Photo: Raffi Asdourian from New York, United States / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Cliff Martinez is one of those people whose career arc I genuinely admire. He started as a drummer, and not for just anyone, he played with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Captain Beefheart's Magic Band, before reinventing himself entirely as a film composer. That pivot from rock rhythm section to atmospheric film scoring is rare, and it clearly worked, given his two Robert Awards for Best Score in 2014 and 2017. Born in New York in 1954, he strikes me as a craftsman who follows the sound rather than the spotlight. I always trust musicians who can completely reinvent what they do mid-career.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Cliff Martinez
- Name (Japanese)
- クリフ・マルティネス
- Reading
- くりふ・まるてぃねす
- Born
- February 5, 1954 (age 72)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aquarius / Horse
- Origin
- New York City, New York, United States
- Occupation
- composer / drummer / film score composer / musician
2. Background
Awards & achievements
- 2014 Robert Award for Best Score
- 2017 Robert Award for Best Score
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Cliff Martinez born?
Born February 5, 1954 (age 72).
Where is Cliff Martinez from?
Cliff Martinez is from New York City, New York, United States.
What does Cliff Martinez do?
Cliff Martinez works as composer, drummer, film score composer, musician.
Composer — see all → · Drummer — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.