Composer

Hildur Guðnadóttir

Born 4 September 1982 · Reykjavík, Iceland

Hildur Guðnadóttir is an Icelandic composer and classically trained cellist who also worked in experimental and indie music. She became widely known for her scores to the series Chernobyl and the film Joker. She was the first solo woman to win the Oscar, Golden Globe and BAFTA for scoring.

Key films

A Hijacking (2012)
Early feature score for a Danish hostage thriller, showing her spare, atmospheric approach to film music.
Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018)
Her first major Hollywood score, a brooding sequel soundtrack that brought her wider industry attention.
Joker (2019)
Her cello-driven score won the Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA, defining her career.
TÁR (2022)
Scored Todd Field's drama about a conductor, a film set in the world of classical music.
Women Talking (2022)
Provided the score for Sarah Polley's drama, continuing her run of acclaimed, intimate scores.

Key awards

2020 Academy Award for Best Original Score (Joker)
2020 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score (Joker)
2020 BAFTA Award for Best Original Music (Joker)
2019 Primetime Emmy Award for music composition (Chernobyl)
2020 Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media (Chernobyl)

On Cinespective

Full filmography · 22

2012A HijackingComposer
2012Astro: An Urban Fable in a Magical Rio de JaneiroComposer
2013JînComposer
2014End of SummerComposer
2014CathedralsComposer
2016The OathComposer
2017Journey's EndComposer
2017Tom of FinlandComposer
2017Strong IslandComposer
2018Sicario: Day of the SoldadoComposer
2018Mary MagdaleneComposer
2019JokerComposer
2022TÁRComposer
2022Women TalkingComposer
2023A Haunting in VeniceComposer
2023The FundraiserComposer
2024Joker: Folie à DeuxComposer
2024Utan ord – i filmmusikens värld · as SelfActor
2025HeddaComposer
202628 Years Later: The Bone TempleComposer
2026The Bride!Composer
2026ClosureComposer

Filmography data from TMDB. The profile text is a draft written for Cinespective.