David Arnold
Born: 5 February 1962, Luton, England.
Biography:
One of the most popular and successful young British composers, David Arnold first began to explore the world of film music by scoring low budget short films for his friend, director Danny Cannon, who he had first met while they were both studying at Centre of Arts in Hitchin, England. It was his collaboration with the Icelandic singer Björk on her hit single "Play Dead" which first brought him to public prominence, and his debut score for Cannon's 1992 film "The Young Americans" (in which the song featured) followed soon after. Since then, Arnold has become one British film music's most sought-after commodities, switching seamlessly from orchestral grandeur on movies such as "Stargate" (1994), the Grammy-winning "Independence Day" (1996) and "Godzilla" (1998), to smaller-scale urban grooves on movies such as "Shaft" (2000), "Enough" (2002), "2 Fast 2 Furious" (2003) and "Four Brothers" (2005). Also, and perhaps most importantly, Arnold is also the man who has successfully taken over from John Barry as the main James Bond composer, having written the music for "Tomorrow Never Dies" (1997), "The World Is Not Enough" (1999), "Die Another Day"(2002) and "Casino Royale" (2006). Away from the film world, Arnold maintains a career as a successful record producer, having worked with contemporary artists such as Pulp, Iggy Pop, Chrissie Hynde, David McAlmont and The Cardigans. He regularly works with orchestrator/conductor Nicholas Dodd, and has established long-standing relationships with directors such as Roland Emmerich and John Singleton.
Reviews:
2 Fast 2 Furious, Amazing Grace, Casino Royale, Die Another Day, Godzilla, Hot Fuzz, How To Lose Friends and Alienate People, Independence Day, Last of the Dogmen, Quantum of Solace, Shaft, Stargate, Tomorrow Never Dies, Wing Commander, Venus, The World Is Not Enough and The Young Americans
Filmography:
Agent Crush (2008), How To Lose Friends and Alienate People (2008), Quantum of Solace (2008), Amazing Grace (2007), Free Agents (2007), Hot Fuzz (2007), Casino Royale (2006), Venus (2006), Four Brothers (2005), Stoned (2005), The Stepford Wives (2004), 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003), Little Britain (2003), Changing Lanes (2002), Die Another Day (2002), Enough (2002), Baby Boy (2001), The Musketeer (2001), Zoolander (2001), Randall and Hopkirk Deceased (2000), Shaft (2000), Wing Commander (1999), The World Is Not Enough (1999), Godzilla (1998), A Life Less Ordinary (1997), Stargate SG-1 (1997), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The Visitor (1997), Independence Day (1996), Last of the Dogmen (1995), Stargate (1994), The Young Americans (1993).
Highest Grossing Films as at end of 2007 (adjusted for inflation):
Independence Day ($490.4m), Godzilla ($205.8m), Die Another Day ($196.1m), Tomorrow Never Dies ($193.3m), Casino Royale ($180.9m), The World Is Not Enough ($176.9m), 2 Fast 2 Furious ($149.3m), Stargate ($121.2m), Shaft ($92.4m), Four Brothers ($82.1m).
Awards:
2006 BAFTA Awards – Nominee, Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music – Casino Royale
1996 Grammy Awards – Winner, Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or Television – Independence Day
Links:
Official Site
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