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.
Overview
Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou (Greek: Ευάγγελος Οδυσσέας Παπαθανασίου, pronounced [eˈvaɲɟelos oðiˈseas papaθanaˈsi.u]; 29 March 1943 – 17 May 2022), mainly known professionally as Vangelis ( vang-GHEL-iss; Greek: Βαγγέλης, pronounced [vaɲˈɟelis]; also credited as Vangelis Papathanassiou), was a Greek composer, arranger, performer and producer of music.
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
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- film score composer / keyboardist / record producer / composer / painter
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
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
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
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
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.