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Hans Zimmer
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
Hans Zimmer (born in Frankfurt in 1957) had no formal musical training. He learned his craft in London, working with synthesizers and as an assistant to the film composer Stanley Myers. With Rain Man (1988) he broke through in Hollywood. For The Lion King (1994) he won an Oscar. He built a studio in Santa Monica, later Remote Control Productions, where he worked with a team of composers. His style blends orchestra, synthesizers and heavy percussion into a single sound. In The Dark Knight (2008) the Joker is a grating note on the cello. For Dune (2021) he used distorted voices and new instruments and won his second Oscar.
Listening
Listening tip. Listen to the long build-up: a simple motif or a single note is thickened layer by layer with percussion, synthesizers and orchestra.
King of Pride Rock · Hans Zimmer, 1994
Why So Serious? · Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard, 2008
Paul's Dream · Hans Zimmer, 2021
Roll Tide · Hans Zimmer, 1995
Time · Hans Zimmer, 2010
Discography
Studio albums
- 1984Histoire d’O Nº 2 (soundtrack)
- 1985Insignificance (soundtrack)
- 1988A World Apart (soundtrack)
- 1989Driving Miss Daisy (soundtrack)
- 1989New Music in Films (soundtrack)
- 1989Paperhouse (soundtrack)
- 1990Bird on a Wire: Original Motion Picture Score (soundtrack)
- 1990Fools of Fortune (soundtrack)
- 1990Pacific Heights (soundtrack)
- 1991Backdraft: Music From the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 1991Green Card (soundtrack)
- 1991K2: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 1991Regarding Henry (soundtrack)
- 1991White Fang (soundtrack)
- 1992A League of Their Own (soundtrack)
- 1992Millennium (soundtrack)
- 1992Radio Flyer (soundtrack)
- 1992The Power of One (soundtrack)
- 1993Point of No Return (soundtrack)
- 1993The House of the Spirits (soundtrack)
- 1994Der König der Löwen (soundtrack)
- 1994Drop Zone (soundtrack)
- 1994I'll Do Anything (soundtrack)
- 1994Król lew (soundtrack)
- 1994Le Roi Lion (soundtrack)
- 1994Lejonkungen (soundtrack)
- 1994O Rei Leão (soundtrack)
- 1994O Rei Leão (soundtrack)
- 1994Renaissance Man (soundtrack)
- 1994The Lion King: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 1994Younger & Younger (soundtrack)
- 1995Beyond Rangoon (soundtrack)
- 1995Crimson Tide: Music From the Original Motion Picture (soundtrack)
- 1995Nine Months (soundtrack)
- 1995Something to Talk About (soundtrack)
- 1996Broken Arrow: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 1996Muppet Treasure Island (soundtrack)
- 1996The Rock: Original Motion Picture Score (soundtrack)
- 1997As Good as It Gets: Music From the Motion Picture (soundtrack)
- 1997Smilla's Sense of Snow (soundtrack)
- 1997The Peacemaker (soundtrack)
- 1997The Whole Wide World (soundtrack)
- 1998Il principe d’Egitto: Colonna sonora originale del film (soundtrack)
- 1998Rain Man (soundtrack)
- 1998The Prince of Egypt: Music From the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 1999Chill Factor (soundtrack)
- 1999The Thin Red Line (soundtrack)
- 2000An Everlasting Piece (soundtrack)
- 2000Days of Thunder (soundtrack)
- 2000Gladiator: Music From the Motion Picture (soundtrack)
- 2000Mission: Impossible 2: Music From the Original Motion Picture Score (soundtrack)
- 2000The Road To El Dorado (Music From the Original Motion Picture Score) (soundtrack)
- 2001Black Hawk Down: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2001Gladiator: More Music from the Motion Picture (soundtrack)
- 2001Hannibal: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2001Invincible (soundtrack)
- 2001Pearl Harbor: Music From the Motion Picture (soundtrack)
- 2001The Pledge (soundtrack)
- 2002Spirit : L'Étalon des plaines (soundtrack)
- 2002Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron: Music From the Original Motion Picture (soundtrack)
- 2002The Ring (soundtrack)
- 2003Matchstick Men (soundtrack)
- 2003Tears of the Sun: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2003The Last Samurai: Original Motion Picture Score (soundtrack)
- 2004King Arthur (Original Score) (soundtrack)
- 2004Shark Tale (Complete Score) (soundtrack)
- 2004Thunderbirds (soundtrack)
- 2005Batman Begins (soundtrack)
- 2005Der kleine Eisbär 2: Die geheimnisvolle Insel (soundtrack)
- 2005Spanglish (soundtrack)
- 2006Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (soundtrack)
- 2006The Da Vinci Code: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2006The Weather Man: Music From the Motion Picture (soundtrack)
- 2007Film Music of Hans Zimmer
- 2007Music From the Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy
- 2007Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (soundtrack)
- 2007The Holiday: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2007The Simpsons Movie: The Music (soundtrack)
- 2008Frost/Nixon (soundtrack)
- 2008Kung Fu Panda: Music From the Motion Picture (soundtrack)
- 2008The Burning Plain (soundtrack)
- 2008The Dark Knight (soundtrack)
- 2009Angels & Demons: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2009Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2: Original Score (soundtrack)
- 2009Sherlock Holmes: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2009Wielcy Kompozytorzy Filmowi: Hans Zimmer
- 2010Henri 4: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2010Inception: Music From the Motion Picture (soundtrack)
- 2010Megamind (soundtrack)
- 2010The Pacific: Music From the HBO Miniseries (soundtrack)
- 2011Crysis 2: Original Videogame Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2011Kung Fu Panda 2: Music From the Motion Picture (soundtrack)
- 2011Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (soundtrack)
- 2011Rango: Music From the Motion Picture (soundtrack)
- 2011Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2011Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure: The Official Orchestral Score (soundtrack)
- 2011Thelma & Louise: Original MGM Motion Picture Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2012The Dark Knight Rises (soundtrack)
- 2012The Dark Knight Symphony (soundtrack)
- 2013Leijonakuningas (soundtrack)
- 2013Man of Steel (soundtrack)
- 2013Man of Steel (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Deluxe Edition)
- 2013Rush: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2013The Bible: The Official Score Soundtrack to the Epic Mini Series (soundtrack)
- 2013The Lone Ranger (soundtrack)
- 2014Interstellar: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2014Son of God: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2014The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (soundtrack)
- 2014Winter’s Tale (soundtrack)
- 2015Chappie (soundtrack)
- 2015Freeheld: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2015Le Petit Prince (soundtrack)
- 2015Saints & Strangers: Music From the Miniseries (soundtrack)
- 2015Sons of Liberty (soundtrack)
- 2015Woman in Gold (soundtrack)
- 2016Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2016Hidden Figures (soundtrack)
- 2016Inferno: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2016Kung Fu Panda 3: Music From the Motion Picture (soundtrack)
- 2016Planet Earth II: Original Television Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2016The Crown: Season One Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2017Blade Runner 2049 (soundtrack)
- 2017Blue Planet II: Original Television Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2017Dunkirk: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2017Genius. National Geographic Original Series Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2017The Boss Baby: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2017True Romance: Original Motion Picture Score (soundtrack)
- 2018The Journey: Champions: Original Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2018Widows (soundtrack)
- 2019Across the Lake
- 2019Dark Phoenix: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2019Seven Worlds One Planet: Original Television Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2019Xperiments from Dark Phoenix (soundtrack)
- 2020Hillbilly Elegy (Music from the Netflix Film) (soundtrack)
- 2020Rebuilding Paradise (soundtrack)
- 2020Wonder Woman 1984 (soundtrack)
- 2021Army of Thieves: Soundtrack from the Netflix Film (soundtrack)
- 2021Dune: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2021No Time to Die: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2021Terminal Exposure (soundtrack)
- 2021The Art and Soul of Dune: Companion Book Music (soundtrack)
- 2021The Boss Baby: Family Business: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2021The Dune Sketchbook: Music From the Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2021The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run (soundtrack)
- 2021The Unforgivable: Soundtrack from the Netflix Film (soundtrack)
- 2021The Wind (soundtrack)
- 2021The Zero Boys (soundtrack)
- 2021Wonder Woman 1984 (Sketches from the Soundtrack) (soundtrack)
- 2022Around the World in 80 Days (soundtrack)
- 2022Frozen Planet II: Original Television Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2022Prehistoric Planet: Season 1 (soundtrack)
- 2022The Son: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2022The Survivor: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2022Top Gun: Maverick: Music From the Motion Picture (soundtrack)
- 2023La Nuit où Laurier Gaudreault s’est réveillé (soundtrack)
- 2023Planet Earth III: Original Television Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2023Prehistoric Planet: Season 2 (soundtrack)
- 2023The Creator: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2023The Night Logan Woke Up (Original Series Soundtrack) (soundtrack)
- 2024Blitz (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (soundtrack)
- 2024Dragon Age: The Veilguard (Original Soundtrack) (soundtrack)
- 2024Dune: Part Two: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2024Kung Fu Panda 4: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2024Now We Are Free - Music from Gladiator (soundtrack)
- 2024The Tattooist of Auschwitz: Original Series Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2024Twilight of the Gods: Soundtrack from the Netflix Series (soundtrack)
- 2025Black Gold: Music from the Original TV Series (soundtrack)
- 2025Chief of War: Apple TV+ Original Series Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2025Diamond In The Desert
- 2025Eden (soundtrack)
- 2025Ella McCay: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (soundtrack)
- 2025F1® The Movie (Original Score) (soundtrack)
- 2025The Americas: Music from the Original Series (soundtrack)
- 2026Euphoria: Season 3 (HBO Original Series Soundtrack) (soundtrack)
- 2026LION (Original Series Soundtrack) (soundtrack)
- 2026Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age (Apple Original Series Soundtrack) (soundtrack)
- 2026The Fan: Original Motion Picture Score (soundtrack)
- ?Madagascar 3 - Europe's Most Wanted (soundtrack)
Other work
- 1994The Lion King
- 1995Crimson Tide
- 2000Gladiator
- 2010Inception
- 2021Dune
- 1993True Romance
- 1998The Prince of Egypt
- 2001Pearl Harbor
- 2001Black Hawk Down
- 2002Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron
- 2003The Last Samurai
- 2006The Da Vinci Code
- 2006The Holiday
- 2009Angels & Demons
- 2010The Pacific (tv)
- 201312 Years a Slave
- 2014Interstellar
- 2016The Crown (tv, titelmuziek)
- 2017Dunkirk
- 2017Blue Planet II (tv)
- 2021No Time to Die
- 2024Dune: Part Two
- 2025F1
In School of Rock
The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.
- Film Music MapNL Map
- The Dream Factory: Film Reel 7NL Reader
- The Dream Factory: Film Reel 8NL Reader
Mentioned in other articles
- Disney Renaissance Genre
For The Lion King (1994) Elton John and Rice wrote the songs and Hans Zimmer made the score, with South African choral singing by Lebo M.
- Remote Control: hybrid orchestra and electronics Genre
Hans Zimmer came out of the European pop world and at first worked mainly with synthesizers.
- Prestige TV and streaming Genre
Ramin Djawadi, who learned his trade in Hans Zimmer's team, wrote a title theme for Game of Thrones (2011) for cello over a constantly repeated rhythm.