Ennio Morricone

Ennio Morricone was born in Rome in 1928 and studied trumpet and composition at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory. He composed over 500 film scores across his career, working in a wide range of genres beyond the Westerns he's most associated with.

His breakthrough came in the 1960s through his collaboration with director Sergio Leone. The theme from 'The Good, The Bad And The Ugly' became an international classic, though Morricone's work extended far beyond that single piece. He often worked with a consistent group of musicians including Alessandro Alessandroni on trumpet and Bruno Battisti D'Amario on piano.

Other notable scores include 'Once Upon a Time in the West', 'The Mission', and 'Cinema Paradiso'. His later work included Quentin Tarantino's 'The Hateful Eight' in 2015. Morricone died in 2020 at age 91.