History of Hans Zimmer in Timeline
Hans Zimmer is a highly acclaimed German film composer and music producer, recognized for his influential work in the film industry. He has garnered significant critical acclaim, including two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, three Golden Globe Awards, and five Grammy Awards. His distinctive musical style, often characterized by blending electronic music with orchestral arrangements, has shaped the sound of contemporary film scores. He has composed scores for over 150 films, including popular ones like The Lion King, Gladiator, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Inception, and Interstellar. Zimmer's contribution to music has solidified his position as one of the most important and innovative film composers of our time, further acknowledged by his inclusion on The Daily Telegraph's list of Top 100 Living Geniuses in 2007.
2 hours ago : RAYE and Hans Zimmer collaborate on new single, "Click Clack Symphony."
RAYE and Hans Zimmer have released a new single titled "Click Clack Symphony." It's part of RAYE's upcoming sophomore album, "This Music May Contain Hope," for which she revealed the tracklist.
September 1957: Hans Zimmer's Birth
On September 1957, Hans Florian Zimmer was born in Germany. He is a film composer and music producer.
1970: Started playing keyboard and synthesizers
In the 1970s, Hans Zimmer began his career playing keyboards and synthesizers in the band Krakatoa.
1973: Inspiration from Badlands
In 1973, Carl Orff's Gassenhauer had previously been used in the film Badlands, which inspired the theme for True Romance.
1976: Work with Krisma
In 1976, Hans Zimmer started to work for the Italian group Krisma.
1977: Work with the Buggles
In 1977, Hans Zimmer worked with The Buggles, a new wave band formed in London.
1979: Appeared in "Video Killed the Radio Star"
In 1979, Hans Zimmer appeared briefly in the Buggles' music video for the song "Video Killed the Radio Star".
1980: Co-produced single with The Damned
In 1980, Hans Zimmer co-produced the single "History of the World, Part 1" with the UK punk band The Damned.
1980: Writing jingles for Air-Edel Associates
In the 1980s, Hans Zimmer wrote advertising jingles for Air-Edel Associates in London.
1982: Moonlighting score
In 1982, Hans Zimmer and Stanley Myers worked on fusing the traditional orchestral sound with electronic instruments in the movie Moonlighting.
1984: Announcement as Composer for Wonder Woman 1984
Hans Zimmer was announced as the composer for Wonder Woman 1984, The film is set in 1984.
1984: Success Is the Best Revenge score
In 1984, Hans Zimmer and Stanley Myers worked on fusing the traditional orchestral sound with electronic instruments in the movie Success Is the Best Revenge.
1984: Live performance with Mecano
In 1984, Hans Zimmer played keyboards for Mecano in a live performance in Segovia, Spain.
1985: Insignificance and My Beautiful Laundrette score
In 1985, Hans Zimmer and Stanley Myers worked on fusing the traditional orchestral sound with electronic instruments in the movies Insignificance and My Beautiful Laundrette.
1985: Contribution to Shriekback's Album
In 1985, Hans Zimmer contributed to the Shriekback album Oil and Gold.
1987: Going for Gold Theme Song
In 1987, Hans Zimmer composed the theme song for the television game show Going for Gold with Sandy McClelland.
1987: First solo score
In 1987, Hans Zimmer's first solo score was for Terminal Exposure, for which he also wrote the songs.
1988: Scoring Rain Man
In 1988, Barry Levinson hired Hans Zimmer to score Rain Man after being impressed by Zimmer's work on A World Apart.
1989: Academy Award Nomination for Rain Man
In 1989, Hans Zimmer's score for Rain Man was nominated for an Academy Award.
1991: Thelma & Louise soundtrack
In 1991, Hans Zimmer wrote the soundtrack to Ridley Scott's film Thelma & Louise.
1992: Divorce from first wife
In 1992, Hans Zimmer divorced from his first wife, Vicki Carolin, with whom he had a daughter.
1992: The Power of One Score
In 1992, Hans Zimmer traveled to Africa to use African choirs and drums in the recording of the score for the film The Power of One.
1993: True Romance theme
In 1993, Hans Zimmer wrote the theme for Tony Scott's film True Romance, based on Carl Orff's Gassenhauer.
1994: First Academy Award Win for The Lion King
In 1994, Hans Zimmer won his first Academy Award at the 67th Academy Awards for the film The Lion King.
1994: Composing The Lion King
In 1994, Walt Disney Animation Studios approached Hans Zimmer to compose the score for The Lion King, marking his first animated film score.
1995: Marriage to Suzanne Zimmer
In 1995, Hans Zimmer married his second wife, Suzanne Zimmer, with whom he had three children.
1995: Crimson Tide Grammy Award
In 1995, Hans Zimmer's score for Tony Scott's film Crimson Tide won a Grammy Award for the main theme.
1996: Receiving Richard Kirk Career Achievement Award
In 1996, Hans Zimmer received the Richard Kirk Career Achievement Award from the BMI Film Music Awards.
1997: The Lion King adapted to a Broadway musical
In 1997, Hans Zimmer's score for The Lion King was adapted into a Broadway musical version.
1998: The Thin Red Line and The Prince of Egypt
In 1998, Hans Zimmer worked on The Thin Red Line and The Prince of Egypt.
1998: Tony Award for Best Musical
In 1998, The Lion King Broadway musical won the Tony Award for Best Musical.
1999: Identified as Jewish
In 1999, during a speech at the Berlin Film Festival, Hans Zimmer stated that he is Jewish and talked about his mother's survival during World War II.
October 2000: First live concert performance
In October 2000, Hans Zimmer performed live in concert for the first time with an orchestra and choir at the 27th Annual Flanders International Film Festival in Ghent.
2000: Gladiator Release
In 2000, Hans Zimmer composed the score for Gladiator.
2001: Black Hawk Down Release
In 2001, Hans Zimmer composed the score for the movie Black Hawk Down.
2001: Black Hawk Down and Hannibal Release
In 2001, Hans Zimmer composed the scores for Black Hawk Down and Hannibal.
2002: Piano sounds from Roland MKS-20
According to an interview with Sound on Sound magazine in 2002, the piano sounds heard in the Driving Miss Daisy score come from the Roland MKS–20.
2003: The Last Samurai Release
In 2003, Hans Zimmer composed the score for The Last Samurai.
2003: Receiving several awards in 2003
In 2003, Hans Zimmer received the Career Achievement Award from the National Board of Review, the Frederick Loewe Award for Film Composing at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, and the ASCAP Henry Mancini Award.
2003: Involvement with Pirates of the Caribbean
In 2003, Jerry Bruckheimer approached Hans Zimmer to rescore Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, but Zimmer passed the task to Klaus Badelt due to prior commitments.
2005: Collaboration on Batman Begins
In 2005, Hans Zimmer collaborated with Christopher Nolan on the film Batman Begins, marking the start of their collaboration on six films.
2005: Madagascar Release
In 2005, Hans Zimmer composed the score for Madagascar.
2005: The Dark Knight Trilogy
In 2005, Hans Zimmer started to create music for The Dark Knight trilogy.
2006: The Da Vinci Code Release
In 2006, Hans Zimmer composed the score for The Da Vinci Code.
2006: Approach to scoring with other musicians
In 2006, Hans Zimmer explained his approach to scoring with other musicians in an interview with Soundtrack.net, detailing his collaborative process.
2006: Father's Death and Music as an Escape
In 2006, Hans Zimmer said in an interview that his father's death during his childhood led him to escape into music.
2006: Pirates of the Caribbean series
In 2006, Hans Zimmer started composing music for the Pirates of the Caribbean series.
2006: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
In 2006, Hans Zimmer was the composer for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.
2007: The Simpsons Movie Release
In 2007, Hans Zimmer composed the score for The Simpsons Movie.
2007: Named Top 100 Living Geniuses
In 2007, Hans Zimmer was named on The Daily Telegraph's list of Top 100 Living Geniuses.
2007: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
In 2007, Hans Zimmer was the composer for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.
December 2008: Reversal of disqualification for The Dark Knight score
In December 2008, Hans Zimmer reversed the decision not to nominate the score for The Dark Knight for an Academy Award, arguing that modern film scores are a collaborative effort and that all contributors should be credited.
2008: Kung Fu Panda Release
In 2008, Hans Zimmer co-composed the score for Kung Fu Panda with John Powell.
2009: Angels & Demons and Sherlock Holmes
In 2009, Hans Zimmer composed the scores for Angels & Demons and Sherlock Holmes.
2009: Scoring Sherlock Holmes with an out-of-tune piano
In 2009, Hans Zimmer purchased an out-of-tune piano for $200 and used it throughout the scoring process for the film Sherlock Holmes, valuing its "quirkiness".
December 2010: Receiving a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
In December 2010, Hans Zimmer received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, dedicating the award to his publicist and friend Ronni Chasen.
2010: Inception Release
In 2010, Hans Zimmer composed the score for the movie Inception.
2010: Electronic Manipulation for Inception score
In 2010, Hans Zimmer used electronic manipulation of the song "Non, je ne regrette rien" for the film Inception. The horn sound in the score became a popular feature in film trailers and became a trend.
2011: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
In 2011, Hans Zimmer was the composer for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, collaborating with Rodrigo y Gabriela.
2011: Incorporating Romani music in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
In 2011, for the Sherlock Holmes sequel, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Hans Zimmer and director Guy Ritchie incorporated authentic Romani music, researching in Slovakia, Italy, and France and featuring Romani musicians in the film's score.
2011: Pirates of the Caribbean series until 2011
Until 2011, Hans Zimmer composed music for the Pirates of the Caribbean series.
April 2012: The Lion King musical grossed $853.8 million
As of April 2012, The Lion King musical has grossed $853.8 million.
July 2012: Release of The Dark Knight Rises and Reaction to Aurora Shooting
In July 2012, The Dark Knight Rises was released, the final installment of Christopher Nolan's trilogy, and Hans Zimmer composed the score. Following the Aurora, Colorado shooting at a screening of the film in 2012, Zimmer expressed his devastation and recorded a track entitled "Aurora" to raise money for the victims.
2012: The Dark Knight Trilogy until 2012
Until 2012, Hans Zimmer composed music for The Dark Knight trilogy.
February 2013: Parents' Influence on Zimmer's Music
In February 2013, Hans Zimmer mentioned in an interview that his musical mother and engineer father influenced his music.
March 2013: Co-composing The Bible television series
In March 2013, Hans Zimmer co-composed the music for The Bible television series with Lorne Balfe and Lisa Gerrard.
2013: Man of Steel Release
In 2013, Hans Zimmer composed the score for the movie Man of Steel.
2013: Asteroid Discovery
In 2013, Polish astronomers Michał Kusiak and Michał Żołnowski discovered the main-belt asteroid (495253) OC8, which was later named "Hanszimmer" in November 2017.
March 2014: 12 Years a Slave wins Best Picture
In March 2014, the film 12 Years a Slave, for which Hans Zimmer composed the score, won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
July 2014: Composing Tomorrowland Hymn
In July 2014, Hans Zimmer composed the Tomorrowland Hymn for the Tomorrowland festival's tenth anniversary.
2014: Interstellar Release
In 2014, Hans Zimmer composed the score for the movie Interstellar.
June 2016: Winning the Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication
In June 2016, Hans Zimmer was one of the inaugural winners of the Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication.
2016: Composing for Planet Earth II, The Crown and releasing online course
In 2016, Hans Zimmer composed the main theme for the BBC nature documentary Planet Earth II, presented by David Attenborough, and composed the main theme for the Netflix production The Crown. He also released an online course teaching the basics of film scoring.
November 2017: Asteroid Named After Hans Zimmer
In November 2017, a main-belt asteroid—(495253) 2013 OC8—discovered by Polish astronomers was named "Hanszimmer".
2017: Scoring Blue Planet II and Dunkirk
In 2017, Hans Zimmer composed the score for the BBC nature documentary Blue Planet II and for Christopher Nolan's film Dunkirk, basing part of the Dunkirk score on a recording of a ticking watch given to him by Nolan.
2017: Dunkirk Release
In 2017, Hans Zimmer composed the score for the movie Dunkirk.
August 2018: Announcement as Composer for Wonder Woman 1984
In August 2018, Hans Zimmer was announced as the composer for Wonder Woman 1984.
October 2018: Receiving the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
On October 2, 2018, Hans Zimmer received the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
2018: Receiving Max Steiner Film Music Achievement Award
In 2018, Hans Zimmer received the Max Steiner Film Music Achievement Award at Hollywood in Vienna.
March 2019: Scoring Dune
In March 2019, it was announced that Hans Zimmer would be scoring Denis Villeneuve's Dune.
June 2019: Creating Sounds for BMW's Vision M Next
In June 2019, Hans Zimmer was hired to create sounds for BMW's concept vehicle, the Vision M Next, producing and composing warning sounds for the electric car line.
2019: Induction as a Disney Legend
In 2019, Hans Zimmer was inducted as a Disney Legend.
January 2020: Taking over as composer for No Time to Die
In January 2020, Hans Zimmer took over as composer for the James Bond film No Time to Die after Dan Romer left the project.
February 2020: Composing Major League Soccer's Anthem
In February 2020, Major League Soccer released an anthem for its 25th season, which was composed by Hans Zimmer.
March 2020: Composing the score for Hillbilly Elegy
In March 2020, Hans Zimmer composed the score for the film Hillbilly Elegy.
April 2020: Filing for divorce from second wife
On April 3, 2020, Hans Zimmer filed for divorce from his second wife, Suzanne Zimmer, whom he married in 1995 and had three children with.
2021: Academy Award for Dune
In 2021, Hans Zimmer won his second Academy Award for Best Original Score for Dune.
2021: Winning Second Academy Award for Dune
In 2021, Hans Zimmer won his second Academy Award for Best Original Score for the film Dune.
October 2022: Reflecting on work with David Attenborough
In October 2022, Hans Zimmer reflected on his work with Sir David Attenborough on nature documentaries, stating it's the only work he's done that he feels is worthwhile and impactful.
2022: Twelve Academy Award Nominations
As of 2022, Hans Zimmer has received twelve Academy Award nominations for his work, with two wins.
2022: Collaborations on Frozen Planet II and Top Gun: Maverick
In 2022, Hans Zimmer collaborated with Camila Cabello on the song "Take Me Back Home" for the documentary series Frozen Planet II. Zimmer also worked on Top Gun: Maverick, contributing to the main title credits and other tracks.
June 2023: Proposal to Dina De Luca on stage
On June 15, 2023, Hans Zimmer proposed to his partner Dina De Luca on stage at London's O2 Arena during one of his shows.
2024: Scoring Dune sequel and possible third film
In 2024, Hans Zimmer composed the score for the sequel to the movie Dune. As of 2024, Zimmer has begun writing music for a third Dune film while Villeneuve has started on the film's script.
2025: F1 Release
Hans Zimmer is expected to compose the music for F1 in 2025.
2025: Scoring F1 Sports film
In 2025, Hans Zimmer scored F1, a sports film starring Brad Pitt and directed by Joseph Kosinski.
2025: Composing for The Last Photograph and Turning Down Marvel Offers
In 2025, Hans Zimmer was announced as one of three composers for Zack Snyder’s upcoming film The Last Photograph and said he had turned down multiple offers to compose for films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
2049: Working on Blade Runner 2049
Hans Zimmer worked on the score for Denis Villeneuve's Blade Runner 2049, Hans Zimmer and co-composer Benjamin Wallfisch took over scoring duties after Jóhann Jóhannsson left the project.
Mentioned in this timeline
Sir David Attenborough is a highly influential British broadcaster biologist...
Walter Elias Disney was a highly influential American animator film...
The lion Panthera leo is a large cat species native...
Camila Cabello is an American singer and songwriter who gained...
Brad Pitt is a highly successful American actor and film...
Germany officially the Federal Republic of Germany is a nation...
Trending
33 minutes ago Charles Barkley supports Miami Ohio, jokes with Bruce Pearl about NCAA Tournament.
33 minutes ago Casper Ruud debuts in Miami Open, attracting Rory McIlroy as spectator.
33 minutes ago Kevin Willard navigates March Madness, transfer portal, and Pope Leo's potential assistance.
33 minutes ago Virginia advances in NCAA Tournament First Four with strong double-double performances.
34 minutes ago Brett Gardner's Family Sues Costa Rica Resort After Son's Tragic Death.
2 hours ago UVA Basketball Prepares for NCAA Tournament Matchup Against Wright State Led by Bennett.
Popular
Cesar Chavez was a prominent American labor leader and civil...
Sean Penn is a highly acclaimed American actor and film...
Paula White-Cain is a prominent American televangelist and key figure...
Joseph Clay Kent is an American politician and former military...
Chaz Bono is an American writer musician and actor known...
Benjamin Bibi Netanyahu is an Israeli politician and diplomat currently...