# Gustavo Santaolalla

Gustavo Alfredo Santaolalla (Spanish:; born 19 August 1951) is an Argentine composer and musician. Known for his minimalist approach to composing, he rose to fame for creating the scores for Brokeback Mountain (2005) and Babel (2006), for which he received two Academy Awards for Best Original Score in consecutive years. Santaolalla also gained recognition for his work on The Last of Us game series, composing the 2013 title and its 2020 sequel. He returned to reprise his themes and co-compose the score for the 2023 television adaptation.
Santaolalla initially rose to prominence in Argentina as the guitarist and original frontman of the rock band Arco Iris, which he co-founded in 1967. With a sound that fused the styles of Argentine folk, psychedelia and jazz rock, the group became influential in the development of Argentine rock. He is also a member of the neotango group Bajofondo, a project he helped form in 2002. Santaolalla has been a collaborator with director Alejandro González Iñárritu, and wrote the themes for television series such as the American satirical romantic dramedy series Jane the Virgin (2014–2019), its Arabic adaptation, and the crime documentary series Making a Murderer (2015–2018).

## Early life

Gustavo Alfredo Santaolalla was born in Ciudad Jardín Lomas del Palomar on 19 August 1951. He attended St. Paul's College in Hurlingham. His family has roots in Spain; his grandfather was Andalusian and his grandmother was Basque. When Santaolalla was five, he was given his first guitar by his grandmother; he "immediately connected in a sort of a spiritual level with the music". In his pre-teenage years, Santaolalla wrote songs in English which "mimick[ed]" the music of bands like the Beatles.

## Career

Santaolalla's music career began in 1967 when he co-founded the group Arco Iris, a rock band that pioneered the fusion of rock and Latin American folk known as rock nacional. The band adopted the lifestyle of a yoga commune guided by former model Danais "Dana" Winnycka and her partner, musician Ara Tokatlian. The band had a few hits, such as "Mañanas Campestres" ("Country Mornings"), and made inroads into different forms of musical expression (notably a ballet piece for Oscar Aráiz). However, Santaolalla felt constricted by the strict requirements of Dana's teachings, which prohibited the consumption of meat, alcohol, and drugs; he left the group in 1975.
In 1976, Santaolalla assembled Soluna, a band in which he played alongside teenage pianist and singer Alejandro Lerner and his then-girlfriend Monica Campins. Together they recorded just one album (Energía Natural in 1977). Santaolalla released his first self-titled album, Santaolalla, in 1981. His second album, titled Gas, was released in 1995.
Santaolalla began working on film soundtracks in the late 1990s, producing albums for the films Amores Perros, 21 Grams, and The Motorcycle Diaries (2004). He provided the instrumental music for the soundtrack to the 2005 film Brokeback Mountain, from which "A Love That Will Never Grow Old" won the 2006 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. Santaolalla received the 2006 Academy Award for Original Score for Brokeback Mountain. In 2007, he received his second Academy Award for the film score to Babel.
Santaolalla composed the score of the 2013 video game The Last of Us. During the initial development of the game, creative director Neil Druckmann and game director Bruce Straley compiled musical tracks that they found inspirational. When searching for a composer to work on the game's music, they realised that Santaolalla composed many of their compiled tracks; they asked "that sound guy" from Sony to reach out to the musician. He was brought to the studio and was shown an early version of the game's first trailer and a full description of the game's plot; Druckmann remembers the composer's first words to them were "I want to be a part of this. Whatever it takes, I want to write for this". Santaolalla had previously wanted to compose for video games and was approached by several other developers following his wins for Best Original Score at the Academy Awards, but he refused to work on projects without a focus on story and characters. Santaolalla remembered that he sent Druckmann "batches of themes and music" for nearly three years; to challenge himself, Santaolalla used a variety of unique instruments that were new to him, giving "an element of danger and innocence".
Santaolalla was the co-producer of Calle 13's song "Tango del Pecado", a song from their album Residente o Visitante. In 2015, Santaolalla was inducted into the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Santaolalla returned to co-compose the score for the television adaptation of The Last of Us, which premiered in 2023. He felt the "relationship that [fans] have with the music of the game" made his return inevitable and noted the music was so integral to the narrative that its absence would be akin to excluding lead characters Joel or Ellie. Santaolalla primarily recrafted his previous work instead of creating new music, focusing on elements he found interesting. He said some of his pieces fit perfectly while others were trimmed and edited to fit the scenes. He treated the series as "an expansion" of the game and kept them tied to each other, not seeking to revise or correct previous work as he found it authentic. Santaolalla had around 185 cues for the series, associated with specific on-screen actions, like a character opening a door or getting in a car.

## Artistry

Santaolalla does not know how to read or write musical notation, nor does he use an orchestra for his soundtracks. He said, "I don't see myself as a film composer. I see myself as more of an artist that uses different forms to express myself. I love it all."

## Personal life

Santaolalla lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Alejandra Palacios, and their daughter Luna (born 1994) and son Don Juan Nahuel (born 1999). He has a daughter named Ana (born 1980) from a previous relationship with Monica Campins.

## Credits

| Year | Title | Notes |
| 1981 | She Dances Alone | |
| 1998 | Ronroco | Solo work, first release of "Iguazu" |
| 1999 | The Insider | Features his song, "Iguazu" |
| 2000 | Amores perros | |
| 2003 | 21 Grams | |
| 2004 | Salinas grandes | TV |
| 2004 | The Motorcycle Diaries | BAFTA Award for Original Music Score. See also the soundtrack |
| 2005 | North Country | See also the soundtrack |
| 2005 | Yes | Features his song "Iguazu" |
| 2005 | Brokeback Mountain | Academy Award for Original Score. See also the soundtrack |
| 2006 | Fast Food Nation | Features his song "Iguazu" |
| 2006 | Babel | Academy and BAFTA Award for Original Score. See also the soundtrack |
| 2007 | Into the Wild | Features his song "Picking Berries" |
| 2007 | My Blueberry Nights | Features his song "Pájaros" |
| 2008 | Linha de Passe | |
| 2009 | I Come with the Rain | |
| 2010 | The Sun Behind the Clouds: Tibet's Struggle for Freedom | |
| 2010 | Nanga Parbat | |
| 2010 | Biutiful | |
| 2010 | Dhobi Ghaat | Hindi language Indian film |
| 2012 | On the Road | |
| 2013 | The Last of Us | Video game |
| 2013 | August: Osage County | |
| 2014 | The Book of Life | |
| 2014 | Wild Tales | Goya Award for Best Original Score |
| 2014 | Camino | Solo work |
| 2015 | Making a Murderer | |
| 2015 | Borrowed Time | Short |
| 2016 | Before the Flood | |
| 2016 | Qhapaq Ñan: Desandando El Camino | |
| 2017 | A Life in 12 Bars | |
| 2017 | To End a War | |
| 2017 | All That Divides Us | |
| 2018 | Narcos: Mexico | |
| 2020 | The Fight | |
| 2020 | The Last of Us Part II | Video game. Likeness also used in the game for a banjo player in Jackson. |
| 2020 | El Cid | |
| 2021 | Finch | |
| 2021 | Maya and the Three | Netflix miniseries |
| 2022 | The House | Netflix anthology film |
| 2023–present | The Last of Us | HBO series |

## Awards and nominations
### Awards

* Academy Awards:
** 2005: Best Original Score – Brokeback Mountain
** 2006: Best Original Score – Babel
* Annie Awards:
** 2022: Best Music, TV/Media – Maya and the Three
* BAFTA Awards:
** 2004: Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music – The Motorcycle Diaries
** 2006: Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music – Babel
* BMI:
** On 13 June 2008, Gustavo Santaolalla was honored as a BMI Icon at the 15th annual BMI Latin Awards. The BMI Icon award is bestowed on creators who have had a "unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers."
* Golden Globe Awards:
** 2005: Best Original Song – "A Love That Will Never Grow Old" from Brokeback Mountain
* Grammy Awards:
** 2004: Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album – Cuatro Caminos (producer)
** 2009: Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album: La Vida... Es un Ratico (producer)
* Latin Grammy Awards:
** 2000: Best Rock Album – Revés/Yo Soy (producer)
** 2001: Best Rock Solo Vocal Album – Fíjate Bien (producer)
** 2003: Record of the Year – "Es Por Ti" (producer)
** 2003: Album of the Year – Un Día Normal (producer)
** 2003: Best Pop Instrumental Album – Bajofondo Tango Club (producer)
** 2004: Best Alternative Music Album – Cuatro Caminos (producer)
** 2005: Best Rock Solo Vocal Album – Mi Sangre (producer)
** 2005: Producer of the Year
*** A Contraluz by La Vela Puerca
*** Bajofondo Tango Club Presenta A: Supervielle by Supervielle
*** Celador De Sueños by Orozco and Barrientos
*** Cristobal Repetto by Cristobal Repetto
*** Guau! by Arbol
*** Mi Sangre by Juanes
*** The Motorcycle Diaries: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
*** 13 by Javier García
** 2006: Best Tango Album – Café De Los Maestros (producer)
** 2008: Record of the Year: "Me Enamora" (producer)
** 2008: Album of the Year: La Vida... Es un Ratico (producer)
** 2008: Best Male Pop Vocal Album: La Vida... Es un Ratico (producer)

### Nominations

* BAFTA Awards:
** 2005: Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music – Brokeback Mountain
* Golden Globe Awards:
** 2005: Best Original Score – Brokeback Mountain
** 2006: Best Original Score – Babel
* Grammy Awards:
** 2007: Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media – Brokeback Mountain: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (producer)
** 2008: Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media – Babel: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (composer)
* Primetime Emmy Awards:
** 2012: Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music – Hell on Wheels
** 2023: Outstanding Music Composition for a Series – The Last of Us: "Long, Long Time"