Biografia
Kris Bowers is an Academy Award®-winning filmmaker and a composer and pianist nominated for Emmy, Grammy, and Oscar awards. His 2024 score for DreamWorks Animation's The Wild Robot received widespread acclaim, earning nominations from the Academy Awards®, Golden Globes, Critics' Choice Awards, and BAFTAs, along with the Society of Composers and Lyricists (SCL) award for Outstanding Original Score for a Studio Film.
Bowers earned his first Academy Award® for the 2023 documentary short The Last Repair Shop, co-directed with Ben Proudfoot. Produced by Breakwater Studios, the film highlights individuals working at the Los Angeles Unified School District’s music instrument repair shop, the last free repair service for public school students in the city.
Following the success of The Last Repair Shop, Bowers and Proudfoot initiated a $15 million capital campaign in partnership with the LAUSD Education Foundation to support music education for future generations of Angelenos.
A Juilliard-trained pianist, Bowers has performed globally, including at the White House for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama in 2016. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with a diverse range of artists such as Kobe Bryant, Mahershala Ali, Ava DuVernay, Shonda Rhimes, and has recorded and performed with Q-Tip, Ludacris, Christian Rich, Marcus Miller, and José James.
Bowers’ multifaceted career as a performer, composer, and filmmaker shapes his comprehensive approach to music. For the 2018 film Green Book, he carefully transcribed Don Shirley’s recordings note for note, composed the score, served as Mahershala Ali’s on-screen hand-double for piano close-ups, and spent three months teaching Ali to play piano.
Combining his classical and jazz backgrounds, Bowers explores new creative territories in music and film. Recently, he composed genre-defying scores for Paramount’s biopic Bob Marley: One Love, Ava DuVernay’s Origin, Warner Bros.’ The Color Purple and King Richard, among others. His television work includes scoring When They See Us, Mrs. America, and winning a Daytime Emmy in 2017 for The Snowy Day. Since 2020, he has composed the score for Netflix’s hit series Bridgerton.
Bowers has several projects in development through Et Al Studios Productions, the company he co-founded with his wife, Briana Henry.
