Alexandre Desplat

Alexandre Michel Gerard Desplat (born 23 August 1961) is a film composer. Desplat was born to a French father and Greek mother who met at UC Berkeley, California. After their marriage they moved to France where Alexandre was born. At the age of five, he began playing piano and also became proficient on trumpet and flute. He studied with Claude Ballif, Iannis Xenakis in France and Jack Hayes in the USA. Desplat's musical interests were wide and he... more

Alexandre Michel Gerard Desplat (born 23 August 1961) is a film composer. Desplat was born to a French father and Greek mother who met at UC Berkeley, California. After their marriage they moved to France where Alexandre was born. At the age of five, he began playing piano and also became proficient on trumpet and flute. He studied with Claude Ballif, Iannis Xenakis in France and Jack Hayes in the USA. Desplat's musical interests were wide and he was also influenced by South American and African artists and teachers, among whom were Carlinhos Brown and Ray Lema. Desplat swiftly became skilled not only as a performer but also as a composer. Desplat has extensively composed for films, first in France and later in Hollywood, including scores and incidental music for some 100 films among which are Lapse of Memory and Family Express (both 1992), Regarde Les Hommes Tomber (1994), Les Péchés Mortels (1995), the César nominated Un Héros Très Discret (1996), Une Minute De Silence and Sweet... less