Mychael Danna

Mychael Danna is one of those composers I'll follow into any film. The Winnipeg-born, Toronto-trained writer occupies a rare niche, fusing Eastern and Western instrumentation into scores that deepen a picture without ever shouting over it. Winning the Oscar and Golden Globe for Life of Pi, plus an Emmy on the television side, signals a range most film composers never reach. What I admire most is his restraint: the music feels like emotional architecture rather than decoration, the kind that lingers long after the credits roll. I have endless respect for the artists who shape a film's feeling from the shadows, and Danna is among the very best.

Name (English)

Mychael Danna

Name (Japanese)

マイケル・ダナ

Reading

まいける・だな

Born

September 20, 1958 (age 67)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Virgo / Dog

Origin

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Occupation

composer / film score composer / music arranger / film producer / musician

High school

Nelson High School

University

University of Toronto

Awards & achievements

• 2013 Academy Award for Best Original Score

Motto

Private

• Official sitehttps://www.mychaeldanna.com/
• Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/mychaeldanna/
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%9E%E3%82%A4%E3%82%B1%E3%83%AB%E3%83%BB%E3%83%80%E3%83%8A

Tags

• Manitoba
• composer
• film score composer
• music arranger

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.