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Harry Gregson-Williams Biography

harry-gregson-williams
  • Born: December 13, 1961 in England
  • Years Active: 1990s-2000s
  • Genre: Easy Listening

Harry Gregson-Williams is an award-winning film composer from Great Britain who began making his mark on the Hollywood film industry around the turn of the century. Born on December 13, 1961, in England, he began his career as a music teacher, working at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, among other schools. While he began working as a film composer in the early '90s, his big break came when he was taken under the wings of Oscar-winning film composer Hans Zimmer during the mid-'90s. He worked on the soundtracks of Zimmer-scored films including Crimson Tide (1995), Two Deaths (1995), Broken Arrow (1996), Muppet Treasure Island (1996), The Rock (1996), The Fan (1996), The Peacemaker (1997), The Borrowers (1997), and As Good as It Gets (1997). He proceeded to collaborate also with Trevor Rabin (Enemy of the State, 1998; Armageddon, 1998) and John Powell (Antz, 1998; Chicken Run, 2000; Shrek, 2001). Meanwhile, Gregson-Williams began taking the lead on the soundtracks of children's films including The Tigger Movie (2000), Spy Kids (2001), and Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003) as well as action-adventure films including Phone Booth (2002), Spy Game (2002), and The Rundown (2003). By mid-decade, he was working on A-list films including Team America: World Police (2004), Shrek 2 (2004), Man on Fire (2004), Bridget Jones 2 (2004), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), Kingdom of Heaven (2005), Gone Baby Gone (2007), and Shrek the Third (2007). In addition, he composed music for the video game series Metal Gear Solid (in collaboration with Hideo Kojima) and Call of Duty. Gregson-Williams has won ASCAP, Annie, BMI, Hollywood Film Festival, and Satellite awards and has been nominated for a range of others including Golden Globe and Grammy awards. ~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi

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