Riz Ortolani

Born in Pesaro, Italy on March 25, 1926, Riziero ‘Riz’ Ortolani is a composer who has scored more than two hundred soundtracks. Ortolani learned to play the violin at the age of four, but after he damaged his elbow in a car accident, he switched to flute. After he finished his studies at Gioachino Rossini Conservatory in 1948, he left his birthplace and relocated to Rome, joining the RAI Orchestra. He spent time as a musician in the Italian Air Force before joining a well-known jazz ensemble. One of his first film scores was for the cult movie Mondo Cane (1962), which featured the title theme, “More”, which won him a Grammy Award, a Golden Globe, and an Oscar nomination. The song was later covered - with lyrics – by Frank Sinatra, Andy Williams, Glen Campbell, Roy Orbison, and many others. The success of “More” lead to a career outside of Italy – specifically the United States and the UK. He composed scores for the films The Yellow Rolls-Royce (1964), The Spy with a Cold Nose (1966), and others. He collaborated with director Terence Young on The Valachi Papers and War Goddess (The Amazons), among other films. Ortolani scored for a variety of genre films including comedy, action, drama and more. His score for the controversial film Cannibal Holocaust (1980) is now thought of a landmark in his career. His themes are often used on video game soundtracks (including Grand Theft Auto) and Quentin Tarantino films (Kill Bill: Volumes 1 & 2, Django Unchained). He was awarded the Silver Ribbon three times (1981, 1984, 1987) and the David di Donatello Prize four times (1986, 1987, 1988 and 2005). In 2013, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the World Soundtrack Awards. Riz Ortolani died in Rome on January 23, 2014, at the age of 87.

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