Atticus Matthew Cowper Ross (born 16 January 1968) is an English musician, composer, record producer, and audio engineer. He is best known for his work with American musician

Trent Reznor Michael Trent Reznor (born May 17, 1965) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and composer. He came to prominence as the founder, lead singer, multi-instrumentalist, and primary songwriter of the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. T ...

, with whom he first worked on the musical project

Tapeworm Eucestoda, commonly referred to as tapeworms, is the larger of the two subclasses of flatworms in the class Cestoda (the other subclass being Cestodaria). Larvae have six posterior hooks on the scolex (head), in contrast to the ten-hooked Ce ...

in 2002. He began working with Reznor's band

Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN (stylized as NIИ), is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988. Its members are the singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Trent Reznor and his frequent col ...

in 2005 as a programmer and producer, then joined as a musician and became the only official member of the band other than Reznor in 2016. Outside of Nine Inch Nails, Ross and Reznor have become known for their work on

film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...

s. They 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 networkin ...

'' in 2010, the

Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media The Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media is an honor presented to a composer (or composers) for an original score created for a film, TV show or series, or other visual media at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was establishe ...

for ''

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ''The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'' (original title in ) is a psychological thriller novel by Swedish author Stieg Larsson. It was published posthumously in 2005, translated into English in 2008, and became an international bestseller. ''T ...

'' in 2013, and the

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Januar ...

and Academy Award for ''

Soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

'' (alongside

Jon Batiste Jonathan Michael Batiste (born November 11, 1986) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, composer, bandleader, and television personality. He has recorded and performed with artists including Alicia Keys, Stevie Wonder, Prince (musician), ...

) in 2021. In 2025, Ross and Reznor won the Golden Globe again for '' Challengers''. Ross was inducted into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...

as a member of Nine Inch Nails in 2020. He and Reznor co-created the virtual supergroup WitchGang in 2023.

Early life

Atticus Matthew Cowper Ross was born in the

Ladbroke Grove Ladbroke Grove ( ) is a road in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, which passes through Kensal Green and Notting Hill, running north–south between Harrow Road and Holland Park Avenue. It is also the name of the sur ...

area of London on 16 January 1968, the son of Roxana Rose Catherine Naila and

Radio Caroline Radio Caroline is a British radio station founded in 1964 by Ronan O'Rahilly and Allan Crawford, initially to circumvent the record companies' control of popular music broadcasting in the United Kingdom and the BBC's radio broadcasting monopol ...

co-founder Ian Cowper Ross. His maternal grandfather was diplomat Miles Lampson, 1st Baron Killearn who was the grandson of fur merchant Curtis Lampson He has five siblings, including fellow musician

Leopold Ross Leopold "Leo" Ross is an English musician, record producer, recording engineer and music programmer. Leopold is a guitarist for LA-based band Io Echo. He is best known for his collaborations with his brother Atticus Ross on various film an ...

and fashion model Liberty Ross. His great-grandfather was Italian pathologist and bacteriologist Aldo Castellani while his uncle is English-American journalist Charles Glass. Ross was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

and later at the

Courtauld Institute of Art The Courtauld Institute of Art (), commonly referred to as The Courtauld, is a self-governing college of the University of London specialising in the study of the history of art and conservation. The art collection is known particularly for ...

Career

Music

Ross came to notice in the mid-1990s as a synthesizer programmer for Tim Simenon's

Bomb the Bass Bomb the Bass is an electronic music alias of English musician and producer Timothy Simenon (born June 1967). As a name, Bomb the Bass came from Simenon's approach to collaging and mixing sounds whilst DJing in the mid- to late 1980s; he says ...

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 Barry Adamson (born 11 June 1958)Biography
. Barryadamson.com. is an English pop and rock music ...

. 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

, 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

. He has been credited as a producer and/or programmer on the

albums '' With Teeth'', ''

Year Zero A year zero does not exist in the Anno Domini (AD) calendar year system commonly used to number years in the Gregorian calendar (nor in its predecessor, the Julian calendar); in this system, the year is followed directly by year (which is the ...

'', '' Ghosts I–IV'' (on which he was a co-writer), '' The Slip'', and ''

Hesitation Marks ''Hesitation Marks'' is the eighth studio album by the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released on August 30, 2013, by The Null Corporation and distributed by Columbia Records in the United States and Polydor Records elsewhere. It ...

''. He has worked with Reznor in numerous other capacities, including work with

Saul Williams Saul Stacey Williams (born February 29, 1972) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, musician, poet, writer, and actor. He is known for his blend of poetry and alternative hip hop, and for his lead roles in the 1998 independent film ''Slam ( ...

and

Zack de la Rocha Zacharias Manuel de la Rocha (born January 12, 1970) is an American musician, rapper, singer, songwriter, and political activist. He is best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the rock band Rage Against the Machine. Through both Rage Against ...

, and they co-produced tracks for a reformed

Jane's Addiction Jane's Addiction was an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1985. The band's best known line-up consisted of lead vocalist Perry Farrell, bassist Eric Avery, drummer Stephen Perkins and guitarist Dave Navarro. Jane's Addicti ...

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 from ...

in 2009. Other work has included two co-productions with

Joe Barresi Joe Barresi (nicknamed "Evil Joe") is an American record engineer and producer who has worked with Kyuss, The Melvins, Tool, Chevelle, Apocalyptica, Queens of the Stone Age, Coheed and Cambria, Tomahawk, L7, The Jesus Lizard, Parkway Drive ...

, the Loverman EP ''Human Nurture'' and

Coheed and Cambria Coheed and Cambria is an American progressive rock band from Nyack, New York, formed in 1995. It consists of Claudio Sanchez (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Travis Stever (guitars, vocals), Josh Eppard (drums, keyboards, backing vocals), and Za ...

's '' Year of the Black Rainbow'', as well as albums for

Korn Korn (stylized as KoЯn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, originally formed in 1993 by James Shaffer, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald Arvizu, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu and David Silveria, who were members of the band ...

. He has also produced tracks or created remixes for such artists as

Grace Jones Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, model and actress. She began her Model (person), modelling career in New York State, then in Paris, working for fashion houses such as Yves Saint Laurent (brand), Yves St ...

Perry Farrell Perry Farrell (born Peretz Bernstein; March 29, 1959) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician referred to as the " Godfather of Alternative Music". Farrell began his career with Psi Com in the early 1980s, before becoming the frontman ...

, and

Telepathe Telepathe (pronounced ''telepathy'' and meant with some literal meaning) are an electronic pop duo from Brooklyn consisting of core members Busy Gangnes and Melissa Livaudais. The band also includes other occasional musicians, such as Ryan Lucero ...

. 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'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-songwriter Halsey (singer), Halsey, released on August 27, 2021, by Capitol Records. Produced by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails, the album mar ...

''.

Film and television scores

Ross' work in film music began in 2004 when he scored the

Hughes Brothers Albert Hughes and Allen Hughes (born April 1, 1972), known together professionally as the Hughes Brothers, are American twin brother filmmakers. They are known for visceral and often violent films, including ''Menace II Society'' (1993), ''De ...

' TV series '' Touching Evil'' with his wife Claudia Sarne and brother

. He has since provided music for two further Hughes Brothers projects: Allen Hughes' vignette in the film ''

New York, I Love You ''New York, I Love You'' is a 2008 American romantic comedy-drama anthology film consisting of eleven short films, each by a different director. The shorts all relate in some way to the subject of love and are set among the five boroughs of Ne ...

'', and Ross' first feature film, '' The Book of Eli'' (2010). The latter's score was released through

Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Green Day, En ...

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 The World Soundtrack Awards, launched in 2001, are the annual awards for best Film score, film music, presented during the Film Fest Gent. The World Soundtrack Academy supports the art of film music through cultural, educational and professional ac ...

. On 1 July 2010, Reznor announced that he and Ross were scoring

David Fincher David Andrew Leo Fincher (born August 28, 1962) is an American film director. Often described as one of the preeminent directors of his generation, David Fincher filmography, his films, of which most are psychological thrillers, have collectiv ...

's new film ''

''. 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 The Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score is a Golden Globe Award presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), an organization of journalists who cover the United States film industry, but are affiliated with publications out ...

for their score to ''The Social Network''. On 27 February, they received the

for ''

''. Ross and Reznor again collaborated on the soundtrack to Fincher's 2011 film '' Girl With the Dragon Tattoo''. In 2013, the pair won the

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. 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 composer, record producer and musician. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Gustavo Santaolalla, numerous accolades for List of works by Gustavo S ...

and the band

Mogwai Mogwai () are a Scottish post-rock band, formed in 1995 in Glasgow. The band consists of Stuart Braithwaite (guitar, vocals), Barry Burns (guitar, piano, synthesizer, vocals), Dominic Aitchison (bass guitar), and Martin Bulloch (drums). Mogwa ...

, 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 Alessandro Cortini (born 24 May 1976) is an Italian musician best known for his work with the American industrial band Nine Inch Nails. He plays modular synthesizers, keyboards, guitar, and bass guitar. Cortini is the first Italian inducted ...

, appeared as "The Nine Inch Nails" in Episode 8 of '' Twin Peaks: The Return'' on Showtime, 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

won the Golden Globe and Academy Award for the soundtrack for ''

''. Since then, Ross and Reznor have composed numerous film scores, frequently collaborating with director David Fincher, as well as working with Luca Guadagnino on '' Challengers'', which earned them the Golden Globe for Best Original Score once again.

Personal life

Ross and his wife, American musician Claudia Sarne, have three children together and split their time between

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

Works

Musical scores

Film

Television

Video games

Nine Inch Nails

*'' With Teeth'' (2005) (Production and programming) *''

'' (2007) (Production and programming) *'' Ghosts I–IV'' (2008) (Songwriter, production and programming) *'' The Slip'' (2008) (Production and programming) *''

'' (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 fourth EP and eleventh major release by the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. Issued through the Null Corporation and Capitol Records on July 19, 2017, it is the second in a trilogy of releases, following th ...

'' (2017) (Production, performer and songwriter) *'' Bad Witch'' (2018) (Production, performer and songwriter)

Production

*No Jahoda – ''Jahoda Witness'' *

– '' See You on the Other Side'' (also co-writing) *Korn – Untitled *

– '' Year of The Black Rainbow'' (with

) *

– "Go All the Way (Into the Twilight)" * Loverman – ''Human Nurture'' (with

) *

Lil Nas X Montero Lamar Hill (born April 9, 1999), better known by his stage name Lil Nas X ( ), is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to prominence with the release of his 2018 country rap single "Old Town Road," the longest-running nu ...

– "

Old Town Road "Old Town Road" is the debut mainstream single by the American rapper and singer Lil Nas X, first released independently in December 2018. After gaining popularity, the single was re-released by Columbia Records in March 2019. He also recorded ...

" (also co-writing) * Jehnny Beth – '' To Love Is to Live'' (also co-writing) * Halsey – ''

'' (with

) * WitchGang (with David Sitek, Hudson Mohawke, and

, also co-writing)

Programming

Bad Religion Bad Religion is an American punk rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1980. The band's lyrics cover topics related to religion, politics, society, the media and science. Musically, they are noted for their melodic sensibilities and ...

– ''Beyond Electric Dreams'' *

Barry Adamson Barry Adamson (born 11 June 1958)Biography
. Barryadamson.com. is an English pop and rock music ...

– '' Oedipus Schmoedipus'', ''The Negro Inside Me'' * From First To Last – ''The Levy'' * P!nk – ''

Try This ''Try This'' is the third studio album by American singer Pink, released on November 11, 2003, by Arista Records. Wanting to expand more on the rock sound, which she explored on her previous record, '' Missundaztood'', for ''Try This'' Pink colla ...

'' *

– '' The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!'' (2007) *

– ''Clear''

Awards and nominations

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 expatriate musicians 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