Photo: Ian Patterson / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Vangelis is one of those rare artists who genuinely invented a sound — I still remember the first time that Chariots of Fire theme hit me, those rolling synth chords so simple yet so impossibly majestic, and I just thought: how does one person summon that? Born in a small Greek coastal town and entirely self-taught, he never read formal music notation and somehow that freed him to do things trained composers wouldn't dare. The Blade Runner score is arguably the defining sonic portrait of noir future-dread — cold, luminous, melancholy all at once. And 1492: Conquest of Paradise? That piece swells like an actual ocean voyage. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Score in 1982 and collected French honors across decades, but honestly the awards feel almost beside the point. He passed away in May 2022, and the world quietly lost its most atmospheric composer.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Vangelis
- Name (Japanese)
- ヴァンゲリス
- Reading
- ゔぁんげりす
- Born
- March 29, 1943 – May 17, 2022
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aries / Goat
- Origin
- Agria, Greece
- Occupation
- film score composer / keyboardist / record producer / composer / painter
2. Background
Awards & achievements
- 1982 Academy Award for Best Original Score
- 2017 Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres
- 2020 Commander of the Order of the Phoenix
- 2001 Knight of the Legion of Honour
- 1992 Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Mythodea | — | |
| Notable work | Chariots of Fire | — | |
| Notable work | 1492 – Conquest of Paradise | — | |
| Notable work | Blade Runner | — | |
| Notable work | 666 | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Vangelis born?
March 29, 1943 – May 17, 2022.
Where is Vangelis from?
Vangelis is from Agria, Greece.
What does Vangelis do?
Vangelis works as film score composer, keyboardist, record producer, composer, painter.
What is Vangelis known for?
Notable works include Mythodea, Chariots of Fire, 1492 – Conquest of Paradise.
Film score composer — see all → · Keyboardist — see all → · More people from Greece →
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.