William Ross
Born: July 1948, Ventura, California.
Biography:
A talented composer, conductor, orchestrator and arranger, William Ross began his career as an arranger in the pop and rock world, and over the years has worked with artists ranging from as Barbra Streisand, Johnny Mathis, Michael Jackson and Barry Manilow to Celine Dion, LeAnn Rimes, Jennifer Lopez, Whitney Houston and Cher. He first entered the film music world in the late 1980s, writing episodic scores for TV shows such as "McGyver", "Matlock", "Beauty and the Beast", and Steven Spielberg's "Tiny Toon Adventures", before moving into feature films primarily as an orchestrator for Alan Silvestri. Having made a name for himself working with Silvestri on successful films such as “The Bodyguard”, “Father of the Bride”, “Death Becomes Her”, Ross quickly became one of the most in-demand orchestrators in Hollywood, and subsequently worked on numerous high-profile films with composers ranging from Danny Elfman, Michael Kamen and Christopher Young to Bruce Broughton and David Newman. During this time, Ross undertook occasional scoring assignments on his own, achieving modest success with titles such as "Look Who's Talking Now" (1993), "The Little Rascals" (1994), "Tin Cup" (1996), "The Evening Star" (1996) and "My Dog Skip" (2000), but really came into his own in 2002 when he wrote the score for "Tuck Everlasting", and adapted and conducted John Williams's music for the second Harry Potter film, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets". Now concentrating primarily on composing, he has since written the music for a number of successful films, notably “Ladder 49” (2004) and “The Game of Their Lives”, while continuing to collaborate with Alan Silvestri (they have now worked together on over 40 films!) Away from film music, Ross is also a prolific composer of music for theme parks, having completed assignments for Disneyland, Sony Entertainment in Germany, and Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia. He wrote a ballet, "Blue Suede Shoes", for a dance company in Cleveland, and has arranged music for many special events, including the Gala Inauguration of President Bill Clinton, the Superbowl telecast, and various awards ceremonies.
Reviews:
The Game of Their Lives, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Ladder 49, My Dog Skip, September Dawn, The Tale of Despereaux and Tuck Everlasting
Filmography:
Our Lady of Victory (2008), The Tale of Despereaux (2008), September Dawn (2007), Driftwood (2006), The Game of Their Lives (2005), Ladder 49 (2004), Young Black Stallion (2003), D-Tox (2002), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), Tuck Everlasting (2002), Her Majesty (2001), Me and My Shadows: Life with Judy Garland (2001), My Dog Skip (2000), T-Rex: Back to the Cretaceous (1998), A Smile Like Yours (1997), The Evening Star (1996), My Fellow Americans (1996), Tin Cup (1996), Black Sheep (1996), The Amazing Panda Adventure (1995), The Little Rascals (1994), Cops and Robbersons (1994), Hans Christian Andersen's Thumbelina (1994), Look Who's Talking Now (1993), One Good Cop (1991), Golden Fiddles (1990).
Highest Grossing Films as at end of 2007 (adjusted for inflation):
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets ($319.3m), The Little Rascals ($88.3m), Tin Cup ($86.3m), Ladder 49 ($85.0m), T-Rex: Back to the Cretaceous ($74.2m), Black Sheep ($51.9m), My Dog Skip ($44.8m), My Fellow Americans ($35.7m), Tuck Everlasting ($23.4m), The Evening Star ($20.5m)
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