Benjamin Wallfisch
Birth nameBenjamin Mark Lasker Wallfisch
Born (1979-08-07) 7 August 1979
London, England, U.K.
GenresFilm score
Occupation(s)
Instrument(s)
Years active2003–present
Websitebenjaminwallfisch.com

Benjamin Mark Lasker Wallfisch (born 7 August 1979) is a British composer, conductor, orchestrator, and record producer, known for his work on film scores. He has contributed to over 75 feature films since the mid-2000s, including notable works like Blade Runner 2049, Shazam!, It, It Chapter Two, The Invisible Man, Hidden Figures, A Cure for Wellness and The Flash.

His work has earned recognition including a joint nomination with Pharrell Williams and Hans Zimmer for Best Original Score at the 74th Golden Globe Awards for Hidden Figures, as well as nominations for the BAFTA Award for Best Film Music and the Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media for Blade Runner 2049. In 2020, Wallfisch was nominated for Film Composer of the Year for the second consecutive year at the World Soundtrack Awards.[1]

Wallfisch's film compositions have contributed to movies with a combined worldwide box office revenue of over $2.5 billion.[2] In 2019, Variety acknowledged his achievements by including him in their Billion Dollar Composer series.[3]

Early life and family

Benjamin Mark Lasker Wallfisch was born on 7 August 1979 in London, England, to Elizabeth Wallfisch (née Hunt), an Australian Baroque violinist, and Raphael Wallfisch, a British cellist. He is the eldest of their three children. His paternal grandparents are pianist Peter Wallfisch and cellist Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, the latter of which was a member of the Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz. They were Jewish emigrants from the city of Breslau, Poland (now Wrocław). His great-grandfather was conductor Albert Coates.

Career

Wallfisch has worked on over 75 feature films and has been nominated for multiple awards, including a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA Award, two Grammy Awards, and two Emmy Awards. He composed Andy Muschietti's It, It Chapter Two, and The Flash, David F. Sandberg's Shazam!, Leigh Whannell's The Invisible Man, co-composed Denis Villeneuve's Blade Runner 2049 with Hans Zimmer, and wrote the score for Simon McQuoid's Mortal Kombat for New Line Cinema and Warner Bros.[4][5]

Other recent projects include Neil Marshall's Hellboy, Academy Award Best Picture nominee Ted Melfi's Hidden Figures (in collaboration with Pharrell Williams and Hans Zimmer), and David F. Sandberg's box office hit Annabelle: Creation. On the invitation of Zimmer, he contributed music based on Elgar's "Enigma' Variations" for Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk.

Wallfisch has also scored Gore Verbinski's A Cure for Wellness, the Steven Spielberg produced short film Auschwitz, directed by James Moll, James Marsh's King of Thieves, starring Michael Caine, and Steven Knight's Serenity, starring Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway.

Wallfisch has released 25 albums had performed over 100 live concerts worldwide, leading orchestras such as the London Philharmonic, Philharmonia, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and the Sydney Symphony at venues including the Hollywood Bowl, Sydney Opera House and Royal Festival Hall. He has collaborated, recorded, and performed his music with artists including Lang Lang, Herbie Hancock and Yuja Wang.

He has collaborated with Pharrell Williams three times, including a live performance at the 2015 Grammy Awards, and he recently arranged Adele's 2017 Grammy Awards performance of George Michael's "Fastlove".

Wallfisch has been a member of the BAFTA Academy since 2009, was appointed an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music in 2014, and was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2017.[6]

Personal life

Wallfisch resides in Los Angeles, California, with his wife and daughter.

Discography

Film

As primary score composer

Year Title Director(s) Studio(s) Notes
2005 Dear Wendy Thomas Vinterberg Lucky Punch
Nimbus Film Productions
Zentropa Entertainments
TV2 Danmark
Zentropa International Köln
Nominated – Robert Award for Best Score
2008 The Escapist Rupert Wyatt Picture Farm
Parallel Film Productions
Vertigo Films
2009 In Search of the Messiah Tim Meara Meara Films Documentary film
2012 Fetih 1453 Faruk Aksoy Aksoy Film
Medyapim
2013 Hours Eric Heisserer The Safran Company
PalmStar Media
Hours Capital
As composer and conductor
Hammer of the Gods Farren Blackburn Vertigo Films
Magnolia Pictures
Nominated – Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best Original Song
Summer in February Christopher Menaul CrossDay Productions Ltd.
Apart Films
Marwood Pictures
Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best Original Score
2014 Desert Dancer Richard Raymond CrossDay Productions Ltd.
Head Gear Films
Lipsync Productions
Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain Ravi Kumar Rising Star Entertainment
Wardour Media Group
Sahara One Motion Pictures
2015 Auschwitz James Moll Allentown Productions Documentary film
A Flickering Truth Pietra Brettkelly PBK Limited
Umbrella Entertainment
Gamba Tomohiro Kawamura
Yoshihiro Komori
Arad Productions
Grindstone Pictures
Shirogumi
Pressure Ron Scalpello Pinewood Pictures
Vertical Entertainment
Within Phil Claydon The Safran Company
New Line Cinema
Warner Bros.
2016 Lights Out David F. Sandberg New Line Cinema
RatPac-Dune Entertainment
Grey Matter Productions
Atomic Monster
First collaboration with David F. Sandberg, as composer and conductor
Mully Scott Haze Bardis Productions
Sterling Light Productions
Documentary film
Hidden Figures Theodore Melfi Fox 2000 Pictures
Levantine Films
Chernin Entertainment
Composed with Hans Zimmer and Pharrell Williams
Nominated – Black Reel Award for Outstanding Original Score
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score
Nominated – Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media. Orchestra conducted by Timothy Williams
First collaboration with Theodore Melfi
A Cure for Wellness Gore Verbinski 20th Century Fox
Regency Enterprises
New Regency Productions
Blind Wink Productions
Orchestra Conducted by Gavin Greenaway
2017 Bitter Harvest George Mendeluk Devil's Harvest Productions
Roadside Attractions
D Films
As composer and conductor
Annabelle: Creation David F. Sandberg New Line Cinema
Warner Bros. Pictures
Atomic Monster
Grey Matter Productions
Second collaboration With David F. Sandberg, orchestra conducted by Timothy Williams
It Andy Muschietti New Line Cinema
Warner Bros. Pictures
Vertigo Entertainment
First collaboration with Andy Muschietti
Blade Runner 2049 Denis Villeneuve Warner Bros. Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Alcon Entertainment
Scott Free Productions
Composed with Hans Zimmer
Replaced Jóhann Jóhannsson
Themes by Vangelis
Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Film Music
Nominated – Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Score
Nominated – Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media
Nominated – Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best Original Score in a Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror Film
2018 The Darkest Minds Jennifer Yuh Nelson 20th Century Fox
21 Laps Entertainment
Orchestra conducted by Timothy Williams & Benjamin Wallfisch
King of Thieves James Marsh Working Title Films
StudioCanal UK
Orchestra conducted by Chris Egan
The Vanishing Kristoffer Nyholm Cross Creek Pictures
Saban Entertainment
Lionsgate Films
2019 Serenity Steven Knight IM Global Additional music by Antonio Andrade, orchestra conducted by Geoff Alexander
Shazam! David F. Sandberg DC Films
New Line Cinema
Warner Bros. Pictures
The Safran Company
Third collaboration with David F. Sandberg.[7] Orchestra Conducted by Chris Egan & Benjamin Wallfisch
Hellboy Neil Marshall Millennium Films
Dark Horse Entertainment
Additional music by Antonio Andrade, Jared Fly & Alex Lu. Orchestra conducted by Chris Egan and performed by The Chamber Orchestra of London
It Chapter Two Andy Muschietti New Line Cinema
Warner Bros. Pictures
Vertigo Entertainment
Second collaboration with Andy Muschietti
2020 The Invisible Man Leigh Whannell Universal Pictures
Blumhouse
Orchestra conducted by Chris Egan, performed by The Chamber Orchestra of London
Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best Original Score in a Horror Film
2021 Mortal Kombat Simon McQuoid Warner Bros. Pictures
New Line Cinema
Atomic Monster
Broken Road Productions
The Starling Theodore Melfi Netflix
Limelight
Entertainment One
Boies/Schiller Film Group
Second collaboration with Theodore Melfi
2022 Thirteen Lives Ron Howard United Artists Releasing
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Universal Pictures
Bron Creative
Imagine Entertainment
2023 The Flash Andy Muschietti Warner Bros. Pictures
DC Studios
The Disco Factory
Double Dream
Third collaboration with Andy Muschietti. As composer, producer and conductor.
2024 Kraven the Hunter J. C. Chandor Columbia Pictures
Marvel Entertainment
Arad Productions
Matt Tolmach Productions

As composer of additional music

Year Title Director(s) Composer(s) Studio(s) Notes
2009 Moon Duncan Jones Clint Mansell Stage 6 Films
Limelight Pictures
Sony Pictures Classics
2013 12 Years a Slave Steve McQueen Hans Zimmer Summit Entertainment
Regency Enterprises
Film4 Productions
Fox Searchlight Pictures
2015 The Little Prince Mark Osborne Hans Zimmer
Richard Harvey
ON Animation Studios
M6 Films
Netflix
2016 Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Zack Snyder Hans Zimmer
Junkie XL
DC Entertainment
RatPac-Dune Entertainment
Cruel and Unusual Films
Warner Bros. Pictures
2017 Dunkirk Christopher Nolan Hans Zimmer Syncopy Inc.
Warner Bros. Pictures
Composed the "Nimrod" variation, based on the theme by Edward Elgar

Television

Year Title Network(s) Notes
2009 Breaking the Mould BBC One Television film
2013 The Thirteenth Tale BBC Two
2014 The Crimson Field BBC One 6 episodes
2015 The Enfield Haunting Sky Witness 3 episodes
2019 Hostile Planet National Geographic

Theatre

Year Title Director(s) Notes
2009 Peter Pan Ben Harrison London / San Francisco

References

  1. "Film Composer of the Year". Archived from the original on 25 December 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  2. Benjamin Wallfisch
  3. Composer Benjamin Wallfisch Scores High in Versatility With 'Hellboy,' 'Hostile,' 'Shazam!'
  4. Fischer, Tyler. "Mortal Kombat Reboot Award-Winning Composer Revealed". Comic Book. Archived from the original on 22 January 2020. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  5. "'Mortal Kombat's Composer Began the Score Before Getting Hired — And Yes, It Includes the Iconic Theme". Collider. 6 March 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  6. "Benjamin Wallfisch". IMDb. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  7. "Benjamin Wallfisch to Score David F. Sandberg's 'Shazam!' | Film Music Reporter". Retrieved 17 January 2019.
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