John Debney
Personal Info
Known for
Sound
Gender
Male
Birthday
1956-08-18 (68 years old)
Place of Birth
Glendale, California, USA
John Debney
Biography
John Cardon Debney (born August 18, 1956) is an American composer and conductor of film, television, and video game scores. His work encompasses a variety of mediums and genres, including comedy, horror, science fiction, thriller, fantasy, 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. He has also collaborated with film directors such as Jon Favreau, Garry Marshall, Tom Shadyac, Peter Hyams, John A. Davis, Brad Anderson, Howard Deutch, Mark Dindal, Robert Rodriguez, and Paul Tibbitt.
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 (also used at Disneyland from 1993 to 2002) 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 Cats & Dogs, 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, and Predators.
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 Colour 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.
Description above from the Wikipedia article John Debney, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Acting
(2021)
(2020)
(2018)
(2017)
(2006)
(2002)
The Sweatbox
as Himself
(1975)
The Strongest Man in the World
as John (Student)
Crew
In Your Dreams
Original Music Composer
(2024)
Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1
Original Music Composer
(2024)
Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 2
Original Music Composer
(2024)
The Garfield Movie
Conductor, Original Music Composer
(2024)
Space Cadet
Original Music Composer
(2023)
Hypnotic
Additional Music
(2023)
Spy Kids: Armageddon
Original Music Composer
(2023)
Bad Luck Spot!
Music
(2023)
80 for Brady
Original Music Composer
(2023)
Under the Boardwalk
Original Music Composer
(2022)
Luck
Original Music Composer
(2022)
Hocus Pocus 2
Original Music Composer
(2022)
Marry Me
Original Music Composer
(2021)
Clifford the Big Red Dog
Original Music Composer
(2021)
Home Sweet Home Alone
Original Music Composer
(2021)
American Underdog
Original Music Composer
(2020)
Come Away
Original Music Composer
(2020)
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
Original Music Composer
(2020)
Asteroid Hunters
Original Music Composer
(2020)
I Still Believe
Original Music Composer
(2019)
Lake of Death
Original Music Composer
(2019)
Isn't It Romantic
Original Music Composer
(2019)
Brian Banks
Original Music Composer
(2019)
Dora and the Lost City of Gold
Original Music Composer
(2019)
The Beach Bum
Original Music Composer
(2019)
Sextuplets
Original Music Composer
(2018)
Beirut
Original Music Composer
(2018)
Chiefs
Original Music Composer
(2017)
Flint
Original Music Composer
(2017)
Home Again
Original Music Composer
(2017)
The Greatest Showman
Original Music Composer
(2016)
League of Gods
Original Music Composer
(2016)
Ice Age: Collision Course
Original Music Composer
(2016)
Scrat: Spaced Out
Original Music Composer
(2016)
Mother's Day
Original Music Composer
(2016)
The Young Messiah
Original Music Composer
(2016)
The Jungle Book
Original Music Composer
(2015)
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water
Original Music Composer
(2015)
Broken Horses
Original Music Composer
(2014)
Walk of Shame
Original Music Composer
(2014)
Draft Day
Original Music Composer
(2014)
Stonehearst Asylum
Original Music Composer
(2014)
The Cobbler
Original Music Composer
(2013)
Jobs
Original Music Composer
(2013)
The Call
Original Music Composer
(2012)
The Three Stooges
Original Music Composer
(2012)
Alex Cross
Original Music Composer
(2012)
A Thousand Words
Original Music Composer
(2011)
Dream House
Original Music Composer
(2011)
The Double
Original Music Composer
(2011)
New Year's Eve
Original Music Composer
(2011)
The Change-Up
Original Music Composer
(2011)
No Strings Attached
Original Music Composer
(2010)
Predators
Original Music Composer
(2010)
Iron Man 2
Original Music Composer
(2010)
Valentine's Day
Original Music Composer
(2010)
Yogi Bear
Original Music Composer
(2009)
Hannah Montana: The Movie
Original Music Composer
(2009)
Aliens in the Attic
Original Music Composer
(2009)
Old Dogs
Original Music Composer
(2009)
Hotel for Dogs
Original Music Composer
(2009)
The Stoning of Soraya M.
Original Music Composer
(2008)
My Best Friend's Girl
Original Music Composer
(2008)
The Seed
Music
(2008)
Meet Dave
Original Music Composer
(2008)
Swing Vote
Original Music Composer
(2007)
Georgia Rule
Original Music Composer
(2007)
Evan Almighty
Original Music Composer
(2006)
Barnyard
Conductor, Original Music Composer
(2006)
The Ant Bully
Original Music Composer
(2006)
Idlewild
Original Music Composer
(2006)
Everyone's Hero
Original Music Composer
(2006)
Keeping Up with the Steins
Original Music Composer
(2005)
Sin City
Original Music Composer, Conductor
(2005)
Zathura: A Space Adventure
Original Music Composer, Conductor
(2005)
Dreamer: Inspired By a True Story
Original Music Composer
(2005)
Chicken Little
Original Music Composer
(2005)
Cheaper by the Dozen 2
Original Music Composer
(2005)
The Pacifier
Original Music Composer
(2005)
The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl
Original Music Composer
(2005)
Duma
Original Music Composer
(2004)
The Passion of the Christ
Original Music Composer
(2004)
The Whole Ten Yards
Original Music Composer
(2004)
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Original Music Composer
(2004)
Welcome to Mooseport
Original Music Composer
(2004)
Christmas with the Kranks
Original Music Composer
(2004)
Raising Helen
Original Music Composer
(2003)
Bruce Almighty
Original Music Composer
(2003)
Elf
Original Music Composer
(2003)
Malibu's Most Wanted
Original Music Composer
(2002)
Dragonfly
Original Music Composer
(2002)
The Tuxedo
Original Music Composer
(2002)
Snow Dogs
Original Music Composer
(2002)
The Scorpion King
Original Music Composer
(2002)
Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams
Original Music Composer
(2002)
The Hot Chick
Original Music Composer
(2002)
Swimfan
Original Music Composer
(2001)
Heartbreakers
Original Music Composer
(2001)
Cats & Dogs
Original Music Composer
(2001)
Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius
Original Music Composer
(2001)
The Princess Diaries
Original Music Composer
(2001)
Spy Kids
Original Music Composer
(2001)
See Spot Run
Original Music Composer
(2000)
The Replacements
Original Music Composer
(2000)
Running Mates
Music
(2000)
(2000)
The Emperor's New Groove
Original Music Composer
(2000)
Relative Values
Original Music Composer
(1999)
End of Days
Original Music Composer
(1999)
Dick
Original Music Composer
(1999)
(1999)
The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland
Original Music Composer
(1999)
My Favorite Martian
Original Music Composer
(1999)
Inspector Gadget
Original Music Composer
(1999)
Komodo
Original Music Composer
(1999)
G-Saviour
Original Music Composer
(1999)
Goodnight Moon & Other Sleepytime Tales
Original Music Composer
(1999)
Lost & Found
Original Music Composer
(1998)
Paulie
Original Music Composer
(1998)
I'll Be Home for Christmas
Original Music Composer
(1997)
I Know What You Did Last Summer
Original Music Composer, Conductor
(1997)
The Relic
Original Music Composer, Conductor
(1997)
Justice League of America
Original Music Composer
(1997)
Liar Liar
Original Music Composer, Conductor
(1996)
Chameleon
Music
(1996)
Getting Away with Murder
Original Music Composer
(1996)
Doctor Who
Original Music Composer, Theme Song Performance
(1996)
Carpool
Original Music Composer
(1995)
In Pursuit of Honor
Original Music Composer
(1995)
Kansas
Music
(1995)
Runaway Brain
Music
(1995)
Sudden Death
Original Music Composer, Conductor
(1995)
Cutthroat Island
Original Music Composer
(1995)
Houseguest
Original Music Composer
(1994)
Little Giants
Original Music Composer
(1994)
White Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf
Original Music Composer
(1993)
Hocus Pocus
Original Music Composer
(1993)
Gunmen
Original Music Composer
(1993)
Class of '61
Music
(1993)
For Love and Glory
Music
(1993)
The Flintstones: Hollyrock a Bye Baby
Original Music Composer
(1993)
Praying Mantis
Music
(1993)
The Halloween Tree
Original Music Composer
(1993)
The Town Santa Forgot
Original Music Composer
(1993)
I Yabba Dabba Do!
Original Music Composer
(1993)
Jonny's Golden Quest
Original Music Composer
(1992)
Sunstroke
Music
(1992)
Still Not Quite Human
Original Music Composer
(1991)
Into the Badlands
Original Music Composer
(1990)
(1990)
Jetsons: The Movie
Original Music Composer
(1989)
(1989)
(1989)
Carmilla
Music
(1989)
(1988)
The Further Adventures of Tennessee Buck
Original Music Composer
(1987)
Yogi's Great Escape
Songs
(1987)
(1987)
(1987)
DTV: Monster Hits
Additional Music
(1985)
(1984)
Fitness and Me: Why Exercise?
Original Music Composer
(1984)
Donald Duck's 50th Birthday
Original Music Composer
(1983)
Backstage at Disney
Music
(1980)
Deer in the Works
Music