Born on December 11, 1960, in Haslemere, England, Rachel Portman
began using her musical talents at a young age. She started composing on
piano at the age of 13, and eventually gained a formal education in
composition, orchestration, and classical music at the University of
Oxford. Her early career gained her considerable recognition in Great
Britain, and she became known as a composer whose priorities rest with
character, comedy, and drama. In 1988, Portman won the British Film
Institute's "Young Composer of the Year" award, followed by the Carlton
Television Award for "Creative Originality for Women in Film."
Her early career was marked by her consistent work for BBC films. She received
Best Score nominations from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts for
her scores to
The Woman in Black and the three-part BBC drama
Oranges
Are Not the Only Fruit. She was honored with a third nomination for her
score to
Where Angels Fear To Tread. Finally, in 1996, she won the Academy
Award in the United States for
Emma. Although she chooses not to
conduct her own scores, she employs the help of veterans David Snell and
J.A.C Redford. She continues to compose her scores from her home in England
She does not make a big deal out of the fact that she is the first female
composer to gain international recognition in the film music community.
In 1995, she married motion picture producer Uberto Pasolini, and has two
young daughters. She continues her scoring career in England, though with
diminished output in the 2000's and 2010's. Although most of her early credits
included an association with television productions, she later primarily
focused on feature films. Along with impressive compositions for
Only You
and
Addicted to Love, Portman composed music for song albums such as
The Adventures of Pinocchio and a video sequel of
Beauty and the Beast.
Rachel Portman with her Oscar
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(reviews listed with a "co-wrote" indicate that either the composer wrote the score with another person or that more than one composer worked separately to provide a score for the production)
