Rachel Portman
Born: 11 December 1960, Haslemere, England.
Biography:
English composer Rachel Portman made history in 1996 when she became the first ever female composer to win an Oscar. She was educated at the University of Oxford and began her musical career composing for student films, TV movies and series on the BBC. She first came to prominence in 1989, when she won the British Film Institute's Young Composer of the Year Award for her work on the acclaimed TV mini-series "Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit", and went on to score her first Hollywood feature, "Used People", in 1992. Since then, she has gone on to score many successful films, including "The Joy Luck Club" (1993), "Benny & Joon" (1993), "Only You" (1994), "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar" (1995), "Emma" (1996), "Addicted to Love" (1997), "Beloved" (1998), "The Cider House Rules" (1999), "Chocolat" (2000), "The Legend of Bagger Vance" (2000), “Mona Lisa Smile” (2003) and the remake of “The Manchurian Candidate” (2004). Portman's forte genre is the romantic comedy, where her flair for lush string writing and bouncy woodwind melodies is immediately apparent. Rachel Portman regularly collaborates with David Snell on her scores, and is a first choice composer for directors such as Wayne Wang, Norman Jewison and Beeban Kidron. She is a three-time Oscar nominee, has been nominated for various Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Grammys, and recently premiered her first opera, "The Little Prince", at the Houston Grand. She is married to film producer Uberto Pasolini, and has three children.
Reviews:
Beloved, Benny & Joon, The Cider House Rules, The Duchess, The Joy Luck Club, The Legend of Bagger Vance, Oliver Twist, Only You, Sirens and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2
Filmography:
The Duchess (2008), The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008), Miss Potter (2007), Infamous (2006), The Lake House (2006), Because of Winn-Dixie (2005), Oliver Twist (2005), The Manchurian Candidate (2004), The Human Stain (2003), Mona Lisa Smile (2003), The Emperor's New Clothes (2002), Hart's War (2002), Nicholas Nickleby (2002), The Truth About Charlie (2002), Chocolat (2000), The Closer You Get (2000), The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000), The Cider House Rules (1999), The Other Sister (1999), Ratcatcher (1999), Beloved (1998), Home Fries (1998), Addicted To Love (1997), Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997), The Adventures of Pinocchio (1996), Emma (1996), Marvin's Room (1996), Palookaville (1996), A Pyromaniac's Love Story (1995), Smoke (1995), To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995), Only You (1994), The Road to Wellville (1994), Sirens (1994), War of the Buttons (1994), Benny & Joon (1993), Ethan Frome (1993), Friends (1993), Great Moments in Aviation (1993), The Joy Luck Club (1993), Rebecca's Daughters (1992), Used People (1992), Antonia and Jane (1991), The Cloning of Joanna May (1991), Flea Bites (1991), Where Angels Fear to Tread (1991), Life Is Sweet (1990), Shoot to Kill (1990), The Widowmaker (1990), Living With Dinosaurs (1989), Monster Maker (1989), Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit (1989), Precious Bane (1989), The Woman in Black (1989), Young Charlie Chaplin (1989), High Hopes (1988), Loving Hazel (1988), Sometime in August (1988), 1914 All Out (1987), 90 Degrees South (1987), The Short and Curlies (1987), Good as Gold (1986), A Little Princess (1986), Sharma and Beyond (1986), Four Days in July (1984), Last Day of Summer (1984), Reflections (1984), Experience Preferred... But Not Essential (1982), Privileged (1982).
Highest Grossing Films as at end of 2007 (adjusted for inflation):
Chocolat ($93.9m), The Cider House Rules ($80.2m), The Manchurian Candidate ($75.2m), Mona Lisa Smile ($75.0m), To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar ($59.4m), The Lake House ($56.3m), The Joy Luck Club ($56.3m), Addicted to Love ($53.5m), The Legend of Bagger Vance ($40.6m), Benny & Joon ($39.8m)
Awards:
1996 Academy Awards - Winner, Best Original Musical/Comedy Score - Emma
2000 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Score - Chocolat
1999 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Score - The Cider House Rules
2000 Golden Globes - Nominee, Best Original Score - Chocolat
1990 BAFTA Awards – Nominee, Best Original TV Music – Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit
1989 BAFTA Awards – Nominee, Best Original TV Music – The Woman in Black
2001 Grammy Awards – Nominee, Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or Television – Chocolat
2000 Grammy Awards – Nominee, Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or Television – The Cider House Rules
2004 Emmy Awards – Nominee, Outstanding Music Direction – The Little Prince
Links:
Rachel Portman Page by Henrik Stender
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