William ‘Bill’ Conti is a composer and conductor who is well-known for writing movie scores. He was born in Providence, Rhode Island, on April 13, 1942. He studied at Louisiana State University and the Juilliard School of Music before launching his career in 1969. He first rose to fame when he composed the score for ‘Rocky’ in 1976. He has been the musical director for the Academy Awards nineteen times, which is more than anybody else. He has also won many awards for his work. Here are five of the top music scores of Bill Conti’s Career.
1. Rocky
It was writing the music sore for ‘Rocky’ that propelled Bill Conti’s career. Conti was nominated for a Golden Globe for the best original score and also an Academy Award for Best Original Song for ‘Gonna Fly Now’. This music was for the training montage scene of ‘Rocky’ and also became the theme tune. Sylvester Stallone both wrote and starred in this 1976 sports drama film which was directed by John G. Avildsen. The movie also starred Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burgess Meredith. The film was an unexpected phenomenon and grossed $225 million at the worldwide box office despite having a budget of only $1.1 million. Conti went on to write the music scores for ‘Rocky II’, ‘Rocky III’, ‘Rocky IV’, ‘Rocky V’, and ‘Rocky Balboa’.
2. The Right Stuff
Conti won an Academy Award for the Best Original Score for ‘The Right Stuff’. This 1983 epic historical drama is about the test pilots for an aeronautical research facility who are selected for Project Mercury. This was the United States’ first manned spaceflight. It is based on Tom Wolfe’s book of the same name. The screenplay was written by Philip Kaufman who also directed the movie. The film starred Fred Ward, Charles Frank, Ed Harris, Scott Glenn, and Lance Henriksen.
3. For Your Eyes Only
‘For Your Eyes Only’ is the 12th spy film in the James Bond series of films and it was released in 1981.It Was directed by John Glen and written by Michael G. Wilson and Richard Maibaum. It is based on the book of the same name by Ian Fleming. Roger Moore starred as James Bond and other cast members included Carole Bouquet, Julian Glover, Topol, and Lynn-Holly Johnson. Conti received nominations for both a Grammy Award and an Academy Award for Best Original Song for the title song ‘For Your Eyes Only.
4. An Unmarried Woman
Bill Conti was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Original Score for ‘An Unmarried Woman’. This is a comedy-drama movie that was written and directed by Paul Mazursky. It starred Jill Clayburgh who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. Other cast members included Alan Bates, Michael Murphy, and Cliff Gorman. It received great critical acclaim and did reasonably well at the box office. From a budget of $2.5 million, this movie grossed $24 million at the worldwide box office.
5. Karate Kid
Although Conti did not win any awards for his soundtrack for ‘Karate Kid’, it remains one of the best-known movies for which he wrote the music score. This 1984 martial arts drama movie was written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen, who was also the director for Rocky. It starred Ralph Macchio, Noriyuki ‘Pat’ Morita, and Elisabeth Shue. ‘Karate Kid’ grossed $90.8 million at the box office from a budget of $8 million.
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