John Debney

Best known for his sweeping orchestral score for the 1995 epic swashbuckler "Cutthroat Island" and for his multifaceted score for Mel Gibson's controversial religious film "The Passion of the Christ," composer John Debney has displayed a strong range throughout his career in movies, television, and even videogames. With a background in rock music, he studied music at CalArts in the late 1970s and after graduation worked at Disney for several years, having an inside connection there, his father, Louis Debney, producer of "Zorro." After leaving Disney, where he worked on supplying music for rides at Disney World's Epcot theme park and for various animated programs and live-action shows, he scored music for Hanna-Barbera's "A Pup Named Scooby-Doo" and "Jetsons: The Movie," as well for the television version of "Fame." His most prominent work, though, was for "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," "Star Trek: The Next Generation," on the Western "The Young Riders," and on SeaQuest 2032," the latter two shows garnering him Emmy nominations and wins. He jumped into movies with the witchy comedy "Hocus Pocus" in 1993 and has become one of Hollywood's most active and prolific composers. Known for its bombast, his work has been used effectively in robust big-budget fare like the dark fantasy movies "The Relic" and "End of Days," comedies "Liar Liar" and "Dick," and the two "Princess Diaries" movies. Debney also won an Emmy for the short-lived 1996 NASA drama "The Cape."