Alan Silvestri

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Lore & Background

Silvestri met film director Robert Zemeckis while working together on Romancing the Stone in 1984. Since that meeting, he has composed the music for all of Zemeckis's movies, including the entire Back to the Future trilogy released from 1985 to 1990. This collaboration marked the beginning of a prolific partnership that would see Silvestri score films such as Death Becomes Her in 1992 and Forrest Gump in 1994. His ability to adapt his style to Zemeckis's evolving storytelling, from comedy to drama and fantasy, became a defining characteristic of his career.

In Their Own Story

In 1970, Silvestri moved to Los Angeles broke, admitting he had no goals or plans and knew nothing about composers. By 1972, while working as an intermittent session guitarist, the producer of The Doberman Gang asked him to score the picture. Despite his lack of experience, Silvestri agreed, buying a how-to-compose book by Earl Hagen and even using beer cans for percussion at one point. This humble beginning led to his first major television work from 1978 to 1983 on CHiPs, where he wrote music for 95 of the show's 139 episodes before eventually landing the Back to the Future project.

Reader's Guide

Silvestri's collaboration with Robert Zemeckis began in 1984 and resulted in scores for nearly all of Zemeckis's feature films. The composer has received two Grammy Awards, including Best Song Written for a Motion Picture for "Believe" from The Polar Express in 2004, and Best Instrumental Composition for "Cast Away End Credits" in 2002. He was also nominated for two Academy Awards: one for Best Original Score for Forrest Gump (1994) and another for Best Original Song for "Believe." His work on the Back to the Future series remains a cornerstone of his discography, which also includes Predator, The Abyss, and five Marvel Cinematic Universe films.

Did You Know?

• Silvestri started his career in 1972 by scoring The Doberman Gang after buying a how-to-compose book and using beer cans for percussion.
• He composed music for 95 of the 139 episodes of the television series CHiPs between 1978 and 1983.
• Silvestri is a licensed pilot who flies his own jet aircraft and owns a vineyard in Carmel Valley, California.
• He has received two Grammy Awards: one for "Believe" from The Polar Express (2004) and one for the Cast Away End Credits theme (2002).
• His grandparents emigrated to Teaneck, New Jersey, in 1909 from the Italian town of Castell'Alfero.