William Conti (born April 13, 1942) is an American composer and conductor, best known for his film scores, including ''

Rocky ''Rocky'' is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise and stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burges ...

'' (and four of its sequels), ''

The Karate Kid ''The Karate Kid'' is a 1984 American martial arts drama film written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen. It is the first installment in the ''Karate Kid'' franchise, and stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue an ...

'' (and all of its sequels), '' For Your Eyes Only'', ''

Dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...

'' (and its sequel ''

The Colbys ''The Colbys'' (originally titled ''Dynasty II: The Colbys'') is an American prime time television soap opera that originally aired on ABC from November 20, 1985, to March 26, 1987. Created by Richard and Esther Shapiro and Eileen and Robert P ...

''), ''

The Big Chill Big Chill can refer to: * The Big Chill (music festival), an annual music and comedy festival held in England * ''The Big Chill'' (film), a 1983 American film directed by Lawrence Kasdan *The Big Chill at the Big House, a 2010 U.S. college ice hoc ...

'' and '' The Right Stuff'', which earned him an

Academy Award for Best Original Score The Academy Award for Best Original Score is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by t ...

. He also received nominations in the Best Original Song category for " Gonna Fly Now" from ''Rocky'' and for the title song of '' For Your Eyes Only''. He was the musical director at the Academy Awards a record nineteen times.

Biography

Early life

Conti, an

Italian American Italian Americans ( it, italoamericani or ''italo-americani'', ) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas, w ...

, was born in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts ...

, the son of Lucetta and William Conti. He graduated from

North Miami High School North Miami Senior High School (NMSHS) is a public high school in North Miami, Florida, United States. Located at 13110 NE 8th Avenue, The school opened as Edward L. Constance Junior-Senior High School in 1951; with 1,500 students in 7th, 8th and ...

in 1959. He is a past winner of the Silver Knight Award presented by the

Miami Herald The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by the McClatchy Company and headquartered in Doral, Florida, a city in western Miami-Dade County and the Miami metropolitan area, several miles west of Downtown Miami.Louisiana State University School of Music, and also studied and gained honors at the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely ...

of Music, including a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

''Rocky'' series

As early as 1971, Bill was orchestrating pop recordings by Italian artists, such as the album ''Sì... incoerenza'' ("Yes to Incoherence") by Italian singer Patty Pravo. He was also a

ghostwriter A ghostwriter is hired to write literary or journalistic works, speeches, or other texts that are officially credited to another person as the author. Celebrities, executives, participants in timely news stories, and political leaders often ...

of the scores for

Spaghetti Western The Spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's film-making style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most o ...

s. Conti's big break into celebrity came in 1976, when

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the stu ...

hired him to compose the music for a small film called ''

''. The film became a phenomenon and won three Oscars at the 49th Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The same ceremony was also the first time Conti served as musical director for the telecast, a role he reprised 19 times, more than any other person. His training montage tune, " Gonna Fly Now", topped the Billboard singles chart in 1977, and earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. Conti also composed music for the sequels ''

Rocky II ''Rocky II'' is a 1979 American sports drama film written, directed by, and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the sequel to ''Rocky'' (1976) and is the second installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise. It also stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl W ...

'' (1979), ''

Rocky III ''Rocky III'' is a 1982 American sports drama film written, directed by, and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the sequel to '' Rocky II'' (1979) and is the third installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise. Along with Stallone reprising the title r ...

'' (1982), '' Rocky V'' (1990) and ''

Rocky Balboa Robert "Rocky" Balboa (also known by his ring name The Italian Stallion), is a fictional title character and the protagonist of the ''Rocky'' film series. The character was created by Sylvester Stallone, who has also portrayed him in all eight ...

'' (2006).

Other film and television credits

Conti also worked for some other films and, eventually, for television series. In 1981, he wrote the music for the

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors hav ...

film '' For Your Eyes Only'', when John Barry was unwilling to return to the United Kingdom for tax reasons, and provided the score for playwright Jason Miller's film version of his

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made ...

-winning play '' That Championship Season'' the following year. In 1983, Conti composed the score for HBO's first film, ''The Terry Fox Story''. He then did '' Bad Boys'', '' Living Proof: The Hank Williams Jr. Story'', ''

'' and '' Mass Appeal''. In 1984, he won an Academy Award for composing the score to 1983's '' The Right Stuff'', after which he wrote the music for the TV series ''

North and South North and South may refer to: Literature * ''North and South'' (Gaskell novel), an 1854 novel by Elizabeth Gaskell * ''North and South'' (trilogy), a series of novels by John Jakes (1982–1987) ** ''North and South'' (Jakes novel), first novel ...

'' in 1985. He also scored the ''

Masters of the Universe ''Masters of the Universe'' (sometimes referred to as the ''He-Man'' or '' She-Ra'' series) is a sword and planet-themed media franchise created by Mattel. The main premise revolves around the conflict between He-Man (the alter ego of Prince A ...

'' live action film. Another score was the 1987 film ''

Happy New Year The Christmas season or the festive season (also known in some countries as the holiday season or the holidays) is an annually recurring period recognized in many Western and other countries that is generally considered to run from late November ...

''. In 1991, Conti composed for '' Necessary Roughness'', a college football film. In 1993, he wrote the music for ''

The Adventures of Huck Finn ''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' or as it is known in more recent editions, ''The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'', is a novel by American author Mark Twain, which was first published in the United Kingdom in December 1884 and in the United St ...

'' starring Elijah Wood and directed by Stephen Sommers. In 1999, he composed the score for '' The Thomas Crown Affair'' remake, starring

Pierce Brosnan Pierce Brendan Brosnan (; born 16 May 1953) is an Irish actor and film producer. He is best known as the fifth actor to play secret agent James Bond in the Bond film series, starring in four films from 1995 to 2002 ('' GoldenEye'', '' Tomorro ...

and Rene Russo. That year, he scored '' Inferno'', starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. Conti composed the themes to television's ''

'', ''

Falcon Crest ''Falcon Crest'' is an American prime time television soap opera that aired for nine seasons on CBS from December 4, 1981, to May 17, 1990. The series revolves around the feuding factions of the wealthy Gioberti/Channing family in the California ...

'' and ''

Cagney & Lacey ''Cagney & Lacey'' is an American police procedural drama television series that aired on the CBS television network for seven seasons from March 25, 1982, to May 16, 1988. The show is about two New York City police detectives who lead very di ...

.'' He wrote the theme song to the original version of '' American Gladiators'', worked with CBS on its 1980s film jingle, composed one of the early themes of ''

Inside Edition ''Inside Edition'' is an American news broadcasting newsmagazine program that is distributed in first-run syndication by CBS Media Ventures. Having premiered on January 9, 1989, it is the longest-running syndicated-newsmagazine program that is no ...

'', and wrote the ''

Primetime Live ''Primetime'' was an American news magazine television program that debuted on American Broadcasting Company, ABC in 1989 with co-hosts Sam Donaldson and Diane Sawyer and originally had the title ''Primetime Live''. The program's final episode ...

'' theme for

ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast '' ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include morning news-talk show '' Good Morning America'', '' ...

. He composed the score to the studio-altered American version of Luc Besson's '' The Big Blue''. Two of Conti's previously composed works were reused for the show ''

Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous ''Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous'' is an American television series that aired in syndication from 1984 to 1995. The show featured the extravagant lifestyles of wealthy entertainers, athletes, socialites and magnates. It was hosted by Rob ...

''. These were the love theme "Come with Me Now", from the soundtrack for '' Five Days from Home'' (used for the show's main theme), and "Runaway", from '' For Your Eyes Only'' (used for in-show content).

Awards and nominations

Conti has been nominated for three Academy Awards, winning one in the Best Original Score category for '' The Right Stuff''. He also received nominations in the Best Original Song category for " Gonna Fly Now" from ''

'' and for the title song of '' For Your Eyes Only''. He had three Golden Globe nominations; two for Best Original Score for ''

'' and '' An Unmarried Woman'', and one for Best Original Song for the title song of '' For Your Eyes Only''. Conti also received thirteen Emmy nominations, all but one for his role as musical director at the

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

(the exception, his first nomination, was for his music for the 1985 series ''

''). He won five Emmy Awards for Outstanding Musical Direction for the 64th, 70th and 75th Academy Award ceremonies. On April 22, 2008, at the LSU Union Theatre at Louisiana State University, Conti was inducted into the

Louisiana Music Hall of Fame The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame (LMHOF) is a non-profit hall of fame based in Baton Rouge, the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana, that seeks to honor and preserve the state's music culture and heritage and to promote education about the state ...

Selected discography

*'' Blume in Love'' (1973) *'' Harry and Tonto'' (1974) *'' Next Stop, Greenwich Village'' (1976) *''

'' (1976) *'' Smash-Up on Interstate 5'' (1976) *'' F.I.S.T'' (1978) *'' Paradise Alley'' (1978) *'' The Big Fix'' (1978) *''

Slow Dancing in the Big City ''Slow Dancing in the Big City'' is a 1978 American romantic drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and starring Paul Sorvino and Anne Ditchburn. This was the first film made by Avildsen after 1976's ''Rocky'' won Academy Awards for Best Picture ...

'' (1978) *'' An Unmarried Woman'' (1978) *'' Five Days from Home'' (1978) *'' The Pirate'' (1978) *'' Dreamer'' (1979) *''

'' (1979) *'' Goldengirl'' (1979) *'' The Seduction of Joe Tynan'' (1979) *'' A Man, a Woman and a Bank'' (1979) *''

Gloria Gloria may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Christian liturgy and music * Gloria in excelsis Deo, the Greater Doxology, a hymn of praise * Gloria Patri, the Lesser Doxology, a short hymn of praise ** Gloria (Handel) ** Gloria (Jenkins) ...

'' (1980) *'' Private Benjamin'' (1980) *'' The Formula'' (1980) *'' Escape to Victory'' (1981) *''

Carbon Copy Before the development of photographic copiers, a carbon copy was the under-copy of a typed or written document placed over carbon paper and the under-copy sheet itself (not to be confused with the carbon print family of photographic reproduc ...

'' (1981) *'' For Your Eyes Only'' (1981) *'' Neighbors'' (1981) *''

'' (1982) *'' I, the Jury'' (1982) *'' Split Image'' (1982) *''Theme from

'' (1982): The single spent nine weeks on the

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

, peaking at number 52 in December 1982. *'' That Championship Season'' (1982) *''

'' (1982) *''

Emerald Point N.A.S. ''Emerald Point N.A.S'' is an American primetime soap opera created by '' Dynasty''s Richard and Esther Shapiro which premiered on CBS on Monday, September 26, 1983. The series revolved around the lives of personnel stationed on a naval air sta ...

'' (1983) *'' Living Proof: The Hank Williams Jr. Story'' (1983) *'' Bad Boys'' (1983) *''

'' (1983) (includes other artists) *'' The Right Stuff'' (1983) *''

The Terry Fox Story ''The Terry Fox Story'' is a 1983 Canadian-American biographical film of Canadian amputee and runner Terry Fox. It was written by Howard Hume, John Kastner and Rose Kastner, and directed by Ralph L. Thomas. The film stars Eric Fryer as Fox, Chr ...

'' (1983) *'' Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets'' (1984) *''

'' (1984) *'' The Karate Kid I'', '' II'', ''

III III or iii may refer to: Companies * Information International, Inc., a computer technology company * Innovative Interfaces, Inc., a library-software company * 3i, formerly Investors in Industry, a British investment company Other uses * ...

'', '' The Next Karate Kid Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Scores'' (released 2006) *''Theme from Dynasty II: The Colbys'' (1985) *''

'' (1985) *'' Gotcha!'' (1985) *'' F/X'' (1986) *''

The Karate Kid, Part II ''The Karate Kid Part II'' is a 1986 American martial arts drama film written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen. It is the second installment in the '' Karate Kid'' franchise and the sequel to the 1984 film '' The Karate Kid' ...

'' (1986) (released 2011) *''

Nomads A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the po ...

'' (1986) *''

'' (1987) *'' A Prayer for the Dying'' (1987) *'' Broadcast News'' (1987) *''

A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon ''A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon'', also known as ''Aren't You Even Gonna Kiss Me Goodbye?'', is a 1988 American coming of age drama film written and directed by William Richert and starring River Phoenix, Ann Magnuson, Meredith Salenger, M ...

'' (1988) *'' Cohen & Tate'' (1988) *'' Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman'' (1989) *'' Lock Up'' (1989) *'' Rocky V'' (1990) *'' Necessary Roughness'' (1991) *'' Year of the Gun'' (1991) *''

'' (TeeVee Tunes Soundtrack) (1992) *''

Blood In Blood Out ''Blood In Blood Out'' (also known as ''Bound by Honor'' and ''Blood In Blood Out: Bound By Honor'') is a 1993 American epic crime drama film directed by Taylor Hackford that has become a cult-classic film with a cult following among the Mexi ...

'' (1993) *''

'' (1993) *'' Rookie of the Year'' (1993) (released 2006) *'' 8 Seconds'' (1994) *'' Bushwhacked'' (1995) (released 2006) *''

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

'' (1995) *'' Spy Hard'' (1996) *'' The Real Macaw'' (1998) *'' Wrongfully Accused'' (1998) *'' Inferno'' (1999) *'' The Thomas Crown Affair'' (1999) (includes other artists) *''

Avenging Angelo ''Avenging Angelo'' is a 2002 American direct-to-video action romantic comedy crime film directed by Martyn Burke and starring Sylvester Stallone, Madeleine Stowe, and Anthony Quinn. The film received mostly negative reviews. Plot Years ago, a ...

'' (2002) *'' Boys on the Run'' (2003) *''

'' (2006) *'' Rocky Balboa: The Best of Rocky'' (2006) (includes other artists)

References

External links

*
Interview
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Conti, Bill 1942 births Living people 20th-century American composers 20th-century American conductors (music) 21st-century American composers 21st-century American conductors (music) American male conductors (music) American disco musicians American film score composers American male film score composers American people of Italian descent American television composers Best Original Music Score Academy Award winners Louisiana State University School of Music alumni Male television composers Musicians from Providence, Rhode Island Rocky (film series) music Spaghetti Western composers Varèse Sarabande Records artists Primetime Emmy Award winners