JOHN DEBNEY
John Debney Biography
John Debney is an Academy Award nominated film composer and hailed as one of the most prolific and successful composers in Hollywood. Debney has over 100 scores to his credit, ranging from the critically acclaimed Cutthroat Island soundtrack to certified Gold soundtrack, The Passion of the Christ. His unique ability to create memorable music across a variety of genres, along with his reputation for being remarkably collaborative, have made him the first choice of top level producers and directors. Debney continues to be celebrated for adapting to any assignment by combining his classical training with a myriad of musical styles and techniques, including contemporary beats and ancient instrumentation.
After earning his B.A. in Music Composition from the California Institute of Arts, Debney scored diverse television projects, including Sea Quest DSV, for which he won an Emmy for Best Main Title. In 1993, he secured his first studio feature film, the Disney comedy Hocus Pocus starring Bette Midler.
Debney established himself as a formidable film composer across a wide range of genres through repeated work with several noted directors, including Garry Marshall on The Princess Diaries, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement and Raising Helen; Robert Rodriguez on Spy Kids, Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams, Sin City and The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D; Jon Favreau on Elf and Zathura; Tom Shadyac on Liar Liar, Dragonfly and Bruce Almighty; and the executive producer of The Passion of the Christ, Stephen McEveety, reunited with Debney for the dramatic film based on the New York Times bestseller, The Stoning of Soraya M.
In 2004, Debney blended symphonic orchestra, a wide range of world instruments, and the beauty of the human voice to create his landmark score for The Passion of the Christ. The Passion of the Christ soundtrack became a worldwide success, earning him an Academy Award nomination, a Gold record and a Dove award. The following spring, Debney premiered “The Passion of the Christ Symphony” in Rome, Italy. The internationally televised performance featured an 83-person choir and a 96-piece orchestra, and included special guest vocalist Lisbeth Scott and woodwind soloist Pedro Eustache. Debney is set to perform his score to The Passion of the Christ in Saint Peter’s Square (the Vatican), with a 500-voice choir and a full orchestra in 2010.
In 2005, Debney became the youngest recipient of ASCAP’s prestigious Henry Mancini Lifetime Achievement Award. Debney broke new ground scoring his first videogame, Lair, in 2007. His Lair music was nominated for a BAFTA and was awarded Best Videogame Score by The International Film Music Critics Association. Last year, Debney was honored with a Career Achievement Award at the Burbank International Film Festival. Recently, Daily Variety profiled Debney in an 11-page feature recognizing him as “The Billion Dollar Composer” for having scored films that have grossed nearly four billion dollars.
John Debney’s recent accomplishments include scoring Hanna Montana: The Movie, Valentine’s Day (reuniting with director Garry Marshall) and The Stoning of Soraya M. Debney reunited for a third time with director Jon Favreau (Elf, Zathura) on the highly anticipated Marvel action film Iron Man 2. Debney is currently in the studio writing the score to Predators produced by Robert Rodriguez.
