Anecdotes

He is known for being able to compose a full film score in a short time.

Started playing piano at the age of 5.

In his early teens, he started collecting soundtrack albums. He became acquainted with the music of several composers including Max Steiner, Franz Waxman, Maurice Jarre, and Georges Delerue.

His Greek mother and French father met in the US while attending university. After the marriage, they moved to France where Desplat was born.

One of 115 peopled invited to join AMPAS in 2007.

Was nominated for Film Composer of the Year by the International Film Music Critics Association in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011. He only won the award in 2007.

First met his wife, Dominique LeMonnier, while working on his first film score in 1986.

He has provided the score for 3 films that have won the Oscar for Best Picture: Le discours du roi (2010), Argo (2012), and La forme de l'eau (2017).

Father of Antonia Desplat and Ninon Desplat with wife Dominique Lemonnier.

Second winner of the Life Achievement Kilar Award, of FMF Krakow Film Music Festival, named after late composer Wojciech Kilar, in 2016.

As of 2022, he has composed the music of twelve films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: Sa majesté la reine (2006), L'étrange histoire de Benjamin Button (2008), L'arbre de la vie (2011), Le discours du roi (2010), Extrêmement fort et incroyablement près (2011), Opération avant l'aube (2012), Argo (2012), Philomena (2013), Le jeu de l'imitation (2014), The Grand Budapest hotel (2014), La forme de l'eau (2017) and Les quatre filles du docteur March (2019). Of those, Le discours du roi (2010), Argo (2012) and La forme de l'eau (2017) are winners in the category.

Graduated from Royal College of Music.

Although he was born on August 23rd, both his Sun and ascendant/rising signs are in Leo.