Atticus Matthew Cowper Ross (born 16 January 1968) is an English musician, record producer, composer, and audio engineer. Along with
Trent Reznor, he won the
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 ...
for ''
The Social Network
''The Social Network'' is a 2010 American biographical drama film directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin, based on the 2009 book '' The Accidental Billionaires'' by Ben Mezrich. It portrays the founding of social networking ...
'' in 2010. In 2013, the pair won a
Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media for
their soundtrack to ''
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo''. In 2021, alongside
Jon Batiste, they won the
Golden Globe and Academy Award for the soundtrack for
Pixar's ''
Soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun '':wikt:soul, soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The ea ...
''.
Ross began working with Reznor on the latter's side project
Tapeworm in 2002. He later worked with Reznor's band
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN and stylized as NIИ, is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland in 1988. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Trent Reznor was the only permanent member of the ban ...
, first as a programmer and producer in 2005, and became the only official member of the band outside of Reznor in 2016.
Early life
Atticus Matthew Cowper Ross was born in the
Ladbroke Grove
Ladbroke Grove () is an area and a road in West London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, passing through Kensal Green and Notting Hill, running north–south between Harrow Road and Holland Park Avenue.
It is also a name given t ...
area of
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
on 16 January 1968,
the son of Roxana Lampson and Ian Ross. His father was a founder of
Radio Caroline.
He has five siblings, including fashion model
Liberty Ross and fellow musician
Leopold Ross. His maternal grandfather was diplomat
Miles Lampson, 1st Baron Killearn,
his great-grandfather was Italian pathologist and bacteriologist
Aldo Castellani,
and his uncle is British-American journalist
Charles Glass.
Ross was educated at
Eton College
Eton College () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI of England, Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. i ...
, where he was a few years below future UK Prime Ministers
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...
and
Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...
,
and later at the
Courtauld Institute of Art.
Career
Music
Ross came to notice in the mid-1990s as a
programmer for
Tim Simenon's
Bomb the Bass during the period of the albums ''Unknown Territory'' and ''Clear''. He worked on a number of production and remix projects with Simenon, as well as forming a collaborative relationship with
Barry Adamson. He programmed ''The Negro Inside Me'' and ''Oedipus Schmoedipus'', and produced ''As Above So Below'' before forming his own band,
12 Rounds, with his wife Claudia Sarne and Adam Holden. They released two albums, ''Jitterjuice'' and ''My Big Hero''. A third full-length album was produced by
Trent Reznor, but was ultimately never finished. Three songs from that album have since been released on the band's website.
Ross moved to the United States in 2000, and as of 2002 was working alongside Reznor for his side project
Tapeworm. He has been credited as a producer and/or programmer on the
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN and stylized as NIИ, is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland in 1988. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Trent Reznor was the only permanent member of the ban ...
albums ''
With Teeth'', ''
Year Zero'', ''
Ghosts I–IV'' (on which he was a co-writer), ''
The Slip'', and ''
Hesitation Marks''. He has worked with Reznor in numerous other capacities, including work with
Saul Williams and
Zack de la Rocha, and they co-produced tracks for a reformed
Jane's Addiction with
Alan Moulder
Alan Moulder (born 11 June 1959) is an English record producer, mixing engineer, and audio engineer.
Early life
Moulder was born on 11 June 1959 in Boston, Lincolnshire. He was educated at Boston Grammar School. He had an interest in music ...
in 2009.

Other work has included two co-productions with
Joe Barresi, the
Loverman EP ''Human Nurture'' and
Coheed and Cambria's ''
Year of the Black Rainbow
''Year of the Black Rainbow'' is the fifth studio album by rock band Coheed and Cambria, released on April 13, 2010 through Columbia. The album is a prequel to the band's previous four concept albums, which comprise The Amory Wars narrative. ''Yea ...
'', as well as albums for
Korn. He has also produced tracks or created remixes for such artists as
Grace Jones,
Perry Farrell, and
Telepathe. In May 2010, he appeared in a cryptic video
and was named as a member of a secret project,
later revealed to be
How to Destroy Angels, a collaboration between Reznor and his wife
Mariqueen Maandig.
In 2016, Ross composed an original score titled 'The Journey' for ''
FIFA 17'' new single-player story campaign mode. In 2020, he co-produced and co-wrote one track on
Jehnny Beth
Jehnny Beth (born Camille Berthomier, 24 December 1984), is a French musician, singer-songwriter, producer, presenter and actress, best known as half of the duo John & Jehn and front woman of the English rock band Savages. Her debut solo album ...
's ''
To Love Is to Live''. In 2021, Ross and Reznor produced and co-wrote
Halsey's album ''
If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power
''If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power'' is the fourth studio album by American singer Halsey, released on August 27, 2021, by Capitol Records. It was written by Halsey, Johnathan Cunningham, Greg Kurstin, and its producers Trent Reznor and Attic ...
''.
Film and television scores
Ross' work in film music began in 2004 when he scored the
Hughes Brothers' TV series ''
Touching Evil'' with his wife Claudia Sarne and brother
Leopold Ross. He has since provided music for two further Hughes Brothers projects: Allen Hughes' vignette in the film ''
New York, I Love You'', and Ross' first feature film, ''
The Book of Eli'' (2010). The latter's score was released through
Reprise Records on 12 January 2010. It won at the BMI Awards and earned Ross a nomination as "Discovery of the Year" at the 2010
World Soundtrack Awards.
On 1 July 2010, Reznor announced that he and Ross were scoring
David Fincher's new film ''
The Social Network
''The Social Network'' is a 2010 American biographical drama film directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin, based on the 2009 book '' The Accidental Billionaires'' by Ben Mezrich. It portrays the founding of social networking ...
''. The
film's soundtrack was released on 28 September 2010, and was highly praised. On 16 January 2011, they won the
Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score for their score to ''The Social Network''. On 27 February, they received the
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 ...
for ''
The Social Network
''The Social Network'' is a 2010 American biographical drama film directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin, based on the 2009 book '' The Accidental Billionaires'' by Ben Mezrich. It portrays the founding of social networking ...
''. Ross and Reznor again collaborated on the soundtrack to Fincher's 2011 film ''
Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
''The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'' (original title in sv, Män som hatar kvinnor , lit=''Men Who Hate Women'') is a psychological thriller novel by Swedish author and journalist Stieg Larsson (1954–2004). It was published posthumously in 2 ...
''. In 2013, the pair won the
Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media for their ''Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'' soundtrack.
Ross was slated to work on the 2013 samurai epic ''
47 Ronin'', but was soon replaced by
Javier Navarrete
Javier Navarrete (born May 9, 1956) is a Spanish film score composer.Scott, A.O. (November 21, 2001). '' The New York Times''The Devil's Backbone (review overview)./ref> His best known score, for which he received an Oscar nomination, was for '' ...
. Ross and Reznor again teamed up with Fincher to score his 2014 film ''
Gone Girl''. In 2016, Ross and Reznor, along with composer
Gustavo Santaolalla
Gustavo Alfredo Santaolalla (born 19 August 1951) is an Argentine musician, composer, and record producer. He is known for composing his film scores with his collaborator and acclaimed director Alejandro González Iñárritu, which composed the ...
and the band
Mogwai, collaborated to create the score to the documentary film ''
Before the Flood''.
In June 2017, Ross, along with Reznor, Maandig,
Robin Finck
Robert John "Robin" Finck (born November 7, 1971) is an American guitarist. Finck is the longest-serving touring musician for Nine Inch Nails, performing with the band from 1994 to 2000, and returning in 2008. With Nine Inch Nails, Finck contribu ...
,
Joey Castillo, and
Alessandro Cortini, appeared as "The Nine Inch Nails" in Episode 8 of ''
Twin Peaks: The Return'' on
Showtime
Showtime or Show Time may refer to:
Film
* ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film
* ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur
Television Networks and channels
* Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global ...
, performing an alternative live rendition of the song "She's Gone Away" which previously appeared on Nine Inch Nails' 2016 EP ''
Not the Actual Events''.
In 2021, Reznor, Ross, and
Jon Batiste won the Golden Globe for the soundtrack for ''
Soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun '':wikt:soul, soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The ea ...
''.
Personal life
Ross and his wife, singer Claudia Sarne, have three children and live in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...
.
Works
Musical scores
Film
Television
Video game
Nine Inch Nails
*''
With Teeth'' (2005)
(Production and programming)
*''
Year Zero'' (2007)
(Production and programming)
*''
Ghosts I–IV'' (2008)
(Songwriter, production and programming)
*''
The Slip'' (2008)
(Production and programming)
*''
Hesitation Marks'' (2013)
(Production, programming, arranging and engineering)
*''
Not the Actual Events'' (2016)
(Production, performer and songwriter)
*''
The Fragile: Deviations 1'' (2016)
(Production)
*''
Add Violence
''Add Violence'' is the sixth extended play (EP) and eleventh major release by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. Released through The Null Corporation and Capitol Records on July 19, 2017, it is the second in a trilogy of releases, f ...
'' (2017)
(Production, performer and songwriter)
*''
Bad Witch
''Bad Witch'' is the ninth studio album by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released by The Null Corporation and Capitol Records on June 22, 2018. It is the last of a trilogy of releases, following their two previous EPs ''Not the ...
'' (2018)
(Production, performer and songwriter)
Production
*No Jahoda – ''Jahoda Witness''
*
Korn – ''
See You on the Other Side'' (also co-writing)
*Korn – ''
Untitled''
*
Coheed and Cambria – ''
Year of The Black Rainbow
''Year of the Black Rainbow'' is the fifth studio album by rock band Coheed and Cambria, released on April 13, 2010 through Columbia. The album is a prequel to the band's previous four concept albums, which comprise The Amory Wars narrative. ''Yea ...
'' (with
Joe Barresi)
*
Perry Farrell – "Go All the Way (Into the Twilight)"
*
Loverman – ''Human Nurture'' (with
Joe Barresi)
*
Lil Nas X – "
Old Town Road" (also co-writing)
*
Jehnny Beth
Jehnny Beth (born Camille Berthomier, 24 December 1984), is a French musician, singer-songwriter, producer, presenter and actress, best known as half of the duo John & Jehn and front woman of the English rock band Savages. Her debut solo album ...
– ''
To Love Is to Live'' (also co-writing)
*
Halsey – ''
If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power
''If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power'' is the fourth studio album by American singer Halsey, released on August 27, 2021, by Capitol Records. It was written by Halsey, Johnathan Cunningham, Greg Kurstin, and its producers Trent Reznor and Attic ...
''
Programming
*
Bad Religion – ''Beyond Electric Dreams''
*
Barry Adamson – ''
Oedipus Schmoedipus'', ''The Negro Inside Me''
*
From First To Last – ''The Levy''
*
P!nk – ''
Try This''
*
Saul Williams – ''
The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!'' (2007)
*
Bomb the Bass – ''Clear''
References
External links
Nine Inch Nails' site*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, Atticus
1968 births
Alumni of the Courtauld Institute of Art
Animated film score composers
Annie Award winners
Best Original Music BAFTA Award winners
Best Original Music Score Academy Award winners
British people of Italian descent
British trip hop musicians
Dark ambient musicians
Golden Globe Award-winning musicians
Grammy Award winners
English expatriates in the United States
English hip hop musicians
English industrial musicians
English film score composers
English male film score composers
English people of Italian descent
English record producers
How to Destroy Angels (band) members
Living people
Musicians from London
Nine Inch Nails members
People educated at Eton College
Place of birth missing (living people)
Primetime Emmy Award winners