Hans Zimmer
b. 1957, Frankfurt, Germany. From the age of six, Zimmer ‘wanted to be a composer’, although he had no formal musical education. At the age of 16 he went to school in England, and, during the '70s, toured with bands throughout the UK. After spending some time at Air-Edel, writing jingles for television commercials, he collaborated with the established movie composer, Stanley Myers, to write the score for Nicolas Roeg's EUREKA (1981), and several other British films during the '80s, including MOONLIGHTING; SUCCESS IS THE BEST REVENGE; INSIGNIFICANCE; and THE NATURE OF THE BEAST (1988). His solo credits around that time included movies with such themes as apartheid ( A WORLD APART); a psychological thriller ( PAPERHOUSE); a couple of eccentric comedies: ( TWISTER and DRIVING MISS DAISY); a tough Michael Douglas detective yarn ( BLACK RAIN); and a ‘stiflingly old-fashioned’ version of a Stefan Zweig short story, BURNING SECRET (1988). In that year Zimmer is said to have provided the music for 14 films in the UK and abroad, including the blockbuster, RAIN MAN, starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise. RAIN MAN earned Zimmer a nomination for an Academy Award; (‘When they found out that I was only 30, I didn't get it!’). He continued apace in the early '90s, with scores for such as BIRD ON A WIRE; CHICAGO JOE AND THE SHOWGIRL (written with Shirley Walker); DAYS OF THUNDER; GREEN CARD, starring Gerard Depardieu in his English-language debut); PACIFIC HEIGHTS; BACKDRAFT; K2 (a crashing, electro-Mahlerian score); REGARDING HENRY; THELMA AND LOUISE (‘a twanging, shimmering score’); RADIO FLYER; TOYS (with Trevor Horn); THE POWER OF ONE; A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN; POINT OF NO RETURN, WHERE SLEEPING DOGS LIE (with Mark Mancina) (1992), THE ASSASSIN, COOL RUNNINGS, and THE HOUSE OF SPIRITS (1993). In 1992, Zimmer composed the music for ‘one of the most bizarre television re-creations to date’, the 10-hour series, MILLENNIUM. His other work for the small screen includes the popular FIRST BORN (1988), and SPACE RANGERS (1992). Zimmer is most certainly a major figure in music; his accomplishments in the film world for such a comparatively young man are already awesome.