John Altman won a BAFTA for Hear My Song and EMMY for RKO 281, this award winning British composer’s most recent Hollywood movie score is Miramax’s worldwide smash hit Shall We Dance, starring Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez. Other recent credits include  the features Shoot On Sight and a contemporary version of Ibsen’s The Master Builder both of which opened this year, as well as The Good Samaritan for ITV. Recently awarded a Gold Badge for services to British music by The British Academy of Songwriters & Composers.

Highly regarded award winner for his contemporary orchestral scores, big band music and small group ensemble work. Songwriter too, so can write end title songs and pastiche songs if source too difficult to clear.

Works in London and LA. Most recent Hollywood movie score is Peter Chelsom’s Shall We Dance (Miramax), starring Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez, which has been a huge worldwide hit and so was the soundtrack album featuring John’s music.

Recent UK credits include the features Shoot On Sight (Aron Govil Prods); The Master Builder (Crossover Prods); The Good Samaritan (ITV); BBC Film’s Mr Harvey Lights A Candle; the Channel 4 drama The Queen’s Sister.

Features include Hear My Song (Limelight/Miramax), for which he received a BAFTA; Funny Bones (Hollywood Pictures); RKO 281 (HBO), with John Malkovich, for which he received the EMMY for Best Musical Score; wrote and produced all the period music for Titanic (20th Century Fox); Matchmaker (Working Title); King Of Texas (Hallmark); Fidel (Showtime); the tank chase in Goldeneye (United Artists); The Lost Empire (Hallmark); Beautiful Joe (Capitol Films); the award winning Little Voice (Scala/Miramax); Garden Of Redemption (Paramount); Beautiful Thing (World/Channel Four Films); Vendetta (Limelight/Miramax); and Boss Of Bosses (Turner).Also the films Breaking Through, starring Diane Keaton; Hope Springs (Disney), starring Colin Firth Minnie Driver and Heather Graham; The Roman Spring of Mrs Stone (Showtime), starring Helen Mirren for which he received an EMMY Nomination; the Xmas movie Mr St. Nick. starring Kelsey Grammer; and The Reagans (CBS/Showtime).

TV includes Peak Practice (Charlton/ITV) No Bananas (BBC); The Old Devils (BBC), starring Albert Finney; A Royal Scandal (BBC); Selected Exits (BBC); Berkeley Square (BBC) and Drovers’ Gold (BBC).

As an arranger has worked with the best – Diana Ross, George Michael, Goldie, Bjork, Rod Stewart, Tom Jones, Tina Turner etc etc and was Van Morrison’s MD for 7 years. He’s a featured sax player in leading jazz clubs on both side of the Atlantic. To see a video of John performing with his big band in Los Angeles click on the picture below:

Two new jazz albums recently released on Bronze Records (www.bronzerecords.co.uk); You Started Something, a quartet of top LA jazz players and Shaking The Blues Away, featuring his big band and singer Joan Viskant.

 Opening titles from RKO281: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
 The Big Fight from The Lost Empire: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
 Finale from The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
 In the Ring from Funny Bones: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
 Opening titles from Mr. Harvey : Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Download complete showreel as .zip file

John Altmanan’s Credits Include Feature Films
SHOOT ON SIGHT (Aron Govil Prods) director Jag Mundhra
SHALL WE DANCE – Miramax, dir Peter Chelsom (Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez, Stanley Tucci)
THE MASTER BUILDER (Crossover Prods) director KP Kumeran
THIN ICE– Lifetime, dir David Atwood (Diane Keaton)
THE REAGANS – CBS/Showtime
HOPE SPRINGS – Fragile Films/Disney, dir Mark Herman (Colin Firth, Minnie Driver, Heather Graham)
Tennessee Williams’ THE ROMAN SPRING OF MRS STONE – Showtime
(Helen Mirren)
KING OF TEXAS – Hallmark, dir Uli Edel
FIDEL – Showtime, dir David Attwood
BEAUTIFUL JOE – Capital Films, dir Steven Metcalf (Sharon Stone, Billy Connolly)
LITTLE VOICE – Scala Prods/Miramax, dir Mark Herman
(Michael Caine, Brenda Blethyn, Jane Horrocks,Ewan McGregor)
THE LOST EMPIRE – Hallmark, dir John Irving
RKO 281 – HBO, dir Ben Ross
BOSS OF BOSSES – Turner, dir Dwight Little
VENDETTA – HBO, dir Nicholas Meyer
LEGIONNAIRE – Pressman Film Corporation, dir Peter MacDonald
THE MATCHMAKER – Working Title/Polygram, dir Mark Joffe
GARDEN OF REDEMPTION – Paramount, dir Tom Donnelly
TITANIC (PERIOD MUSIC) – 20th Century Fox, dir James Cameron
PRONTO – Showtime, dir Jim Mac Bride
DOGBOYS – Showtime, dir Ken Russell
GOLDENEYE (TANKCHASE Altman/Norman) – United Artists,
director Martin Campbell
BEAUTIFUL THING – World Productions/C4 Films dir Hettie MacDonald
FUNNY BONES – Hollywood Pictures, dir Peter Chelsom (Jerry Lewis, Lee Evans)
HEAR MY SONG – Limelight/Miramax, dir Peter Chelsom
CAMILLA – Skreba Films/Miramax, dir Deepa Mehta
(Jessica Tandy, Bridgit Fonda)
BHAGI ON THE BEACH – Channel Four Films, dir Gurinder Chadha
LONG ROADS – BBC Films, dir Tristam Powell
BAD BEHAVIOUR – Channel Four Films, dir Les Blair
GOD ON THE ROCKS – Skreba Films for C4 Films, dir Ross Cramer
DEVLIN – Viacom, dir Rick Rosenthal (Barry Brown)
ASSASIN OF THE TSAR – Mosfilms, dir Karen Shaknazarov
ACT OF VENGEANCE – Lorimar, dir John Mackenzie

Television

THE GOOD SAMARITAN (ITV) – director Kenny Glenaan
MR HARVEY LIGHTS A CANDLE – BBC director Susanna White
THE QUEEN’S SISTER – Touchpaper Televison/Channel 4
director Simon Caton Jones
BERKLEY SQUARE – BBC, directors Lesley Manning, Richard Signy, Martin Hutchings, Richard Holthouse
DROVERS GOLD – BBC, directors Tristam Gold and Lesley Manning
NO BANANAS – BBC, directors Alan Dosser and Roger Bamford
PEAK PRACTICE – Central/Carlton
A ROYAL SCANDAL – BBC, director Sheree Folkson
RICH DECIEVER – BBC, director Gurinder Chadha
THE OLD DEVILS – BBC, director Tristam Powell
SELECTED EXITS – BBC, director Tristam Powell
BROKE – BBC, director Alan Dosser
STAR QUALITY – BBC, director Alan Dosser
THE RUTLES – NBC/BBC, directors Gary Weis, Eric Idle

Awards

RKO 281 EMMY Award – Best Score
RKO 281 ASCAP Award – Best Score
THE ROMAN SPRING OF MRS STONE EMMY Nomination – Best Score
HEAR MY SONG BAFTA Award – Best Score
OLD DEVILS BATFA Nomination – Best Television Score
PEAK PRACTICE Television & Radio Industry (TRIC) – Best TV Score

Awarded Gold Badge by British Society of Composers & Songwriters for services to British music