Rachel Portman is an internationally renowned British composer. She was the first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Score, thanks to the film Emma. She was also the first composer to win the Primetime Emmy Award, for the film Bessie. She also received two more Oscar nominations for The Cider House Rules and for Chocolat, through which she also earned a Golden Globe nomination.
Rachel has written more than 100 soundtracks for film, television and theater, including The Manchurian Candidate (Jonathan Demme), Oliver Twist (Roman Polanski), Under Court Martial (Greg Hoblit), Love at First Sight (Norman Jewison), The Legend of Bagger Vance (Robert Redford), Beloved (Jonathan Demme), Benny and Joon (Jeremiah Chechik), Life is Sweet (Mike Leigh), Don’t Leave Me (Mark Romanek), Grey Gardens (Michael Sucsy), The Duchess (Saul Dibb), One Day (Lone Scherfig), The Memory of the Heart (Michael Sucsy), The Secret Fan (Wayne Wang), The House on the Lake of Time (Alejandro Agresti), Infamous (Douglas McGrath), Mona Lisa Smile (Mike Newell), The Human Stain (Robert Benton), Chocolat (Lasse Hallstrom), The Cider House Rules (Lasse Hallstrom), The Girl in the Painting (Amma Asante), The Incredible Story of Winter the Dolphin (Charles Martin Smith), Bessie (Dee Rees) and Race (Stephen Hopkins).
Rachel has written a musical from The Little House on the Prairie as well as an opera, for the Houston Grand Opera, from Saint Exupery’s The Little Prince. For the BBC Proms, Rachel was commissioned to write ‘The Water Diviner,’ a dramatic choral symphony. Rachel also wrote a choral piece titled ‘Endangered’ performed at the World Environment Day Concert at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing.
Rachel was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2010 and is an honorary member of Worcester College, Oxford.

PREMI:
Oscar:
Miglior Colonna sonora originale per una commedia
1996 – EMMA

Primetime Emmy Award:
Migliore Musica Originale composta per una Serie Tv, un film o uno Speciale Series – Dramma
2015 – BESSIE

BMI Film and TV Awards:
BMI Premio alla carriera
2010

CANDIDATURE:
Oscar:
2000 – Miglior Colonna sonora – CHOCOLAT
1999 – Miglior Colonna sonora – LE REGOLE DELLA CASA DEL SIDRO

Bafta:
1991 – Miglior Colonna sonora – ORANGES ARE NOT THE ONLY FRUIT
1990 – Miglior Colonna sonora – LA DONNA IN NERO

Golden Globe:
2000 – Miglior Colonna sonora originale – CHOCOLAT

Grammy:
2001 – Miglior album da Colonna sonora – CHOCOLAT
2000 – Miglior album da Colonna sonora – LE REGOLE DELLA CASA DEL SIDRO

Primetime Emmy:
2009 – Best Musical Composition – GREY GARDENS
2005 – Best Musical Direction – THE LITTLE PRINCE

New York Women in Film and Television:
2000 – Muse Award

Flanders International Film Festival:
1999 – RATCATCHER

British Film Institute:
1988 – Young Composer of the Year