Milan, 1911 · Rome, 1979
Nino Rota
Fellini's music for twenty-five years and the waltz from The Godfather. Oscar for The Godfather Part II.
A child prodigy, he had an oratorio of his own premiered in Milan at twelve. He ran the Bari conservatory for decades and never stopped writing opera and concert music. In film he worked with Fellini from The White Sheik to Orchestra Rehearsal, and with Visconti, Zeffirelli and Coppola.
- Style
- Circus, town band and nostalgia. New melodies that sound like folk songs you have always known.
- Awards
- Oscar for The Godfather Part II (1975), shared with Carmine Coppola. His nomination for The Godfather was withdrawn because it reused a theme of his from 1958.
Essential films
- La Strada (1954)
- La Dolce Vita (1960)
- 8½ (1963)
- The Leopard (1963)
- Romeo and Juliet (1968)
- The Godfather (1972)
- Amarcord (1973)
Listen
- Speak Softly Love (Love Theme) · The GodfatherSpotifyYouTube
- Gelsomina · La StradaSpotifyYouTube
- Amarcord · AmarcordSpotifyYouTube
Everything on Spotify Everything on YouTube Full biography on Wikipedia
Awards counted up to the 2026 Academy Awards. Facts reviewed in October 2026.