Basil Poledouris facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Basil Poledouris
Background information
Birth name	Basil Konstantine Poledouris
Born	(1945-08-21)August 21, 1945 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Died	November 8, 2006(2006-11-08) (aged 61) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres	Film score
Occupation(s)	Composer, conductor
Instruments	Piano, orchestra, synthesizer
Years active	1970–2006

Basil Poledouris (born August 21, 1945 – died November 8, 2006) was an American composer who wrote music for many movies and TV shows. He was also a conductor and orchestrator. He is best known for working with directors John Milius and Paul Verhoeven on many films.

Some of his most famous movie scores include Conan the Barbarian (1982), Red Dawn (1984), RoboCop (1987), The Hunt for Red October (1990), and Free Willy (1993). In 1989, Poledouris won an Emmy Award for his music in the TV miniseries Lonesome Dove. He also won the BMI Film Music Award four times.

A Life in Music: Basil Poledouris's Journey

Basil Poledouris was born in Kansas City, Missouri. His parents were immigrants from Greece. He said two things inspired him to become a musician. One was the famous composer Miklós Rózsa. The other was his own Greek Orthodox background.

Basil grew up going to church. He loved listening to the choir sing. When he was seven, he started taking piano lessons. After finishing high school, he went to the University of Southern California. There, he studied both filmmaking and music. Some of the short films he worked on are still kept at the university.

At USC, Basil met future movie directors John Milius and Randal Kleiser. He would later work with them on many films, creating the music. He even appeared as an extra in some episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series. In 1985, Basil wrote the music for Paul Verhoeven's movie Flesh & Blood. This started a long and successful partnership between them.

Basil's Epic Music Style

Basil Poledouris became famous for his powerful and epic orchestral music. He was great at creating detailed musical themes for movies. He composed the music for films like The Blue Lagoon (1980), Conan the Barbarian (1982), and RoboCop (1987). He also scored The Hunt for Red October (1990) and the popular family movie Free Willy (1993). Later, he worked on Starship Troopers (1997).

Basil had his own music studio called "Blowtorch Flats." It was in Venice, California. This studio was a professional place for mixing film and media music.

Family and Legacy

Basil married his wife, Bobbie, in 1969. They had two daughters, Zoë and Alexis. His older daughter, Zoë Poledouris, is an actress and also a film composer. She sometimes worked with her father on movie soundtracks.

In 1996, Basil composed a special piece called "The Tradition of the Games." This music was played during the opening ceremony of the Atlanta Olympics. It went along with a beautiful dance that honored the athletes and goddesses of ancient Greek Olympics.

Basil Poledouris spent his last four years living on Vashon Island in Washington state. He passed away on November 8, 2006, in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 61.

Awards and Recognitions

Basil Poledouris received several awards for his amazing music:

• Winner Best Score for Miniseries – Emmy Awards (for Lonesome Dove)
• Nominee Best Score – Saturn Awards (for Conan the Barbarian)
• Winner Special Recognition Music Award – BMI Film & TV Awards (for his Olympic Tribute, "The Tradition of the Games")
• Winner Film Music Award – BMI Awards (for Free Willy)
• Winner Film Music Award – BMI Awards (for The Hunt for Red October)
• Winner TV Music Award – BMI Awards (for Lonesome Dove)
• Winner Film Music Award – BMI Awards (for RoboCop)

Film and Television Music

Basil Poledouris composed music for many films and television shows throughout his career.

Films

Television Shows

Other Musical Projects

Besides movies and TV, Basil Poledouris also worked on other exciting projects:

• 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games (Opening Ceremony music)
• Conan Sword & Sorcery Spectacular (Universal Studios' live stage show)
• American Journeys (A special Circle-Vision 360° film at Disneyland and Magic Kingdom)
• Flyers (IMAX film, 1982)
• Behold Hawaii (IMAX film, 1983)

See also

In Spanish: Basil Poledouris para niños