Roger Bellon is a French film, television, theatre and opera composer, conductor, orchestrator and producer.

Early life

He was eight when he had his first piano and composition lessons. Roger Bellon earned his Bachelor Of Music Composition degree from the

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cou ...

, studying under music legends Gary Burton, Mike Gibbs and Herb Pomeroy among others and completed postgraduate studies in Composition and Conducting, under Pierre Petit (Grand Prix De Rome) at the

École Normale de Musique de Paris The École Normale de Musique de Paris "Alfred Cortot" (ENMP) is a leading conservatoire located in Paris, Île-de-France, France. At the time of the school's foundation in 1919 by Auguste Mangeot, Alfred Cortot. The term ''école normale'' (En ...

, Paris.

Career

He received numerous commissions from the French Government for his chamber as well as symphonic and choral compositions. At twenty-two, his first published composition, "Blackout," for piano, was commissioned by the École Normale de Musique de Paris for their yearly piano competition. It was published by legendary French music publisher Max Eschig and has been performed and recorded extensively. His Préludes for Piano have been performed by

Gabriel Tacchino Gabriel Tacchino (4 August 1934 – 29 January 2023) was a French classical pianist and teacher. Life and career Tacchino was born in Cannes on 4 August 1934. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire from 1947 to 1953, where his teachers included J ...

, one of France's premier post-war pianists.

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also ...

, Paris, signed Roger to their subsidiary label, Balance, where, as an artist, he produced two albums, the self-titled, ROGER BELLON, a Jazz influenced record for ten pieces and, ZERO ZERO, a children's Christmas album. He began his film-scoring career in Paris composing music for television and documentaries. He has worked with directors and writers such as

Joël Santoni Joël Santoni (5 November 1943 – 18 April 2018) was a French film director and screenwriter.

, Les Héroïques, and Jean Curtelin, La Marseillaise, and actors

Michel Galabru Michel Louis Edmond Galabru (27 October 19224 January 2016) was a French actor. Career Galabru appeared in more than 250 films and worked with directors such as Bertrand Blier, Costa-Gavras, Luc Besson (for ''Subway''), and Jean-Luc Godard. ...

Stéphane Audran Stéphane Audran (born Colette Suzanne Dacheville; 8 November 1932 – 27 March 2018) was a French actress. She was known for her performances in award-winning films such as ''The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie'' (1972) and '' Babette's Feast' ...

Guy Marchand Guy Marchand (born 22 May 1937) is a French actor, musician and singer. He is best known for his role as fictional private detective Nestor Burma. Selected filmography * 1962: '' The Longest Day'' as an extra (Uncredited) * 1975: ''Cousin ...

, Mort Schuman and

Caroline Cellier Caroline Cellier (7 August 1945 – 15 December 2020) was a French actress. She appeared in such films as ''L'année des méduses'' (''Year of the Jellyfish''), '' La vie, l'amour, la mort'', ''Le zèbre'' and '. Personal life She married ...

. Moving to Los Angeles he composed music for the popular television series ''

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 ...

'' as well as other series such as ''

Monsters A monster is a type of fictional creature found in horror, fantasy, science fiction, folklore, mythology and religion. Monsters are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive with a strange, grotesque appearance that causes terror and fe ...

'', ''

Yellowthread Street ''Yellowthread Street'' is a British television police drama, first broadcast in 1990, that focuses on the work of a group of detectives in the Royal Hong Kong Police. Developed and produced by Ranald Graham, the series was loosely based on the ...

'' (including the main title), ''

Café Americain ''Café Americain'' is an American television sitcom starring Valerie Bertinelli that aired on NBC from September 18, 1993, to February 8, 1994, with two leftover episodes shown on May 28, 1994. It was filmed at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, C ...

'' (including the main title), ''

The New Adventures of Robin Hood ''The New Adventures of Robin Hood'' is an action adventure television series that premiered on January 13, 1997, on TNT. The show was based on the legend of Robin Hood, the English folk hero, and was filmed in Vilnius, Lithuania. It was produc ...

'' (including the main title) and the award-winning cult series, ''

Highlander Highlander may refer to: Regional cultures * Gorals (lit. ''Highlanders''), a culture in southern Poland and northern Slovakia * Hill people, who live in hills and mountains * Merina people, an ethnic group from the central plateau of Madagascar ...

''. He has scored numerous television movies and miniseries such as the acclaimed Emmy nominated CBS ''

The Last Don ''The Last Don'' is a 1996 novel by American author Mario Puzo, best known as the author of the 1969 novel ''The Godfather''. The story follows an aging Mafia Don and his family as they try to retain power. The story alternates between the fil ...

'', based on Mario Puzo's best selling book, its sequel ''The Last Don - Part 2'', and the mini-series ''

Frankenstein ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific exp ...

'' which earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition. Bellon has scored over twenty feature films, documentaries and shorts. His most recent, ''186 Dollars To Freedom'', premiered at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival and garnered Best Director - Houston Worldfest and Best Film and Actor at the Hollywood Reel Film Festival. For ''Justice/Vengeance'', actor

Roy Scheider Roy Richard Scheider (; November 10, 1932 – February 10, 2008) was an American actor and amateur boxer. Described by AllMovie as "one of the most unique and distinguished of all Hollywood actors", he gained fame for his leading and supportin ...

's last movie, Bellon conducted the London Symphony Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios. It won The Boston Film Festival's: Visionary Award. His other award-winning features include ''12 Stones'', ''Break A Leg'', ''The Wishing Well'', ''Their Eyes Were Dry'', ''Darkness At High Noon: The Carl Foreman Documents'', '' The Sheik'' (the 1921 Silent Movie), '' Waxwork'', '' The Unholy'', ''Options'', ''

Dark Horse A dark horse is a previously lesser-known person or thing that emerges to prominence in a situation, especially in a competition involving multiple rivals, or a contestant that on paper should be unlikely to succeed but yet still might. Origin Th ...

'' and ''

Hitman's Run ''Hitman's Run'' is a 1999 film directed by Mark L. Lester. Plot A former mob hitman, now in witness protection, is forced to come out of retirement when his family is threatened by his cohorts. He teams up with a skateboarding kid, who has a co ...

''. A lover of theatre, Bellon has composed original music to ten theatrical productions: ''Open House'' (Shem Bitterman), ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict ...

'' (Shakespeare), '' Julius Caesar'' (Shakespeare), ''A Death In Columbia'' (Shem Bitterman), '' More Lies About Jerzy'' (Davey Holmes), ''Influence'' (Shem Bitterman), '' Three Sisters'' (Chekhov), ''

The Taming Of The Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken ...

'' (Shakespeare), ''Man.Gov'' (Shem Bitterman) and ''Harms Way'' (Shem Bitterman). His dance compositions include: ''Signé Modigliani'' for French Choreographer, Nadine Birtchansky, which had its World Premiere at the

California Institute of the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of bo ...

, ''The Perfection of Anna'' (short film) and ''In Between'' (short film) for Choreographer Hilary Thomas and Director

Elizabeth Gracen Elizabeth Ward Gracen (born Elizabeth Grace Ward, April 3, 1961) is an American actress and beauty pageant contestant who won the title of Miss America in 1982. Early life and education Elizabeth Grace Ward was born on April 3, 1961, in Oza ...

. His opera ''Highlander: A Celtic Opera'' was co-composed with Harlan Collins. It received its radio premiere on Radio Aktywne in Poland. He is currently composing his second opera, ''Ilios'', based on Homer's ''

Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the '' Odys ...

''.

Soundtracks

*''

186 Dollars to Freedom ''186 Dollars to Freedom'' (also titled ''The City of Gardens'' and ''City of Gardens'') is a Peruvian-American action drama film written by Monty Fisher and Camilo Vila, directed by Vila and starring John Robinson, Alex Meraz, Michael DeLorenzo ...

'' - (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) *''From My Flix - Songs & Themes Vol. 1'' *''

'' - (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) *'' Waxwork'' - (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) *'' The Unholy'' - (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) *''Options'' - (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) *'' Highlander: The Series'' - (Original Series Soundtrack) *''Highlander: The Series-Volume 2 (Music And Songs From Seasons 4 & 5)'' - (Original Series Soundtrack) *''The Best Of: Highlander the Series'' - (Original Series Soundtrack) *''

Mysterious Island ''The Mysterious Island'' (french: L'Île mystérieuse) is a novel by Jules Verne, published in 1875. The original edition, published by Hetzel, contains a number of illustrations by Jules Férat. The novel is a crossover sequel to Verne's fam ...

'' - (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Selected works

*Highlander: A Celtic Opera *Private Flight - (Compositions for Jazz flautist, Jim Walker) Produced By Clarke Stanley *Roger Bellon (Jazz Compositions For Small Orchestra) RCA Records, Paris *Zero, Zero (Children's Christmas Album) RCA Records, Paris *Selected Works (Bellchant Records)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bellon, Roger 20th-century classical composers French classical composers French male classical composers French film score composers French male film score composers Living people Musicians from Paris 1953 births 20th-century French composers 20th-century French male musicians