeckis ImageMovers Digital
Walt Disney Pictures
  • Thirteenth collaboration with Robert Zemeckis
  • Also lyricist, conductor and orchestrator

Film - 2010s

Year Title Director Studio Notes
2010 The A-Team Joe Carnahan Dune Entertainment
Top Cow Productions
Scott Free Productions
20th Century Fox
  • Also conductor and orchestrator
  • Themes by Mike Post and Pete Carpenter
2011 Captain America: The First Avenger Joe Johnston Marvel Studios
Paramount Pictures
  • Also conductor and orchestrator
  • "Star Spangled Man" by Alan Menken with lyrics by David Zippel
  • Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Music
  • BMI Film Music Award
2012 The Avengers Joss Whedon Marvel Studios
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Paramount Pictures
  • Known as Avengers Assemble in some territories
  • Also conductor and orchestrator
Flight Robert Zemeckis ImageMovers
Paramount Pictures
Fourteenth collaboration with Robert Zemeckis
2013 The Croods Chris Sanders
Kirk DeMicco
DreamWorks Animation
20th Century Fox
  • Second collaboration with Chris Sanders
  • Also conductor and orchestrator
RED 2 Dean Parisot DC Entertainment
Di Bonaventura Pictures
Summit Entertainment
Lionsgate
Themes by Christophe Beck
2014 Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb Shawn Levy 1492 Pictures
21 Laps Entertainment
TSG Entertainment
20th Century Fox
N/A
2015 Avengers: Age of Ultron Joss Whedon Marvel Studios
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Themes only. Score composed by Brian Tyler and Danny Elfman
The Walk Robert Zemeckis ImageMovers
TriStar Pictures
Fifteenth collaboration with Robert Zemeckis
Doc Brown Saves the World Glenn Sanders
Brett Levisohn
Thomas Guindon
Amblin Entertainment
Universal Pictures
Back To the Future series
2016 Allied Robert Zemeckis GK Films
ImageMovers
Paramount Pictures
Sixteenth collaboration with Robert Zemeckis
2018 Ready Player One Steven Spielberg Village Roadshow Pictures
Amblin Entertainment
Warner Bros. Pictures
  • Replaced John Williams
  • Fourth Spielberg theatrical film without his long-time composer John Williams since Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983), The Color Purple (1985), Bridge of Spies (2015), and Silvestri's first collaboration with Steven Spielberg
Avengers: Infinity War Anthony & Joe Russo Marvel Studios
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
First collaboration with Anthony & Joe Russo
Score composer only. Score orchestrated and conducted by Mark Graham
"Black Panther Theme" by Ludwig Göransson
Welcome to Marwen Robert Zemeckis ImageMovers
Perfect World Pictures
Universal Pictures
DreamWorks Pictures
Seventeenth collaboration with Robert Zemeckis
Also conductor
2019 Avengers: Endgame Anthony & Joe Russo Marvel Studios
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Second collaboration with Anthony & Joe Russo
Score conducted with Mark Graham
"Ant-Man Theme" by Christophe Beck
"Doctor Strange Theme" by Michael Giacchino
"Captain Marvel Theme" by Pinar Toprak
Nominated — Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media

Film - 2020s

Year Title Director Studio Notes
2020 The Witches Robert Zemeckis ImageMovers
Necropia Entertainment
Esperanto Filmoj
Double Dare You Productions
Warner Bros.
Eighteenth collaboration with Robert Zemeckis
Also conductor
2022 Pinocchio ImageMovers
Depth of Field
Walt Disney Pictures
Disney+
Nineteenth collaboration with Robert Zemeckis
Also lyricist, conductor and orchestrator
2024 Here Miramax
ImageMovers
Playtone
Sony Pictures Releasing
Twentieth collaboration with Robert Zemeckis

Television series

Year Title Channel Notes
1978–1979 Starsky & Hutch ABC
  • Episodes:
  • "Deckwatch"
  • "Starsky's Brother"
  • "Sweet Revenge"
1978–1983 CHiPs NBC 95 episodes
1983 Manimal NBC
  • Episodes:
  • "Night of the Beast"
  • "Breath of the Dragon"
  • "Scrimshaw"
  • "High Stakes"
  • "Female of the Species"
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
  • 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 Fox / National Geographic Channel Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (for "Standing Up in the Milky Way")
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music
2020 Cosmos: Possible Worlds Fox / National Geographic Channel N/A

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Alan Silvestri para niños

  • Music of the Marvel Cinematic Universe
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