Don Davis | |
|---|---|
 Davis in 2017 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Donald Romain Davis |
| Born | (1957-02-04)February 4, 1957 (age 68) Anaheim,California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1979–present |
| Labels | Varèse Sarabande La-La Land Records Albany Records |
| Website | www |
Donald Romain Davis (born February 4, 1957) is an Americancomposer,conductor, andorchestrator known for hisfilm and television scores. He has also composedopera,concert andchamber music. He has collaborated with well-known directors includingthe Wachowskis,Ronny Yu, andJonathan Hensleigh in genres ranging fromhorror, toaction, tocomedy.
His most notable compositions were scores forBeauty and the Beast (1988),My Life and Times (1991),Lies Before Kisses (1991),A Little Piece of Heaven (1992) andseaQuest 2032 (1995),A Goofy Movie (1995),Bound (1996),House of Frankenstein (1998),Universal Soldier: The Return (1999),House on Haunted Hill (1999), andBehind Enemy Lines (2001), and most notablyThe Matrix (1999),The Matrix Reloaded (2003),The Animatrix (2003), andThe Matrix Revolutions (2004).
Davis has been nominated for sevenPrimetime Emmy Awards, winning in 1995 forOutstanding Music Composition for a Series. He has also won fourBMI Film Music Awards.
Davis was born on 4 February 1957 inAnaheim,California.[1] He began playing trumpet and piano at the age of nine,[2] and started writing music at twelve. As his affinity for music grew, so did his aspirations, and soon he was composing and arranging orchestral charts for local jazz ensembles that he also performed with.[2]
After graduating from high school, Davis enrolled atUCLA. He continued his study of musical composition with tutorHenri Lazarof. Additionally, he learned orchestration fromAlbert Harris.[3]
During their orchestration lessons, Harris introduced Davis to the TV composerJoe Harnell, who supported Davis during his search for work—his first job was working for composerMark Snow's TV showHart to Hart. He has worked as an orchestrator and conductor forMichael Kamen,Alan Silvestri,James Horner, andRandy Newman.[4]
Davis has nominated seven times at thePrimetime Emmy Awards, winning in 1995.[5] He received a nomination for thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series forBeauty and the Beast (1988),[5] and forMy Life and Times (1991).[5] He received a nomination forPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score) forLies Before Kisses (1991),[5] andA Little Piece of Heaven (1992), andHouse of Frankenstein (1998).[5] He was twice nominated for thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series in 1994 and 1995 for scores inSeaQuest DSV, winning in 1995.[5]
He wrote scores mostly for television series up until 1995,[2] in which he wrote a few of the cues for the animatedDisney motion pictureA Goofy Movie (1995).[1] He continued to score television series until the two then young directors,the Wachowskis, hired him to score theirneo-noir filmBound (1996).[1] Davis has composed scores for films such asUniversal Soldier: The Return (1999),[1]Hulk (2003),House on Haunted Hill (1999),[1] andBehind Enemy Lines (2001).[1]
In 2004, he produced the music score for the BBC science fiction documentary seriesSpace Odyssey: Voyage to the Planets, released asVoyage to the Planets and Beyond in the United States. Davis'magnum opus is theMatrix franchise:The Matrix (1999),[1]The Matrix Reloaded (2003),[1]The Matrix Revolutions (2004),[1] andThe Animatrix (2002).[1] It was set apart from other film scores of its time for itsatonality andavant garde style of composition, with influences frompolytonalminimalist works byJohn Adams andcluster-like as well as aleatoric techniques prominent in the works of composerWitold Lutosławski.[1][2]
In addition to orchestrating and conducting his own scores, Don Davis has done orchestration work for many other composers. He was the conductor for the movieFlowers in the Attic, whose score was composed byChristopher Young, and for the TV documentaryEagles: Hell Freezes Over. He arranged music forThe 86th Academy Awards as well. He is also regular orchestrator forRandy Newman.[2]
Don Davis' political opera,Río de Sangre, premiered at theFlorentine Opera Company on October 22, 2010. Excerpts of the opera had previously been performed in Los Angeles with theLos Angeles Master Chorale on November 6, 2005, and theNew York City Opera on May 13, 2007.[2]
Davis currently splits his time between Southern California andBritish Columbia, Canada. He has been married to Megan MacDonald since 1986, and they have two children together.[2]
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Square Pegs | 2 episodes |
| 1983–84 | Hart to Hart | 4 episodes |
| 1986 | Kay O'Brien | Episode: “Wreck the Halls” |
| 1987 | Sledge Hammer! | 2 episodes |
| 1987–90 | Beauty and the Beast | 48 episodes |
| 1990 | Matlock | Episode: “The Personal Trainer” |
| 1991 | My Life and Times | Episode: “The Collapse of '98” |
| 1990–91 | Tiny Toon Adventures | 5 episodes |
| 1992 | The Plucky Duck Show | Episode: "A Ditch in Time" |
| 1993 | Star Trek: The Next Generation | Episode: "Face of the Enemy" |
| 1992–95 | Capitol Critters | 8 episodes |
| 1993–94 | Taz-Mania | 4 episodes |
| 1994–95 | SeaQuest 2032 | 13 episodes |
| 1995 | CBS Schoolbreak Special | Episode: "Between Mother and Daughter" |
