Alan Anthony Silvestri (born March 26, 1950) is an American composer, conductor, orchestrator and music producer of film scores. He has received two Grammy Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards as well as nominations for two Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards.
He has been associated with director Robert Zemeckis since 1984, composing music for nearly all of his feature films, including the Back to the Future film series (1985–1990), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), Death Becomes Her (1992), Forrest Gump (1994), Contact (1997), What Lies Beneath (2000), Cast Away (2000), The Polar Express (2004), Beowulf (2007), Flight (2012) and The Walk (2015).
Silvestri also scored many other popular movies, including Predator (1987), The Abyss (1989), Father of the Bride (1991), The Bodyguard (1992), Eraser (1996), The Parent Trap (1998), Practical Magic (1998), Stuart Little (1999), The Mummy Returns (2001), Lilo & Stitch (2002), Van Helsing (2004), the first three Night at the Museum films, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009), The A-Team (2010), Ready Player One (2018), and five Marvel Cinematic Universe films: Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), The Avengers (2012), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019) and Avengers: Doomsday (2026).
Early life and education Silvestri was born March 26, 1950. His grandparents emigrated in 1909 from the Italian town of Castell'Alfero, and settled in Teaneck, New Jersey.Meredith May, "Alan Silvestri pairs music with wine", SFGate (June 7, 2013). He grew up in Teaneck,Subscribe to Ali A ASCAP Henry Mancini Award , ASCAP. Accessed October 21, 2008. Manhattan-born and Teaneck, New Jersey-bred, Silvestri attended Boston's prestigious Berklee College of Music before joining a Las Vegas band as a guitarist." and graduated in 1968 from Teaneck High School. He attended Berklee College of Music for two years. He was a drummer for a short time in 1966 with Teaneck-based rock band the Wildcats.
Career Silvestri moved to Los Angeles in 1970. "I came to Hollywood in 1970 broke.... I didn't even have any goals or plans. I didn't even go to movies. And I knew nothing about composers or composing," he said. In 1972, while he was working intermittently as a session guitarist, the producer of the low-budget action film The Doberman Gang asked him to score the picture. Silvestri agreed, despite a lack of experience: "I went out and bought a how-to-compose book by Earl Hagen.... At one point, I was using beer cans for percussion."
From 1978 to 1983, Silvestri was the main composer for the television series CHiPs, writing music for 95 of the show's 139 episodes.
Silvestri met film director Robert Zemeckis when they worked together on Zemeckis's film Romancing the Stone (1984). Since then, he has composed the music for all of Zemeckis's movies, including the Back to the Future trilogy (1985–1990), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), Death Becomes Her (1992), Forrest Gump (1994), Contact (1997), Cast Away (2000), The Polar Express (2004), Beowulf (2007), A Christmas Carol (2009), Flight (2012), and The Walk (2015).
In 1989, Silvestri composed the score for the James Cameron-directed film The Abyss. Since 2001, he has also collaborated regularly with director Stephen Sommers, scoring the films The Mummy Returns (2001), Van Helsing (2004), and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009). He also composed the ImageMovers opening theme.
Silvestri has composed the scores for four Marvel Cinematic Universe films: Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), The Avengers (2012), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019) and is currently scheduled to compose the scores for Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. His themes and motifs from those films have been referenced and reprised by other composers in multiple other MCU films.
Silvestri has also composed music for television series, including T. J. Hooker (one episode), Starsky & Hutch (three episodes), and Tales from the Crypt (seven episodes). In 2014, he composed the award-winning music for the science documentary series Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey. He wrote new songs with Glen Ballard for the live-action/CGI film adaptation of Disney's Pinocchio.
Personal life Silvestri and his wife Sandra own a vineyard, Silvestri Vineyards, in Carmel Valley, California.. Silvestrivineyards.com. Retrieved on May 2, 2012. He also has a wine tasting room for his vineyards on the ground floor of the Enchanted Oaks Building. He has a daughter and two sons. He is a licensed pilot, and he flies his own aircraft - a King Air 65-C90A.
Filmography Film - 1970s and 1980s Year Title Director Studio Notes 1972 The Doberman Gang Byron Chudnow Dimension Pictures With Bradford Craig 1975 Las Vegas Lady Noel Nosseck Crown International Pictures 1976 The Amazing Dobermans Byron Ross Chudnow Golden Films 1978 The Fifth Floor Howard Avedis Film Ventures International 1983 Tiger Man Matt Cimber Credited as Alan Sylvestri 1984 Romancing the Stone Robert Zemeckis 20th Century Fox First collaboration with Robert Zemeckis Par où t'es rentré ? On t'a pas vu sortir Philippe Clair Gaumont 1985 Fandango Kevin Reynolds Amblin EntertainmentWarner Bros. Cat's Eye Lewis Teague De Laurentiis Entertainment GroupMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer Back to the Future Robert Zemeckis Amblin EntertainmentUniversal Pictures Nominated — Saturn Award for Best MusicNominated — Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media Summer Rental Carl Reiner Paramount Pictures 1986 The Clan of the Cave Bear Michael Chapman Producers Sales OrganizationWarner Bros. The Delta Force Menahem Golan Golan-GlobusThe Cannon Group American Anthem Albert Magnoli Lorimar Motion PicturesColumbia Pictures Flight of the Navigator Randal Kleiser Walt Disney Pictures No Mercy Richard Pearce TriStar Pictures 1987 Critical Condition Michael Apted Paramount Pictures Outrageous Fortune Arthur Hiller Silver Screen Partners IIInterscope CommunicationsTouchstone Pictures Won — BMI Film Music Award Predator John McTiernan Lawrence Gordon ProductionsSilver PicturesDavis Entertainment20th Century Fox Won — Saturn Award for Best MusicWon — BMI Film Music Award Overboard Garry Marshall Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 1988 Mac and Me Stewart Raffill Orion Pictures Who Framed Roger Rabbit Robert Zemeckis Amblin EntertainmentTouchstone Pictures Also conductorWon — BMI Film Music AwardNominated — Saturn Award for Best MusicNominated — Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media My Stepmother Is an Alien Richard BenjaminWeintraub Entertainment GroupColumbia Pictures 1989 She's Out of Control Stan Dragoti The Abyss James Cameron Lightstorm Entertainment 20th Century Fox Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Music Back to the Future Part II Robert Zemeckis Amblin EntertainmentUniversal Pictures Won — BMI Film Music Award
Film - 1990s Year Title Director Studio Notes1990 Downtown Richard Benjamin 20th Century Fox Back to the Future Part III Robert Zemeckis Amblin EntertainmentUniversal Pictures Won — Saturn Award for Best MusicWon — BMI Film Music Award Young Guns II Geoff Murphy Morgan Creek Productions20th Century Fox Themes by Anthony Marinelli and Brian Banks Predator 2 Stephen Hopkins Silver PicturesGordon CompanyDavis Entertainment20th Century Fox Also conductor1991 Shattered Wolfgang Petersen Davis EntertainmentMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer Also orchestratorReplaced Angelo Badalamenti Back to the Future: The Ride David De VosDouglas Trumbull Universal Studios Florida Film in simulator ride Soapdish Michael Hoffman Paramount Pictures Also orchestrator Dutch Peter Faiman Hughes Entertainment20th Century Fox Also pianist Ricochet Russell Mulcahy HBO FilmsSilver PicturesWarner Bros. Also conductor Father of the Bride Charles Shyer Sandollar ProductionsTouchstone Pictures Won — BMI Film Music Award1992 Two-Fisted Tales Richard DonnerTom HollandRobert Zemeckis Carolco Pictures Segment: Yellow Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot Roger Spottiswoode Northern Lights EntertainmentUniversal Pictures FernGully: The Last Rainforest Bill Kroyer Kroyer FilmsFAI Films20th Century Fox Silvestri's first score for a fully animated film Death Becomes Her Robert Zemeckis Universal Pictures Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Music Diner Graham MorrisKaren Peterson Marvel Productions Short film The Bodyguard Mick JacksonTig ProductionsWarner Bros. Won — BMI Film Music Award Sidekicks Aaron Norris Triumph Films 1993 In Search of the Obelisk Douglas TrumbullArish Fyzee IMAX IMAX film Cop and a Half Henry Winkler Imagine EntertainmentUniversal Pictures Super Mario Bros. Rocky MortonAnnabel Jankel Allied FilmmakersCinergi PicturesHollywood Pictures Replaced Jerry Goldsmith Judgment Night Stephen Hopkins Largo EntertainmentUniversal Pictures Also conductor Grumpy Old Men Donald Petrie Warner Bros. Won — BMI Film Music Award1994 Clean Slate Mick Jackson Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Forrest Gump Robert Zemeckis Paramount Pictures Won — BMI Film Music AwardNominated — Academy Award for Best Original ScoreNominated — Saturn Award for Best MusicNominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score Blown Away Stephen Hopkins Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Also conductor Richie Rich Donald Petrie Harvey FilmsSilver PicturesDavis EntertainmentWarner Bros. Family Entertainment 1995 The Quick and the Dead Sam Raimi TriStar Pictures The Perez Family Mira Nair The Samuel Goldwyn Company Judge Dredd Danny Cannon Cinergi PicturesHollywood Pictures Also conductorReplaced David Arnold and Jerry Goldsmith Father of the Bride Part II Charles Shyer Touchstone PicturesWon — BMI Film Music Award Grumpier Old Men Howard Deutch Warner Bros.1996 Sgt. Bilko Jonathan Lynn Imagine EntertainmentUniversal Pictures Also conductor Mission: Impossible Brian De Palma Cruise/Wagner ProductionsParamount Pictures Rejected Score, replaced by Danny Elfman Eraser Chuck Russell Kopelson EntertainmentWarner Bros. Also conductorWon — BMI Film Music Award The Long Kiss Goodnight Renny Harlin New Line Cinema Also conductor1997 Fools Rush In Andy Tennant Columbia Pictures Volcano Mick Jackson Original FilmFox 2000 Pictures20th Century Fox Also conductor Contact Robert Zemeckis Warner Bros. Won — ASCAP Award for Top Box Office FilmsNominated — Saturn Award for Best Music Mouse Hunt Gore Verbinski DreamWorks Pictures 1998 The Odd Couple II Howard Deutch Paramount Pictures Also conductor The Parent Trap Nancy Meyers Walt Disney Pictures Holy Man Stephen Herek Caravan PicturesTouchstone Pictures Practical Magic Griffin Dunne Village Roadshow PicturesWarner Bros. Also conductorReplaced Michael Nyman1999 Siegfried & Roy: The Magic Box Brett Leonard IMAX IMAX film Stuart Little Rob Minkoff Columbia Pictures Also conductorWon — ASCAP Award for Top Box Office Films
Film - 2000s