Ludwig Göransson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ludwig Göransson
Göransson in 2018
Background information
Birth name	Ludwig Emil Tomas Göransson
Born	(1984-09-01) 1 September 1984 (age 41) Linköping, Sweden
Genres	Film score big band classical rock disco funk rock jazz rock R&B soul electronic rock psychedelic rock swing hip-hop
Occupation(s)	Musician composer record producer conductor songwriter
Years active	2008–present
Labels	Roc Nation Glassnote Island Interscope Records

Ludwig Emil Tomas Göransson (born 1 September 1984) is a talented Swedish musician, composer, and record producer. He is known for creating amazing music for movies, TV shows, and popular songs. Many people consider him one of the most successful music creators in Hollywood today. He has won many important awards for his work, including three Academy Awards (also known as Oscars), two British Academy Film Awards, two Critics' Choice Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and six Grammy Awards.

As a record producer, Ludwig Göransson has worked closely with the artist Donald Glover, also known as Childish Gambino. He produced albums like Camp, Because the Internet, and "Awaken, My Love!". His work on Childish Gambino's 2018 song "This Is America" was highly praised. It won two Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. He has also produced music for other famous artists such as Adele, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, and Justin Timberlake.

For television, Ludwig Göransson first became known for composing music for the NBC comedy series Community (2009–2015). He also scored the Fox comedy series New Girl (2011–2018). Later, he moved into more dramatic projects, creating the music for the Disney+ series The Mandalorian (2019–2020). This work earned him two Emmy Awards. He also composed the main theme for The Book of Boba Fett (2021–2022).

In the world of movies, he has won three Academy Awards for Best Original Score. These were for Ryan Coogler's superhero film Black Panther (2018), Christopher Nolan's historical film Oppenheimer (2023), and Coogler's film Sinners (2025). He was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Lift Me Up", sung by Rihanna in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). Ludwig Göransson has often worked with director Ryan Coogler on films like Fruitvale Station (2013), Creed (2015), and Creed II (2018). Other well-known films he has scored include Venom (2018), Tenet (2020), and Turning Red (2022).

Who is Ludwig Göransson?

Ludwig Emil Tomas Göransson is a Swedish musician, composer, and record producer. He is famous for creating the music for many popular movies, TV shows, and songs. He has won many top awards, including three Oscars and six Grammys, making him one of the most successful music creators in Hollywood today.

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Ludwig Göransson was born on September 1, 1984, in Linköping, Sweden. His mother, Maria, was a florist from Poland, and his father, Tomas, was a guitar teacher from Sweden. He has an older sister named Jessika. He was named after the famous composer Ludwig van Beethoven.

He started learning music when he was very young. He later studied at the Royal College of Music, Stockholm in Sweden. In 2007, he moved to Los Angeles, USA, to study film and TV music at the University of Southern California. This is where he met director Ryan Coogler, and they started working together on many projects.

Starting His Career in TV and Film

Ludwig Göransson's career began to take off after he finished his studies. He quickly found opportunities to share his musical talents with the world.

Composing for TV Shows

In 2009, Ludwig got his first big break as the composer for the TV sitcom Community. He created the catchy music that helped define the show. He also composed for other popular TV series like New Girl from 2011 to 2018.

Working with Childish Gambino

Around 2010, Ludwig Göransson began working with Donald Glover, who is also known as the musician Childish Gambino. They became a very successful team. Ludwig produced and wrote many songs for Childish Gambino's albums, including Camp, Because the Internet, and "Awaken, My Love!". Their collaboration on the album "Awaken, My Love!" earned them four Grammy nominations.

First Steps in Film Scoring

Ludwig Göransson scored his first full-length movie in 2013. It was for director Ryan Coogler's critically acclaimed drama Fruitvale Station. This film was based on a real-life event involving a young man named Oscar Grant. The movie won major awards at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival. Ludwig also composed music for the movie We're the Millers that same year. In 2015, he worked with Ryan Coogler again on the boxing film Creed, which was part of the famous Rocky movie series.

Award-Winning Music for Blockbusters

Ludwig Göransson became a highly sought-after composer, known for his unique and powerful movie scores.

The Sound of Black Panther

In 2018, Ludwig Göransson teamed up with Ryan Coogler for their third movie together, Black Panther. To create the perfect music for this superhero film, Ludwig traveled to Senegal in Africa. He researched traditional African music and instruments. He even met musician Baaba Maal, whose voice is featured in the film's score. Ludwig's music for Black Panther was a huge success, winning him an Academy Award for Best Original Score and a Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media in 2019.

"This Is America" and Its Impact

On May 5, 2018, the song "This Is America" was released. Ludwig Göransson produced this powerful song with Childish Gambino. It quickly became a number one hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song won all four of its nominated categories at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. These included Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

Epic Scores for Christopher Nolan

In 2019, it was announced that Ludwig Göransson would compose the music for Christopher Nolan's film Tenet. He used special musical techniques like retrograde composition and sampling to match the film's unique story. He also worked with Justin Timberlake on original songs for the 2020 film Trolls World Tour.

Exploring the Star Wars Universe

Since 2019, Ludwig Göransson has composed the music for the Disney+ TV series The Mandalorian. This show is set in the exciting Star Wars universe. He also created the famous fanfare for the Star Wars brand logo. His work on The Mandalorian earned him two Emmy Awards. In 2021, he began scoring for The Mandalorian's spin-off series, The Book of Boba Fett, which premiered in December 2021. In 2022, he also scored the Pixar film Turning Red and the second Black Panther movie, Wakanda Forever. For Wakanda Forever, he co-wrote the song "Lift Me Up", which was sung by Rihanna and nominated for an Oscar.

Recent Triumphs and Future Projects

Ludwig Göransson continues to create incredible music for major films and shows.

Oppenheimer and More Awards

He worked with Christopher Nolan again on the 2023 film Oppenheimer. The music for Oppenheimer received widespread praise. It earned Ludwig his first wins at the BAFTA Awards and Golden Globe Awards. He also won his second Academy Award for Best Original Score for this film.

Upcoming Film Scores

For his work on Ryan Coogler's film Sinners, Ludwig Göransson won his third Academy Award. The soundtrack for Sinners was inspired by American Blues music, a genre his father loved. He is also set to compose for the upcoming films style="background: #FFD; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: left; " class="partial table-partial"|The Mandalorian and Grogu and style="background: #FFD; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: left; " class="partial table-partial"|The Odyssey , both expected in 2026.

Beyond the Music: Personal Life

Ludwig Göransson married American violinist Serena McKinney in 2018. They have two sons, with their first child born in 2019.

Ludwig's Work: A List

Here are some of the films and TV shows Ludwig Göransson has composed music for.

Films He Scored

Year	Title	Director(s)	Notes	Refs.
2011	30 Minutes or Less	Ruben Fleischer
2013	Fruitvale Station	Ryan Coogler	First time working with Ryan Coogler
	We're the Millers	Rawson Marshall Thurber
2014	Stretch	Joe Carnahan
	The Town That Dreaded Sundown	Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
	A Merry Friggin' Christmas	Tristram Shapeero
	Top Five	Chris Rock
2015	Creed	Ryan Coogler	Second time working with Ryan Coogler
2016	Central Intelligence	Rawson Marshall Thurber
	True Memoirs of an International Assassin	Jeff Wadlow
2017	Everything, Everything	Stella Meghie
2018	Black Panther	Ryan Coogler	Third time working with Ryan Coogler
	Death Wish	Eli Roth
	Slice	Austin Vesely
	Venom	Ruben Fleischer
	Creed II	Steven Caple Jr.
2020	Tenet	Christopher Nolan	First time working with Christopher Nolan
2021	Bad Trip	Kitao Sakurai
2022	Turning Red	Domee Shi
	Black Panther: Wakanda Forever	Ryan Coogler	Fourth time working with Ryan Coogler
2023	Oppenheimer	Christopher Nolan	Second time working with Christopher Nolan
2025	Sinners	Ryan Coogler	Fifth time working with Ryan Coogler. Also executive producer
2026	The Mandalorian and Grogu	Jon Favreau	Third time working with Jon Favreau, first in a feature film
	The Odyssey	Christopher Nolan	Third time working with Christopher Nolan

TV Shows He Scored

Awards and Recognitions

Ludwig Göransson has received many awards for his incredible music.

• For The Mandalorian, he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series for both the first and second season finales.
• His music for Black Panther won him an Academy Award for Best Original Score and a Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media.
• He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Lift Me Up" from Wakanda Forever, performed by Rihanna.
• His work on Christopher Nolan's film Oppenheimer (2023) earned him his first wins at the BAFTA Awards and Golden Globe Awards, plus his second Academy Award for Best Original Score.
• For Sinners, he won his third Academy Award.

See Also

• Music of Star Wars
• Music of the Marvel Cinematic Universe