John Cardon Debney (born August 18, 1956) is an American composer and conductor of film, television, and video game scores.[1] His work encompasses a variety of mediums and genres including comedy, horror, thriller, and action-adventure. He is a long-time collaborator of The Walt Disney Company, having written music for their films, television series, and theme parks.
John Debney | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | John Cardon Debney |
Born | (1956-08-18) August 18, 1956 (age 66) Glendale, California, U.S. |
Genres | Film scores, soundtracks |
Occupation(s) | Composer, conductor |
Instrument(s) | Piano, guitar |
Years active | 1977-present |
Website | www |
Debney has been the recipient of three Primetime Emmy Awards, and an Academy Award nomination for his score for Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ (2004).
The son of Disney Studios producer Louis Debney (Zorro, The Mickey Mouse Club), John was born and raised in Glendale, California, nearby to Disney. He began guitar lessons at age six and played in rock bands in college. Debney earned his B.A. degree in Music Composition from the California Institute of Arts in 1979.
After ending his career with Disney, Debney worked for Mike Post. Debney furthered his hands-on training by working with Hanna-Barbera composer Hoyt Curtin. After this, Debney went on to score television projects as diverse as Disneyland, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, SeaQuest DSV, A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, The Cape, The Lazarus Man, Piggsburg Pigs!, The Further Adventures of SuperTed, Doctor Who, Cagney and Lacey, Tiny Toon Adventures, The Young Riders, The New Yogi Bear Show, Police Academy: The Animated Series, Fame, Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future, Dragon's Lair, Freshman Dorm, Pop Quiz and Dink, the Little Dinosaur, for which he won an Emmy for Best Main Title. In the early 1990s, Debney began to score indie films and Disneyland attractions. In 1991, Debney composed the music for Phantom Manor and It's a Small World in Disneyland Paris and SpectroMagic at Magic Kingdom. In 1993, he scored his first studio feature, the Disney comedy Hocus Pocus starring Bette Midler.
In 1994, Debney wrote Friends Forever with Greg Scelsa from Greg & Steve's album We All Live Together, Vol. 5
Debney has since gone on to have a career composing scores for many films including: The Passion of the Christ, Bruce Almighty, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Elf, Sin City, Chicken Little, Liar Liar, Spy Kids, The Scorpion King, The Princess Diaries[2] and Predators.[3]
Debney has also composed scores for the video games Lair and The Sims Medieval. In 2010, he composed the theme music for the Nickelodeon television series Supah Ninjas.
He composed some of Disney Parks's Nighttime Spectaculars, including: World Of Color Celebrate! in Disney's California Adventure, The Magic, The Memories And You! and Celebrate the Magic in Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom and Celebrate! Tokyo Disneyland in Tokyo Disneyland, as well as an arrangement of "When You Wish Upon a Star" as a fanfare for the Walt Disney Pictures logo from 1985 to 2006.
Year | Title | Director(s) | Notes |
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1987 | The Wild Pair | Beau Bridges | Composed with Michel Colombier |
1988 | The Further Adventures of Tennessee Buck | David Keith | — |
Seven Hours to Judgment | Beau Bridges | — | |
Not Since Casanova | Brett Thompson | — | |
1989 | Trenchcoat in Paradise | Martha Coolidge | — |
Year | Title | Director(s) | Notes |
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2020 | Come Away | Brenda Chapman | — |
I Still Believe | Erwin Brothers | — | |
Asteroid Hunters | W.D. Hogan | Documentary film | |
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey | David E. Talbert | Nominated- Black Reel Award for Outstanding Original Score | |
2021 | Clifford the Big Red Dog | Walt Becker | — |
Home Sweet Home Alone | Dan Mazer | Original Home Alone themes by John Williams | |
American Underdog | Erwin Brothers | — | |
2022 | Marry Me | Kat Coiro | — |
Luck | Peggy Holmes | — | |
Hocus Pocus 2 | Anne Fletcher | — |
Years | Title | Notes |
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1982 | Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color | 2 episodes |
1984 | Dragon's Lair | 13 episodes |
1984–1985 | Disney Family Album | 5 episodes |
1985–1987 | Fame | 30 episodes |
1986 | The Twilight Zone | Episode: "The Storyteller/Nightsong" |
Cagney & Lacey | Episode: "The Marathon" | |
1987 | Sport Goofy in Soccermania | Special |
CBS Summer Playhouse | Episode: "Changing Patterns" | |
ABC Afterschool Special | Episode: "The Day My Kid Went Punk" | |
1988–1991 | A Pup Named Scooby-Doo | 27 episodes |
1988 | Police Academy | 14 episodes |
1989 | The Further Adventures of SuperTed | 13 episodes |
Trenchcoat in Paradise | Television film | |
Nightmare Classics | Episode: "The Eyes of the Panther" | |
1989–90 | Dink, the Little Dinosaur | 5 episodes |
1989–92 | The Young Riders | 6 episodes
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series |
1990 | The Yum Yums: The Day Things Went Sour | Television film |
The Face of Fear | ||
Tiny Toon Adventures | 2 episodes: "Gang Busters" and "Hollywood Plucky" | |
Piggsburg Pigs! | Episode: "Mummies From Outer Space" | |
1991 | A Seduction in Travis County | Television film |
Vidiots | ||
Into the Badlands | ||
1992 | Do Not Bring That Python in the House | |
Still Not Quite Human | ||
Sunstroke | ||
The Plucky Duck Show | Episode: "Hollywood Plucky" | |
1993 | I Yabba-Dabba Do! | Television film |
Jonny's Golden Quest | ||
Class of '61 | ||
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | 2 episodes: The Nagus, Progress | |
Jack's Place | 3 episodes | |
Praying Mantis | Television film | |
For Love and Glory | ||
The Halloween Tree | ||
The Town Santa Forgot | ||
Hollyrock-a-Bye Baby | ||
1993–94 | SeaQuest DSV | 19 episodes
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music |
1994 | Star Trek: The Next Generation | Episode: "The Pegasus" |
1995 | In Pursuit of Honor | Television film |
Kansas | ||
1996 | Doctor Who | |
The Cape | Episode: "Pilot"
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series | |
1997 | Justice League of America | Television film |
2000 | Running Mates | |
G-Saviour | ||
2012 | Hatfields & McCoys | Miniseries Composed with Tony Morales Nominated- Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited Series or Special |
2013 | Bonnie & Clyde | Miniseries |
2014 | The After | Television film |
Houdini | Miniseries | |
2014–15 | Forever | 22 episodes |
2015 | Point of Honor | Television film |
American Odyssey | 13 episodes | |
Texas Rising | Miniseries Composed with Bruce Broughton Nominated- Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music | |
2016 | Game of Silence | 4 episodes |
2017 | Flint | Television film |
2017–19 | Santa Clarita Diet | 10 episodes |
2017–present | The Orville | 19 episodes
IFMCA Award for Best Original Score for Television |
Young Sheldon | 3 episodes Composed with Jeff Cardoni | |
2021–present | The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers | 10 episodes |
Year | Title | Notes |
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2007 | Lair | — |
2011 | The Sims Medieval | — |
2018 | Madden NFL 19 | — |
This section does not cite any sources. (August 2021) |
Year | Award | Result |
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2015 | Emmy Award – Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music: Texas Rising (with Bruce Broughton) (2015) | Nominated |
2012 | Emmy Award – Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie, or Special (Original Dramatic Score): Hatfields & McCoys: Part 1 (with Tony Morales) (2012) | Nominated |
2005 | Academy Award – Best Original Score: The Passion of the Christ (2004) | Nominated |
1997 | Emmy Award – Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music: The Cape (1996) | Nominated |
1997 | Emmy Award – Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore): The Cape: Pilot (with Louis Febre) (1996) | Won |
1994 | Emmy Award – Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music: SeaQuest DSV (1993) | Won |
1991 | Emmy Award – Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore): The Young Riders: Kansas (1989) | Won |
1990 | Emmy Award – Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music: The Young Riders (1989) | Nominated |
Awards for John Debney | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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National libraries | |
Other |
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