# Alberto Iglesias

Alberto Iglesias Fernández-Berridi (born 21 October 1955) is a Spanish composer. He was first noticed as a score composer for Spanish films, mostly from Pedro Almodóvar and Julio Medem. His career became more international with time and he eventually started to work also in Hollywood. Since then, he has been nominated four times for an Academy Award for his work in the films The Constant Gardener (2005), The Kite Runner (2007), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), and Parallel Mothers (2021). His other film credits include soundtracks for Steven Soderbergh's Che. and Hossein Amini's The Two Faces of January (2014). Iglesias also has worked for ballet and has done other classical music work.

## Early and personal life

Alberto Iglesias Fernández-Berridi was born in 1955 in San Sebastián, Spain. His sister is visual artist Cristina Iglesias. Iglesias was the brother-in-law of the late Spanish sculptor, Juan Muñoz.

## Career

Iglesias studied harmony and counterpoint at the Conservatory of his home city, with Francisco Escudero, continuing his education in Paris, where he studied composition and piano, and at Phonos studios, in Barcelona, where he learned electronic music. Afterwards, he created a duo of electronic music with Javier Navarrete, who worked and performed together from 1981 to 1986. Iglesias began working in film composition in the 1980s. He has composed a number of scores for films directed by Pedro Almodóvar, such as The Flower of My Secret (1995), Live Flesh (1997), All About My Mother (1999), Talk to Her (2002), Bad Education (2004), Volver (2006), Broken Embraces (2009) and The Skin I Live In (2011).
Iglesias also composed the music for Sex and Lucia (2001), directed by Julio Medem and for Oliver Stone's documentary, Comandante (2003).
Iglesias garnered his first Oscar nomination for his score in Fernando Meirelles's film adaptation of The Constant Gardener (2005). Iglesias also composed the score for The Kite Runner (2007), based on Khaled Hosseini's 2003 novel of the same name. Iglesias earned his second Oscar nomination for that score.
In 2008, Iglesias composed Steven Soderbergh's 2008 two-part biopic, Che (2008), starring Benicio del Toro as Che Guevara.
That same year, Iglesias composed the music for Tomas Alfredson's film adaptation of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, starring Gary Oldman as George Smiley. Iglesias told the Los Angeles Times: "(Alfredson) explained to me very well what this film is about. It's a film about loyalties and human relationships. Their spies are victims of this moment. That was the most important thing he told me. The film and the music show the more human side." He received his third Oscar nomination for the latter film.

## Work
### Film

Composer credits :
| Year | Title | Director |
| 1983 | La conquista de Albania | Alfonso Ungría |
| 1983 | La muerte de Mikel | Imanol Uribe |
| 1987 | Adiós pequeña | Imanol Uribe |
| 1992 | Cows (Vacas) | Julio Medem |
| 1993 | Outrage! (¡Dispara!) | Carlos Saura |
| 1993 | The Red Squirrel | Julio Medem |
| 1995 | Una casa en las afueras | Pedro Costa |
| 1995 | The Flower of My Secret | Pedro Almodóvar |
| 1997 | Live Flesh | Pedro Almodóvar |
| 1997 | The Chambermaid on the Titanic | Bigas Luna |
| 1998 | Lovers of the Arctic Circle | Julio Medem |
| 1999 | All About My Mother | Pedro Almodóvar |
| 2001 | Sex and Lucia | Julio Medem |
| 2002 | Talk to Her | Pedro Almodóvar |
| 2002 | The Dancer Upstairs | John Malkovich |
| 2004 | Bad Education | Pedro Almodóvar |
| 2005 | The Constant Gardener | Fernando Meirelles |
| 2006 | Volver | Pedro Almodóvar |
| 2007 | The Kite Runner | Marc Forster |
| 2008 | Che | Steven Soderbergh |
| 2009 | Broken Embraces | Pedro Almodóvar |
| 2010 | Even the Rain | Icíar Bollaín |
| 2011 | The Skin I Live In | Pedro Almodóvar |
| 2011 | Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy | Tomas Alfredson |
| 2012 | I'm So Excited | Pedro Almodóvar |
| 2014 | The Two Faces of January | Hossein Amini |
| 2014 | Exodus: Gods and Kings | Ridley Scott |
| 2015 | Ma Ma | Julio Medem |
| 2016 | Julieta | Pedro Almodóvar |
| 2017 | The Summit | Santiago Mitre |
| 2018 | Quién te cantará | Carlos Vermut |
| 2018 | Yuli: The Carlos Acosta Story | Icíar Bollaín |
| 2019 | Pain and Glory | Pedro Almodóvar |
| 2020 | The Human Voice | Pedro Almodóvar |
| 2021 | Parallel Mothers | Pedro Almodóvar |
| 2021 | Maixabel | Icíar Bollaín |
| 2024 | The Room Next Door | Pedro Almodóvar |

### Ballet

Iglesias composed the musical score for four ballets produced by Spanish choreographer Nacho Duato and the Spanish National Dance Company.
* 1992 – Cautiva
* 1994 – Tabulae
* 1995 – Cero sobre Cero
* 1997 – Self

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Project | Result |
| 2005 | Academy Award | Best Original Score | The Constant Gardener | Nominated |
| 2007 | Academy Award | Best Original Score | The Kite Runner | Nominated |
| 2011 | Academy Award | Best Original Score | Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy | Nominated |
| 2021 | Academy Award | Best Original Score | Parallel Mothers | Nominated |
| 2007 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Original Score | The Kite Runner | Nominated |
| 2022 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Original Score | Parallel Mothers | Nominated |
| 2005 | British Academy Film Awards | Best Original Music | The Constant Gardener | Nominated |
| 2007 | British Academy Film Awards | Best Original Music | The Kite Runner | Nominated |
| 2011 | British Academy Film Awards | Best Original Music | Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy | Nominated |
| 2004 | European Film Awards | Best Composer | Bad Education & Take My Eyes | Nominated |
| 2006 | European Film Awards | Best Composer | Volver | Won |
| 2011 | European Film Awards | Best Composer | The Skin I Live In | Nominated |
| 1992 | Goya Awards | Best Original Score | Vacas | Nominated |
| 1993 | Goya Awards | Best Original Score | La ardilla roja | Won |
| 1996 | Goya Awards | Best Original Score | Tierra | Won |
| 1998 | Goya Awards | Best Original Score | Los amantes del círculo polar | Won |
| 1999 | Goya Awards | Best Original Score | Todo sobre mi madre | Won |
| 2001 | Goya Awards | Best Original Score | Lucia y el sexo | Won |
| 2002 | Goya Awards | Best Original Score | Hable con ella | Won |
| 2006 | Goya Awards | Best Original Score | Volver | Won |
| 2008 | Goya Awards | Best Original Score | Che | Nominated |
| 2009 | Goya Awards | Best Original Score | Broken Embraces | Won |
| 2010 | Goya Awards | Best Original Score | Even the Rain | Won |
| 2011 | Goya Awards | Best Original Score | The Skin I Live In | Won |
| 2015 | Goya Awards | Best Original Score | Ma Ma | Nominated |
| 2016 | Goya Awards | Best Original Score | Julieta | Nominated |
| 2017 | Goya Awards | Best Original Score | The Summit | Nominated |
| 2018 | Goya Awards | Best Original Score | Yuli | Nominated |
| 2019 | Goya Awards | Best Original Score | Pain and Glory | Won |
| 2021 | Goya Awards | Best Original Score | Maixabel | Nominated |
| 2019 | Cannes Film Festival | Best Soundtrack | Pain and Glory | Won |
| 2011 | Hollywood Film Festival | Soundtrack Composer of the Year | Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy / The Skin I Live In | Won |
| 2019 | Platino Awards | Best Original Score | Yuli | Won |
| 2004 | World Soundtrack Awards | Soundtrack Composer of the Year | Bad Education | Nominated |
| 2005 | World Soundtrack Awards | Soundtrack Composer of the Year | The Constant Gardener | Won |
| 2012 | World Soundtrack Awards | Soundtrack Composer of the Year | Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy / The Skin I Live In | Won |