Bill Conti

2025-09-20T12:46:22Z

2A00:1D36:1011:5701:72F7:A238:3ABA:196D: /* Selected discography */

{{Short description|American composer and conductor|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Bill Conti
| image = Bill Conti.jpg
| caption = Conti in 2008
| alias =
| birth_name = William Conti
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1942|4|13}}
| birth_place = [[Providence, Rhode Island]], U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| genre = [[Film score]], [[disco]]
| occupation = [[Composer]], [[Conducting|conductor]]
| years_active = 1969–present
| label =
| website =
}}

'''William Conti''' (born April 13, 1942) is an American composer and conductor.<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=1997|edition=Concise|isbn=1-85227-745-9|pages=297/8}}</ref> He is best known for his film scores, including ''[[Rocky]]'' (1976), ''[[Rocky II]]'' (1979), ''[[Rocky III]]'' (1982), ''[[Rocky V]]'' (1990), ''[[Rocky Balboa (film)|Rocky Balboa]]'' (2006), ''[[The Karate Kid]]'' (1984), ''[[The Karate Kid Part II]]'' (1986), ''[[The Karate Kid Part III]]'' (1989), ''[[The Next Karate Kid]]'' (1994), ''[[For Your Eyes Only (film)|For Your Eyes Only]]'' (1981), ''[[Dynasty (1981 TV series)|Dynasty]]'' (and its sequel ''[[The Colbys]]'') and ''[[The Right Stuff (film)|The Right Stuff]]'' (1983), which earned him an [[Academy Award for Best Original Score]]. He also received nominations in the Best Original Song category for "[[Gonna Fly Now]]" from ''Rocky'' and for the title song of ''For Your Eyes Only''. He was the musical director at the Academy Awards a record nineteen times.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://musicbehindthescreen.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/cue-bill-conti.html |title=The Music Behind the Screen: Cue Bill Conti |journal=Music Behind the Screen |date=February 24, 2014 |access-date=December 11, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151119204410/http://musicbehindthescreen.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/cue-bill-conti.html |archive-date=November 19, 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Conti is known for his collaborations with director [[John G. Avildsen]], having scored fourteen films for Avildsen, beginning with ''Rocky'' (1976) and ending with ''[[Inferno (1999 film)|Inferno]]'' (1999). Their collaboration included such pictures as the first three films in ''[[The Karate Kid (franchise)| The Karate Kid]]'' franchise (1984–1989), ''[[Slow Dancing in the Big City]]'' (1978), ''[[The Formula (1980 film)|The Formula]]'' (1980), and ''[[Neighbors (1981 film)|Neighbors]]'' (1981).<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.soundtrackcorner.de/inferno-p8105.htm | title=Inferno - Bill Conti - soundtrack (CD) }}</ref>

==Biography==
===Early life===
Conti, an [[Italian American]], was born in [[Providence, Rhode Island]],<ref name="Larkin" /> the son of Lucetta and William Conti.<ref name="MacDonald324">{{cite book |last=MacDonald |first=Laurence E. |date=2013 |title=The Invisible Art of Film Music: A Comprehensive History |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e0NYYHWtz6sC&pg=PA324 |location=Lanham, Maryland |publisher=[[The Scarecrow Press]] |page=324 |isbn=978-0-8108-9058-9}}</ref> He graduated from [[North Miami High School]] in 1959.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nmshaa.net/alumni/famous-pioneers |title=North Miami High School Alumni Events » Famous Pioneers |access-date=December 22, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213012545/http://www.nmshaa.net/alumni/famous-pioneers |archive-date=December 13, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He is a past winner of the Silver Knight Award presented by the [[Miami Herald]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Dahlberg |first=Nancy |url=https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/article181594626.html |title=Silver Knight Scholarship Endowment Fund launches with more than $3 million in grants |newspaper=[[Miami Herald]] |date=October 30, 2017 |access-date=September 8, 2019}}</ref> He is a graduate of [[Louisiana State University School of Music]],<ref name="Larkin" /> where he met his wife Shelby Cox, and earned a master's degree with honors from the [[Juilliard School]] of Music.<ref name="Larkin" />

===''Rocky'' series===
As early as 1971, Bill was orchestrating pop recordings by Italian artists, such as the album ''Sì... incoerenza'' ("Yes to Incoherence") by Italian singer [[Patty Pravo]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Cusimano |first=Clarissa |date=July 23, 2020 |title=Patty Pravo, vita, figli e amori: tutto sulla cantante nota come La Ragazza del Piper |url=https://www.lettoquotidiano.it/patty-pravo-vita-figli-e-amori-tutto-sulla-cantante-nota-come-la-ragazza-del-piper/63818/ |work=LettoQuotidiano.it |language=Italian |access-date=July 23, 2020}}</ref> He was also a [[ghostwriter]] of the scores for [[Spaghetti Western]]s.<ref name="MacDonald324" /> Conti's big break into celebrity came in 1976, when [[United Artists]] hired him to compose the music for a small film called ''[[Rocky]]''.<ref name="Larkin" /> The film became a phenomenon and won three Oscars at the [[49th Academy Awards]], including [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]]. The same ceremony was also the first time Conti served as musical director for the telecast, a role he reprised 19 times, more than any other person. His training montage tune, "[[Gonna Fly Now]]", topped the Billboard singles chart in 1977, and earned him an Academy Award nomination for [[Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song]].<ref name="Larkin" />

Conti also composed music for the sequels ''[[Rocky II]]'' (1979), ''[[Rocky III]]'' (1982), ''[[Rocky V]]'' (1990)<ref name="Larkin" /> and ''[[Rocky Balboa (film)|Rocky Balboa]]'' (2006).

===Other film and television credits===
Conti also worked for some other films and, eventually, for television series. In 1981, he wrote the music for the [[James Bond]] film ''[[For Your Eyes Only (film)|For Your Eyes Only]]'',<ref name="Larkin" /> when [[John Barry (composer)|John Barry]] was unwilling to return to the United Kingdom for tax reasons,<ref>{{cite book |last=Simpson |first=Paul |date=2015 |title=Bond Vs. Bond: The Many Faces of 007 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H_76CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA138 |location=New York |publisher=[[Race Point Publishing]] |page=138 |isbn=978-1-63106-000-7}}</ref> and provided the score for playwright [[Jason Miller (playwright)|Jason Miller]]'s film version of his [[Pulitzer Prize]]-winning play ''[[That Championship Season (1982 film)|That Championship Season]]'' the following year.

In 1983, Conti composed the score for HBO's first film, ''The Terry Fox Story''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Newman |first=Peter C. |author-link=Peter C. Newman |date=May 30, 1983 |title=The Terry Fox project in black |url=https://archive.macleans.ca/article/1983/5/30/the-terry-fox-project-in-black |work=[[Maclean's]] |access-date=December 11, 2014 |archive-date=June 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624212337/https://archive.macleans.ca/article/1983/5/30/the-terry-fox-project-in-black |url-status=dead }}</ref> He then did ''[[Bad Boys (1983 film)|Bad Boys]]'', ''[[Living Proof: The Hank Williams Jr. Story]]'', ''[[Mass Appeal (film)|Mass Appeal]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Maslin |first=Janet |author-link=Janet Maslin |date=December 17, 1984 |title=JACK LEMMON IN 'MASS APPEAL' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/12/17/movies/jack-lemmon-in-mass-appeal.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=December 11, 2014}}</ref> In 1984, he won an Academy Award for composing the score to 1983's ''[[The Right Stuff (film)|The Right Stuff]]'',<ref>{{cite book |last=MacDonald |first=Laurence E. |date=2013 |title=The Invisible Art of Film Music: A Comprehensive History |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e0NYYHWtz6sC&pg=PA323 |location=Lanham, Maryland |publisher=The Scarecrow Press |page=323 |isbn=978-0-8108-9058-9}}</ref> after which he wrote the music for the TV series ''[[North and South (miniseries)|North and South]]'' in 1985.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Brode |first1=Douglas |last2=Brode |first2=Shea T. |last3=Miller |first3=Cynthia J. |date=2017 |title=The American Civil War on Film and TV: Blue and Gray in Black and White and Color |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZlY_DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA204 |location=Lanham, Maryland |publisher=[[Lexington Books]] |page=204 |isbn=978-1-4985-6688-9}}</ref> He also scored the ''[[Masters of the Universe (1987 film)|Masters of the Universe]]'' live action film. Another score was the 1987 film ''[[Happy New Year (1987 film)|Happy New Year]]''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Powell |first1=Larry |last2=Garrett |first2=Tom |date=2013 |title=The Films of John G. Avildsen: Rocky, The Karate Kid and Other Underdogs |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8aNTAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA151 |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] |page=151 |isbn=978-0-7864-6692-4}}</ref>

In 1991, Conti composed for ''[[Necessary Roughness (film)|Necessary Roughness]]'', a college football film.<ref>{{cite news |last=Johnson |first=Malcolm L. |date=September 28, 1991 |title=UNNECESSARY 'ROUGHNESS' IS PREDICTABLE, COLLEGE-GRIDIRON PICTURE |url=https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-1991-09-28-0000211504-story.html |work=[[Hartford Courant]] |access-date=December 11, 2014}}</ref> In 1993, he wrote the music for ''[[The Adventures of Huck Finn (1993 film)|The Adventures of Huck Finn]]'' starring [[Elijah Wood]] and directed by [[Stephen Sommers]]. In 1999, he composed the score for ''[[The Thomas Crown Affair (1999 film)|The Thomas Crown Affair]]'' remake, starring [[Pierce Brosnan]] and [[Rene Russo]]. That year, he scored ''[[Inferno (1999 film)|Inferno]]'', starring [[Jean-Claude Van Damme]].{{sfn|Powell|Garrett|2013|p=217}}

Conti composed the themes to television's ''[[Dynasty (1981 TV series)|Dynasty]]'',<ref>{{cite book |last=Gripsrud |first=Jostein |author-link=Jostein Gripsrud |date=2003 |title=The Dynasty Years: Hollywood Television and Critical Media Studies |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8p87X0pHg4IC&pg=PA46 |location=London, United Kingdom |publisher=[[Routledge]] |page=46 |isbn=0-415-08598-5}}</ref> ''[[The Colbys]]'', ''[[Falcon Crest]]'' and ''[[Cagney & Lacey]].''<ref>{{cite news |last=Torres |first=Agnes |date=July 6, 1986 |title=COMPOSER BILL CONTI IS A MASTER OF MOVIE MUSIC |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1986-07-06-0230370079-story.html |work=[[Orlando Sentinel]] |access-date=December 11, 2014}}</ref> He wrote the theme song to the original version of ''[[American Gladiators (1989 TV series)|American Gladiators]]'', worked with [[CBS]] on its 1980s film jingle, composed one of the early themes of ''[[Inside Edition]]'',<ref>{{cite news |last=Horovitz |first=Bruce |date=May 21, 1991 |title=Killer Music Signs Big Names to Do Product Jingles |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-05-21-fi-2279-story.html |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=December 11, 2014}}</ref> and wrote the ''[[Primetime Live]]'' theme for [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Carter |first=Bill |date=August 8, 1989 |title=A Ripple of Interest for 'PrimeTime Live' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/08/08/arts/a-ripple-of-interest-for-primetime-live.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=December 11, 2014}}</ref> He composed the score to the studio-altered American version of [[Luc Besson]]'s ''[[The Big Blue]]''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Lanzoni |first=Rémi Fournier |date=2015 |title=French Cinema: From Its Beginnings to the Present |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xpBZCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA346 |location=New York and London |publisher=[[Bloomsbury Academic]] |page=346 |isbn=978-1-5013-0307-4}}</ref>

Two of Conti's previously composed works were reused for the show ''[[Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous]]''. These were the love theme "Come with Me Now", from the soundtrack for ''[[Five Days from Home]]'' (used for the show's main theme), and "Runaway", from ''[[For Your Eyes Only (soundtrack)|For Your Eyes Only]]'' (used for in-show content).

==Awards and nominations==
Conti has been nominated for three Academy Awards, winning one in the [[Academy Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score]] category for ''[[The Right Stuff (film)|The Right Stuff]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=The 56th Academy Awards (1984) Nominees and Winners |url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1984 |website=Oscars.org |access-date=August 11, 2014}}</ref> He also received nominations in the [[Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song]] category for "[[Gonna Fly Now]]" from ''[[Rocky]]'' and for the title song of ''[[For Your Eyes Only (film)|For Your Eyes Only]]''.<ref>{{cite news |title=COMPOSER CONTI WILL CONDUCT AT 62ND ACADEMY AWARDS |url=https://www.deseret.com/1990/1/24/18842878/composer-conti-will-conduct-at-62nd-academy-awards |work=[[Deseret News]] |date=January 24, 1990 |access-date=December 11, 2014}}</ref>

He had three Golden Globe nominations; two for [[Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score]] for ''[[Rocky]]'' and ''[[An Unmarried Woman]]'', and one for [[Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song]] for the title song of ''[[For Your Eyes Only (film)|For Your Eyes Only]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/bill-conti |title=Bill Conti |website=[[Golden Globe Awards]] |access-date=December 11, 2014}}</ref>

Conti also received thirteen Emmy nominations, all but one for his role as musical director at the [[Academy Awards]] (the exception, his first nomination, was for his music for the 1985 series ''[[North and South (miniseries)|North and South]]''). He won three Emmy Awards for Outstanding Musical Direction for the [[64th Academy Awards|64th]], [[70th Academy Awards|70th]] and [[75th Academy Awards|75th]] Academy Award ceremonies.<ref>{{cite web |title=Awards Search|url=http://www.emmys.com/awards/nominations/award-search?search_api_views_fulltext=bill+conti&field_is_winner%5B1%5D=1&submit=Search&search_api_views_fulltext_1=&search_api_views_fulltext_3=&search_api_views_fulltext_2=&search_api_views_fulltext_4=&field_nominations_year=1949-01-01+00%3A00%3A00&field_nominations_year_1=2014-01-01+00%3A00%3A00&field_nomination_category=All |website=Emmys |access-date=August 11, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180821094041/http://www.emmys.com/awards/nominations/award-search?search_api_views_fulltext=bill+conti&field_is_winner%5B1%5D=1&submit=Search&search_api_views_fulltext_1=&search_api_views_fulltext_3=&search_api_views_fulltext_2=&search_api_views_fulltext_4=&field_nominations_year=1949-01-01+00%3A00%3A00&field_nominations_year_1=2014-01-01+00%3A00%3A00&field_nomination_category=All |archive-date=August 21, 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

On April 22, 2008, at the LSU Union Theatre at Louisiana State University, Conti was inducted into the [[Louisiana Music Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://louisianamichalloffame.org/content/view/59/73/ |title=BILL CONTI - 2008 |website=[[Louisiana Music Hall of Fame]] |access-date=December 11, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141224000648/http://louisianamusichalloffame.org/content/view/59/73/ |archive-date=December 24, 2014}}</ref>

==Selected discography==
{{Div col}}
*''[[Blume in Love]]'' (1973)
*''[[Harry and Tonto]]'' (1974)
*''[[Next Stop, Greenwich Village]]'' (1976)
*''[[Rocky (film)|Rocky]]'' (1976)
*''[[Smash-Up on Interstate 5]]'' (1976)
*''[[F.I.S.T. (film)|F.I.S.T]]'' (1978)
*''[[Paradise Alley]]'' (1978)
*''[[The Big Fix (1978 film)|The Big Fix]]'' (1978)
*''[[Slow Dancing in the Big City]]'' (1978)
*''[[An Unmarried Woman]]'' (1978)
*''[[Five Days from Home]]'' (1978)
*''[[The Pirate (1978 film)|The Pirate]]'' (1978)
*''[[Dreamer (1979 film)|Dreamer]]'' (1979)
*''[[Rocky II]]'' (1979)
*''[[Goldengirl]]'' (1979)
*''[[The Seduction of Joe Tynan]]'' (1979)
*''[[A Man, a Woman and a Bank]]'' (1979)
*''[[Gloria (1980 film)|Gloria]]'' (1980)
*''[[Private Benjamin (1980 film)|Private Benjamin]]'' (1980)
*''[[The Formula (1980 film)|The Formula]]'' (1980)
*''[[Escape to Victory]]'' (1981)
*''[[Carbon Copy (film)|Carbon Copy]]'' (1981)
*''[[For Your Eyes Only (soundtrack)|For Your Eyes Only]]'' (1981)
*''[[Neighbors (1981 film)|Neighbors]]'' (1981)
*''[[Rocky III]]'' (1982)
*''[[I, the Jury (1982 film)|I, the Jury]]'' (1982)
*''[[Split Image (film)|Split Image]]'' (1982)
*''Theme from [[Dynasty (1981 TV series)|Dynasty]]'' (1982): The single spent nine weeks on the [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] [[Hot 100]], peaking at number 52 in December 1982.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Bill Conti: Chart History |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/bill-conti |access-date=September 8, 2019 |magazine=Billboard}}</ref>
*''[[That Championship Season (1982 film)|That Championship Season]]'' (1982)
*''[[Cagney & Lacey]]'' (1982)
*''[[Emerald Point N.A.S.]]'' (1983)
*''[[Living Proof: The Hank Williams Jr. Story]]'' (1983)
*''[[Bad Boys (1983 film)|Bad Boys]]'' (1983)
*''[[The Right Stuff (film)|The Right Stuff]]'' (1983)
*''[[The Terry Fox Story]]'' (1983)
*''[[Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets]]'' (1984)
*''[[The Karate Kid]]'' (1984)
*''[[The Karate Kid|The Karate Kid I]]'', ''[[The Karate Kid, Part II|II]]'', ''[[The Karate Kid Part III|III]]'', ''[[The Next Karate Kid]] Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Scores'' (released 2006)
*''Theme from [[The Colbys|Dynasty II: The Colbys]]'' (1985)
*''[[North and South (miniseries)|North and South]]'' (1985)
*''[[Gotcha! (1985 film)|Gotcha!]]'' (1985)
*''[[F/X]]'' (1986)
*''[[The Karate Kid, Part II]]'' (1986) (released 2011)
*''[[Nomads (1986 film)|Nomads]]'' (1986)
*''[[Masters of the Universe (1987 film)|Masters of the Universe]]'' (1987)
*''Theme from [[Napoleon and Josephine: A Love Story]]'' (1987)
*''[[A Prayer for the Dying]]'' (1987)
*''[[Broadcast News (film)|Broadcast News]]'' (1987)
*''[[A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon]]'' (1988)
*''[[Cohen & Tate]]'' (1988)
*''[[Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman]]'' (1989)
*''[[Lock Up (1989 film)|Lock Up]]'' (1989)
*''[[The Fourth War]]'' (1990)
*''[[Rocky V]]'' (1990)
*''[[Necessary Roughness (film)|Necessary Roughness]]'' (1991)
*''[[Year of the Gun (film)|Year of the Gun]]'' (1991)
*''[[Falcon Crest]]'' (TeeVee Tunes Soundtrack) (1992)
*''[[Dynasty (1981 TV series)|Dynasty]]'' (TeeVee Tunes Soundtrack) (1992)
*''[[Blood In Blood Out]]'' (1993)
*''[[The Adventures of Huck Finn (1993 film)|The Adventures of Huck Finn]]'' (1993)
*''[[Rookie of the Year (film)|Rookie of the Year]]'' (1993) (released 2006)
*''[[8 Seconds (soundtrack)|8 Seconds]]'' (1994)
*''[[Bushwhacked (film)|Bushwhacked]]'' (1995) (released 2006)
*''[[Napoleon (1995 film)|Napoleon]]'' (1995)
*''[[Spy Hard]]'' (1996)
*''[[The Real Macaw (film)|The Real Macaw]]'' (1998)
*''[[Wrongfully Accused]]'' (1998)
*''[[Inferno (1999 film)|Inferno]]'' (1999)
*''[[The Thomas Crown Affair (1999 film)|The Thomas Crown Affair]]'' (1999) (includes other artists)
*''[[Avenging Angelo]]'' (2002)
*''[[Boys on the Run]]'' (2003)
*''[[Rocky Balboa (film)|Rocky Balboa]]'' (2006)
*''[[Rocky Balboa: The Best of Rocky]]'' (2006) (includes other artists)
{{Div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|6015}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061023152325/http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/articles/1999/28_Jul---Wearing_the_Crown_Again_Bill_Conti_Interview_Part_1.asp Interview]
* {{EmmyTVLegends name|bill-conti|Bill Conti}}

{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Bill Conti
|list1 =
{{AcademyAwardBestOriginalScore 1981-2000}}
{{EmmyAward MusicDirection}}
}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conti, Bill}}
[[Category:1942 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century American composers]]
[[Category:20th-century American conductors (music)]]
[[Category:21st-century American composers]]
[[Category:21st-century American conductors (music)]]
[[Category:American disco musicians]]
[[Category:American male conductors (music)]]
[[Category:American film score composers]]
[[Category:American male film score composers]]
[[Category:American male television composers]]
[[Category:American people of Italian descent]]
[[Category:American television composers]]
[[Category:Best Original Music Score Academy Award winners]]
[[Category:Juilliard School alumni]]
[[Category:Louisiana State University School of Music alumni]]
[[Category:Musicians from Providence, Rhode Island]]
[[Category:Primetime Emmy Award winners]]
[[Category:Rocky (franchise) music]]
[[Category:Spaghetti Western composers]]
[[Category:Varèse Sarabande Records artists]]
[[Category:20th-century American male composers]]

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Bill Conti