Richard Bellis
American composer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Richard Bellis (born April 3, 1946) is an American film and television music composer, former president of the Composers and Lyricists Guild of America (CLGA),[1] former governor of the ATAS,[2] lecturer at USC,[2] musical director and former child actor.[3]
Richard Bellis | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 3, 1946 |
| Occupation | Composer |
Biography
Early life and career
Born in Pasadena,[4] Bellis was a child actor and auditioned to be a Mouseketeer.[3] He attended John Muir High School, from which he graduated in 1964.[2] Bellis has directed the ASCAP Film Scoring Workshop for many years.[5][6]
Bellis has composed and arranged music for the Disney theme parks, starting with arranging music for the opening of the EPCOT Center.[3] He would continue working for EPCOT on projects like "Tomorrow's Child", Spaceship Earth, and the Imagination Pavilion.[3] He wrote music for the Star Tours ride and Indiana Jones Adventure Stunt show at Disney's Hollywood Studios.[3] Bellis has also written scores for a number of television films.[7]
When opportunities for composing dried up, he started a woodworking business with his wife.[7] They built rack-mounted cabinets and console surrounds for those he knew in the music industry, as well as kitchen cabinets and conference room tables.[7]
Stephen King's It
When writing for Stephen King's It in 1990, Bellis was inspired by Bernard Herrmann, particularly his use of motifs and ostinatos.[7] The music for It was a mixture of circus and carnival music and features a calliope.[7] When Emmy submissions came, they could only submit one episode, and chose to submit the first.[7] As a result, he received both his first Emmy nomination and first win, for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a miniseries or a special (dramatic underscore)", in 1991.[8][7] He was interviewed in a 2021 documentary film Pennywise: The Story of It.[9]
Works
- The Emerging Film Composer: An Introduction to the People, Problems, and Psychology of the Film Music Business. February 2, 2007. ISBN 978-0-615-13623-3.[3]
Awards
- Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a miniseries or a special (dramatic underscore)
- Year: 1991
- Work: Stephen King's It
- Status: Winner[8]
- Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a miniseries or a special (dramatic underscore)
- Year: 1992
- Work: Doublecrossed
- Status: Nominee[8]
- Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a miniseries or a special (dramatic underscore)
- Year: 1994
- Work: Double, Double, Toil And Trouble
- Status: Nominee[8]