Biography

Benjamin Wallfisch is an Emmy®, Ivor Novello and multiple World Soundtrack Award nominated composer. To date, he has worked on 29 feature films, working closely with directors including Terry Gilliam, Thomas Vinterberg, Lars von Trier, Joe Wright and Rupert Wyatt.

Classically trained, Benjamin obtained a Masters degree with Distinction in Composition from London’s Royal Academy of Music, and is the first composer in the Academy’s history to be awarded the Honorary Diploma of the Academy.

He made his debut as film composer at the age of 24, scoring von Trier’s Dear Wendy. His work on this score earned him a nomination as 'Discovery of the Year' in the 2005 World Soundtrack Awards and 'Best Original Score' in the 2006 Danish Film Academy Awards.

His subsequent score, for Rupert Wyatt's The Escapist earned him a nomination as 'Best Original Film Score' in the 2009 Ivor Novello Awards and his second nomination as 'Discovery of the Year' in the 2008 World Soundtrack Awards. The film was featured in the 2008 Sundance Film Festival read review and the score went on to receive acclaim in the international press, with the New York Times noting:

"Drama, and the cadences of prison life are asserted by an urgent, discordant score (by Benjamin Wallfisch) whose naturalistic taps and groans reduce the need for visible brutality."

Benjamin orchestrated and conducted Dario Marianelli’s Oscar® and Golden Globe® winning score for Atonement and has worked as lead orchestrator on numerous other studio pictures such as Pride and Prejudice (Oscar® nominated, Best Original Score 2006), V for Vendetta, The Soloist, Eat Pray Love, Jane Eyre and Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood. Most recently he arranged the music for the acclaimed feature documentary Life in a Day, produced by Ridley Scott and directed by Kevin MacDonald, and composed additional music for The Rite, starring Anthony Hopkins and also for Red Riding Hood, directed by Catherine Hardwicke of the Twilight series.

Benjamin is also in demand as a concert composer and conductor and has worked closely with orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic and Sydney Symphony Orchestra, performing in venues including the Hollywood Bowl, Sydney Opera House, Amsterdam's Concertgebouw and London’s Royal Festival Hall.

Benjamin lives and works in Los Angeles and owns scoring and recording facilities in Santa Monica and London.

View Benjamin's IMDB page here