View source for Mychael Danna

{{short description|Canadian film score composer|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{more citations needed|date=June 2018}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| image            = Mychael Danna in Taiwan.jpg
| caption          = Danna at Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival, Taiwan in 2018.
| name             = Mychael Danna
| background       = non_performing_personnel
| birth_date       = {{Birth date and age|1958|9|20|mf=y}}
| birth_place      = [[Winnipeg]], [[Manitoba]], Canada
| origin           = [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]], Canada
| occupation       = Composer
| years_active     = 1987–present
| website          = {{URL|https://www.mychaeldanna.com/}}
}}

'''Mychael Danna''' (born September 20, 1958) is a Canadian [[film score]] [[composer]]. He won both the [[Golden Globe Award|Golden Globe]] and [[Academy Awards|Oscar]] for [[Academy Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score]] for ''[[Life of Pi (film)|Life of Pi]]''. He has also won an [[Primetime Emmy Award|Emmy Award]] for [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited Series, Movie, or Special|Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special (Original Dramatic Score)]] in his work on ''[[World Without End (miniseries)|World Without End]]: Medieval Life and Death Part 1 and 2''.

==Life and career==
Danna was born in [[Winnipeg]], Manitoba, but his family moved to [[Burlington, Ontario]] when he was four weeks old.<ref>{{cite web|title=Life of Pi golden for Burlington's Mychael Danna|url=http://www.insidehalton.com/what's%20on/article/1565364--life-of-pi-golden-for-burlington-s-mychael-danna|website=www.insidehalton.com|accessdate=2 November 2016}}</ref> He is the brother of fellow composer [[Jeff Danna]]. He has been scoring films since his 1987 feature debut for [[Atom Egoyan]]'s ''[[Family Viewing]]'', a score which earned Danna the first of his thirteen [[Genie Awards|Genie Award]] nominations. He has won five times for Achievement in Music - Original Score.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.academy.ca/hist/history.cfm?nname=danna&winonly=0&awards=1&rtype=1&curstep=4&submit.x=37&submit.y=9|title=Canada's Awards Database|publisher=Academy.ca|date=2011-03-28|accessdate=2012-02-12|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205124324/http://www.academy.ca/hist/history.cfm?nname=danna&winonly=0&awards=1&rtype=1&curstep=4&submit.x=37&submit.y=9|archivedate=2012-02-05}}</ref> Danna is recognized as one of the pioneers of combining non-Western sound sources with orchestral and electronic minimalism in the world of film music. This reputation has led him to work with such directors as [[Atom Egoyan]], [[Deepa Mehta]], [[Terry Gilliam]], [[Scott Hicks]], [[Ang Lee]], [[Gillies MacKinnon]], [[James Mangold]], [[Mira Nair]], [[Billy Ray (screenwriter)|Billy Ray]], [[Joel Schumacher]], and [[Denzel Washington]]. His soundtrack for Ang Lee's ''[[Life of Pi (film)|Life of Pi]]'' earned two [[Academy Awards|Academy Award nominations]] for [[Academy Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score]] and [[Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song]] ''[[Pi's Lullaby]]''.

He studied music composition at the [[University of Toronto]], winning the [[Glenn Gould]] Composition [[Scholarship]] in 1985. Danna also served for five years as composer-in-residence at the [[McLaughlin Planetarium]] in [[Toronto]] (1987–1992). Works for dance include music for ''Dead Souls'' (Carbone Quatorze Dance Company, directed by Gilles Maheu 1996), and a score for the [[Royal Winnipeg Ballet]]'s ''Gita Govinda'' (2001) based on the 1000-year-old classical [[Gita Govinda]], with choreographer Nina Menon. In June 2014, Danna was awarded an honorary Doctorate by the University of Toronto, for his career achievements in the field of music.<ref>{{cite web|title=Convocation 2014: meet honorary grad Mychael Danna|url=http://www.news.utoronto.ca/convocation-2014-meet-honorary-grad-mychael-danna|accessdate=1 September 2014}}</ref>

==Family==
Danna's wife Aparna is of [[Indians|Indian]] origin; the couple have two sons [[Keshav Danna]] and [[Arjun Danna]]. He is the older brother of composer [[Jeff Danna]].

==Recent projects==
Recent projects include [[Deepa Mehta]]'s ''[[Water (2005 film)|Water]]'', [[Atom Egoyan]]'s ''[[Where the Truth Lies]]'', [[Terry Gilliam]]'s ''[[Tideland (film)|Tideland]]'', [[Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris]]' ''[[Little Miss Sunshine]]'', [[Bennett Miller]]'s ''[[Capote (film)|Capote]]'', ''[[Moneyball (film)|Moneyball]]'' and [[Marc Webb]]'s ''[[500 Days of Summer|(500) Days of Summer]]''.

==Filmography==
{|class="wikitable sortable"
! Year !! Title !! Notes 
|-
| 1987 || ''[[Family Viewing]]'' ||
|-
| 1987 || ''[[Caribe (film)|Caribe]]'' || 
|-
| 1988 || ''Murder One'' ||
|-
| 1988 || ''Blood Relations'' ||
|-
| 1989 || ''[[Speaking Parts]]'' ||
|-
| 1989 || ''[[Road to Avonlea]]'' || TV series
|-
| 1989 || ''One Man Out'' ||
|-
| 1989 || ''[[Cold Comfort (film)|Cold Comfort]]'' ||
|-
| 1989 || ''Without Work: Not by Choice'' || Short Film
|-
| 1989 || ''[[Termini Station (film)|Termini Station]]'' ||
|-
| 1990 || ''Still Life: The Fine Art of Murder'' ||
|-
| 1991 || ''[[The Adjuster]]'' ||
|-
| 1991 || ''Johann's Gift to Christmas'' || TV Short series
|-
| 1991 || ''[[Montreal Stories|Montréal vu par...]]'' || segment: "En passant"
|-
| 1991 || ''[[The Big Slice]]'' ||
|-
| 1993 || ''Hush Little Baby'' || TV movie
|-
| 1993 || ''[[Gross Misconduct: The Life of Brian Spencer|Gross Misconduct]]'' || TV movie
|-
| 1993 || ''[[Ordinary Magic]]'' ||
|-
| 1994 || ''[[Exotica (film)|Exotica]]'' ||
|-
| 1994 || ''The Darling Family'' ||
|-
| 1994 || ''Narmada: A Valley Rises'' || Documentary
|-
| 1994 || ''[[Dance Me Outside]]'' ||
|-
| 1995 || ''[[Johnny Mnemonic (film)|Johnny Mnemonic]]'' ||
|-
| 1996 || ''Dangerous Offender: The Marlene Moore Story'' || TV movie
|-
| 1996 || ''[[Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love]]'' ||
|-
| 1996 || ''[[Lilies (film)|Lilies]]'' ||
|-
| 1997 || ''[[The Ice Storm (film)|The Ice Storm]]'' ||
|-
| 1997 || ''[[The Sweet Hereafter (film)|The Sweet Hereafter]]'' ||
|-
| 1998 || ''[[At the End of the Day: The Sue Rodriguez Story]]'' ||
|-
| 1999 || ''[[The Boondock Saints]]'' || With his brother [[Jeff Danna]]
|-
| 1999 || ''[[Girl, Interrupted (film)|Girl, Interrupted]]'' ||
|-
| 1999 || ''[[Don't Think Twice]]'' || Short Film
|-
| 1999 || ''[[Ride with the Devil (film)|Ride with the Devil]]'' ||
|-
| 1999 || ''[[Felicia's Journey (film)|Felicia's Journey]]'' || 
|-
| 1999 || ''[[8mm (film)|8MM]]'' ||
|-
| 1999 || ''[[The Confession (1999 film)|The Confession]]'' ||
|-
| 2000 || ''[[Bounce (film)|Bounce]]'' ||
|-
| 2001 || ''[[Hearts in Atlantis (film)|Hearts in Atlantis]]'' ||
|-
| 2001 || ''[[Monsoon Wedding]]'' ||
|-
| 2001 || ''[[The Hire#Chosen|The Hire: Chosen]]'' ||
|-
| 2001 || ''[[Green Dragon (film)|Green Dragon]]'' || With his brother [[Jeff Danna]]
|-
| 2002 || ''[[Antwone Fisher (film)|Antwone Fisher]]'' ||
|-
| 2002 || ''[[The Guys]]'' || 
|-
| 2002 || ''[[Ararat (film)|Ararat]]'' ||
|-
| 2003 || ''[[The Snow Walker]]'' ||
|-
| 2003 || ''[[Shattered Glass (film)|Shattered Glass]]'' ||
|-
| 2003 || ''[[Hulk (film)|Hulk]]'' || Additional cue "Mother"
|-
| 2004 || ''[[Being Julia]]'' ||
|-
| 2004 || ''[[Vanity Fair (2004 film)|Vanity Fair]]'' ||
|-
| 2005 || ''Sohni Sapna'' ||
|-
| 2005 || ''[[Eve and the Fire Horse]]'' ||
|-
| 2005 || ''[[Tideland (film)|Tideland]]'' || With his brother [[Jeff Danna]]
|-
| 2005 || ''[[Water (2005 film)|Water]]'' ||  Background score only <br> [[Genie Awards|Genie Award]] for Best Original Score
|-
| 2005 || ''[[Capote (film)|Capote]]'' || 
|-
| 2005 || ''[[Where the Truth Lies]]'' ||
|-
| 2005 || ''[[Aurora Borealis (film)|Aurora Borealis]]''  ||
|-
| 2006 || ''[[The Nativity Story]]'' ||
|-
| 2006 || ''[[Little Miss Sunshine]]'' ||
|-
| 2006 || ''[[Lonely Hearts (2006 film)|Lonely Hearts]]'' ||
|-
| 2007 || ''[[Surf's Up (film)|Surf's Up]]'' ||
|-
| 2007 || ''[[Breach (2007 film)|Breach]]'' || 
|-
| 2007 || ''[[Fracture (2007 film)|Fracture]]''  || With his brother [[Jeff Danna]]
|-
| 2008 || ''[[Adoration (2008 film)|Adoration]]'' ||
|-
| 2008 || ''[[Management (film)|Management]]'' || 
|-
| 2008 || ''[[Lakeview Terrace]]'' || With his brother [[Jeff Danna]]
|-
| 2009 || ''[[(500) Days of Summer]]'' || With [[Rob Simonsen]]
|-
| 2009 || ''[[Chloe (film)|Chloe]]'' || 
|-
| 2009 || ''[[The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus]]'' || With his brother [[Jeff Danna]]
|-
| 2009 || ''[[The Time Traveler's Wife (film)|The Time Traveler's Wife]]'' ||
|-
| 2011 || ''[[Camelot (TV series)|Camelot]]'' || TV series <br> With his brother [[Jeff Danna]]
|-
| 2011 || ''[[Moneyball (film)|Moneyball]]'' ||
|-
| 2012 || ''[[Life of Pi (film)|Life of Pi]]'' || [[Academy Award for Best Original Score]] <br>[[Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score]] <br>Nominated – [[Academy Award for Best Original Song]] ("[[Pi's Lullaby]]") <br> 
|-
| 2013 || ''[[Devil's Knot (film)|Devil's Knot]]'' ||
|-
| 2014 || ''[[Transcendence (2014 film)|Transcendence]]''<ref>{{cite web|title=Mychael Danna to Score Wally Pfister’s ‘Transcendence’|url=http://filmmusicreporter.com/2013/12/19/mychael-danna-to-score-wally-pfisters-transcendence//|publisher=Film Music Reporter|accessdate=December 20, 2013|date=December 19, 2013}}</ref> ||
|-
| 2014 || ''[[The Captive (2014 film)|The Captive]]'' ||
|-
| 2014 || ''[[Tyrant (TV series)|Tyrant]]'' || TV series<br>With his brother [[Jeff Danna]]
|-
| 2015 || ''[[Sanjay's Super Team]]'' || Short Film
|-
| 2015 || ''[[Remember (2015 film)|Remember]]'' || 
|-
| 2015 || ''[[The Good Dinosaur]]'' || With his brother [[Jeff Danna]]
|-
| 2016 || ''[[Storks (film)|Storks]]'' || With his brother [[Jeff Danna]] 
|-
| 2016 || ''[[Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (film)|Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk]]'' || With his brother [[Jeff Danna]]
|-
| 2017 || ''[[The Breadwinner (film)|The Breadwinner]]''<ref name="film-music-breadwinner-danna">{{cite news|title=Mychael & Jeff Danna to Score ‘The Breadwinner’|url=http://filmmusicreporter.com/2017/06/02/mychael-jeff-danna-to-score-the-breadwinner/|accessdate=7 July 2017|work=Film Music Reporter|publisher=Film Music Reporter|date=2 June 2017}}</ref> || With his brother [[Jeff Danna]]
|-
| 2017 || ''[[The Man Who Invented Christmas (film)|The Man Who Invented Christmas]]'' || 
|-
| 2018 || ''[[On the Basis of Sex]]'' || 
|-
| 2019 || ''[[A Dog's Way Home]]'' || 
|-
| 2019 || ''[[The Red Sea Diving Resort]]'' || 
|-
| 2019 || ''[[After the Wedding (2019 film)|After the Wedding]]'' || 
|-
| 2019 || ''[[Guest of Honour (2019 film)|Guest of Honour]]'' || 
|-
| 2019 || ''[[The Addams Family (2019 film)|The Addams Family]]'' || With his brother [[Jeff Danna]] 
|-
| 2020 || ''[[Onward (film)|Onward]]'' || With his brother [[Jeff Danna]] 
|- 
| TBA || ''[[Stillwater (film)|Stillwater]]'' ||
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last1=Coleman |first1=Lindsay |editor1-last=Coleman |editor1-first=Lindsay |editor2-last=Tillman |editor2-first=Joakim |title=Contemporary Film Music: Investigating Cinema Narratives and Composiiton |date=2017 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |pages=187–193 |chapter=Mychael Danna Interview |doi=10.1057/978-1-137-57375-9_12}}
* {{cite book |last1=Golub |first1=Peter |last2=Jarzebowski |first2=Katy |editor1-last=Coleman |editor1-first=Lindsay |editor2-last=Tillman |editor2-first=Joakim |title=Contemporary Film Music: Investigating Cinema Narratives and Composiiton |date=2017 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |pages=195–219 |chapter=Mychael Danna: Music as Metaphor |doi=10.1057/978-1-137-57375-9_13}}

==External links==
* [https://www.mychaeldanna.com/ Official site]
* {{IMDb name|0002217|Mychael Danna}}
*[http://www.tracksounds.com/specialfeatures/Interviews/interview_mychael_danna_2007.htm Danna talks about ''[[The Nativity Story]]'']

{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Mychael Danna
|list =
{{AcademyAwardBestOriginalScore 2001–2020}}
{{Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score 2010–2029}}
}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Danna, Mychael}}
[[Category:1958 births]]
[[Category:Animation composers]]
[[Category:Best Original Music Score Academy Award winners]]
[[Category:Best Original Score Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners]]
[[Category:Canadian classical composers]]
[[Category:Canadian film score composers]]
[[Category:Canadian male classical composers]]
[[Category:Canadian people of English descent]]
[[Category:Canadian people of Italian descent]]
[[Category:Golden Globe Award-winning musicians]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Male film score composers]]
[[Category:Musicians from Winnipeg]]
[[Category:Pixar people]]
[[Category:University of Toronto alumni]]
[[Category:Varèse Sarabande Records artists]]