Ennio Morricone was born on November 10 1928 in Rome. It was his father who taught him to play various instruments and to read music. He attended the National Academy of Saint Cecilia where he studied the trumpet under Umberto Semproni. Already established as a composer and an arranger, Mr. Morricone began his career in film as a ghost writer for well-known composers. His first credited work was The Fascist in 1961.
While Ennio Morricone may be best known to many for his work on Sergio Leone's Spaghetti Westerns, he was extremely versatile and composed scores for films in a number of genres. Among his earliest scores were those for light comedies, including Eighteen in the Sun (1962), The Basilisks (1963), and Menage, Italian Style (1965). He would continue to write scores for comedies throughout his career, including scores for such films as La Cage aux Folles (1978), Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1990), Bulworth (1998), and Tutte le Donne della mia Vita (2007).
Mr. Morricone also worked extensively in the genres of drama and action. He wrote scores for such films The Battle of Algiers (1966), Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975). The "Human" Factor (1975), The Mission (1986), Cinema Paradisio (1988), Casualties of War (1989), Bgusy (1991), and The Legend of 1900 (1998). His epic score for The Untouchables was one of six films for which he was nominated for the Oscar for Best Music, Original Score. After being nominated five times, he finally won for an Academy Award for The Hateful Eight (1986). Ennio Morricone composed scores for everything from political thrillers to science fiction movies. He even composed the score for the supervillain movie Danger: Diabolik (1968).
Of course, Ennio Morricone may be best known for his work in Spaghetti Westerns. In fact, among his earliest work was on the Western Gunfight at Red Sands (1963). He first worked with Sergio Leone on the film A Fistful of Dollars (1964), the first in what is often called "the Dollars Trilogy" or "the Man With No Name Trilogy." Mr. Morricone also scored the next two films in the trilogy, For a Few Dollars More (1965), and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966). Ennio Morricone's score for The Good, the Bad and the Ugly became particularly well known. In fact, its theme, "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" even reached no. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. Ennio Morricone also composed the scores for Sergio Leone's Western Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) and Sergio Leone's gangster movie Once Upon a Time in America (1984). Beyond Sergio Leone's Westerns, Ennio Morricone also scored several others, including Navajo Joe (1966), The Big Gundown (1966),.The Mercenary (1968), Guns for San Sebastian (1968), Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970), and Duck, You Sucker! (1971).
While many motion picture composers are best known for a particular style, Ennio Morricone utilised a variety of styles throughout his career and worked well with all of them. His score for The Good, the Bad and the Ugly had a contemporary sound that still evoked the Old West. In contrast, his score for The Untouchables was a more traditional score for a Hollywood epic, yet still one that was starkly original. It was not unusual for Mr. Morricone to use multiple styles in one film. His score for Once Upon a Time in America could rightly be described as an epic score that occasionally breaks into Dixieland jazz. Two Mules for Sister Sara included passages that were either serious or comic depending upon the scene. Of course, this is what made Ennio Morricone such a great composer. Mr. Morricone had a gift for being able to create the perfect music for any given scene. As a result, his scores were always a perfect fit for any movie for which he was the composer. If Ennio Morricone numbers among the greatest and most influential movie composers of all time, it is perhaps because he was not only versatile, but instinctively knew the perfect music for any given scene.
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