---
name: "Cliff Martinez"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/cliff-martinez"
fi1m_id: "cliff-martinez"
imdb_id: "nm0553498"
tmdb_id: 8377
wikidata_id: "Q455964"
roles: ["Composer"]
born: "5 February 1954"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 14
average_fi1m_score: 72
average_over: 14
updated: "2026-09-25T00:22:33.688725+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Cliff Martinez

## Identity

Cliff Martinez

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/cliff-martinez
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** cliff-martinez
- **IMDb ID:** nm0553498
- **TMDB ID:** 8377
- **Wikidata ID:** Q455964
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff_Martinez, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q455964, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0553498/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/8377

Composer. Born 5 February 1954 in The Bronx, New York, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Composer
- **Born:** 5 February 1954, The Bronx, New York, USA
- **Active:** 1989–present
- **Frequently works with:** [Steven Soderbergh](https://film.one/person/steven-soderbergh.md), [John Hardy](https://film.one/person/john-hardy.md), [Nicolas Winding Refn](https://film.one/person/nicolas-winding-refn.md), [Erika Christensen](https://film.one/person/erika-christensen.md), [Jeroen Krabbé](https://film.one/person/jeroen-krabbe.md), [Lem Dobbs](https://film.one/person/lem-dobbs.md), [Michael Polaire](https://film.one/person/michael-polaire.md), [Peter Gallagher](https://film.one/person/peter-gallagher.md)
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1980s 83 (1), 1990s 71 (4), 2000s 78 (2), 2010s 68 (6), 2020s 77 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 72 to 67 across 14 titles
- **Score spread:** 6 at 80+, 5 at 60–79, 3 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 12, Thriller 8, Crime 7, Mystery 3, Science Fiction 3, Comedy 1
- **Screen time:** 23 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $584m across 10 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff_Martinez, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q455964, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0553498/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/8377

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*The Neon Demon*](https://film.one/film/the-neon-demon.md) (61), [*War Dogs*](https://film.one/film/war-dogs.md) (55), [*Only God Forgives*](https://film.one/film/only-god-forgives.md) (48)
- **Apple TV:** [*The Knick*](https://film.one/tv/the-knick.md) (82), [*The Limey*](https://film.one/film/the-limey.md) (80)
- **HBO Max:** [*Kimi*](https://film.one/film/kimi.md) (77)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Cliff Martinez is an American composer. Born on 5 February 1954 in the Bronx, New York, he began his career as a drummer, performing with bands including Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

He moved into film scoring in the late 1980s. His first feature credit was *sex, lies, and videotape* (1989) for Steven Soderbergh. Martinez has since scored multiple Soderbergh films, including *Kafka* (1991), *King of the Hill* (1993), *The Underneath* (1995), *Schizopolis* (1997), *The Limey* (1999), *Traffic* (2000), *Solaris* (2002) and *Contagion* (2011), as well as *Kimi* (2022). He has also worked with Nicolas Winding Refn on films such as *Drive* (2011).

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, cliff-martinez.com.*

## On Fi1m (14)

- *Kimi* (2022), Fi1m 77, Original Music Composer, Music — [page](https://film.one/film/kimi.md)
- *The Neon Demon* (2016), Fi1m 61, Original Music Composer, Music — [page](https://film.one/film/the-neon-demon.md)
- *War Dogs* (2016), Fi1m 55, Music, Original Music Composer — [page](https://film.one/film/war-dogs.md)
- *The Knick* (2014), Fi1m 82, Music, Original Music Composer — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-knick.md)
- *Only God Forgives* (2013), Fi1m 48, Original Music Composer, Music — [page](https://film.one/film/only-god-forgives.md)
- *Contagion* (2011), Fi1m 78, Original Music Composer, Music — [page](https://film.one/film/contagion.md)
- *Drive* (2011), Fi1m 83, Music — [page](https://film.one/film/drive.md)
- *Solaris* (2002), Fi1m 74, Original Music Composer, Music — [page](https://film.one/film/solaris.md)
- *Traffic* (2000), Fi1m 82, Music, Original Music Composer — [page](https://film.one/film/traffic.md)
- *The Limey* (1999), Fi1m 80, Original Music Composer, Music — [page](https://film.one/film/the-limey.md)
- *The Underneath* (1995), Fi1m 62, Original Music Composer, Music — [page](https://film.one/film/the-underneath.md)
- *King of the Hill* (1993), Fi1m 84, Original Music Composer, Music — [page](https://film.one/film/king-of-the-hill.md)
- *Kafka* (1991), Fi1m 58, Original Music Composer, Music — [page](https://film.one/film/kafka.md)
- *sex, lies, and videotape* (1989), Fi1m 83, Original Music Composer, Music — [page](https://film.one/film/sex-lies-and-videotape.md)

## Complete filmography (54)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Copenhagen Cowboy: Nightcall with Nicolas Winding Refn* (2023), Original Music Composer
- *Copenhagen Cowboy* (2023), series, Original Music Composer
- *Touch of Crude* (2022), Music
- *Kimi* (2022), Original Music Composer — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/film/kimi.md)
- *The Wilds* (2020), series, Original Music Composer
- *Too Old to Die Young* (2019), series, Original Music Composer
- *Hotel Artemis* (2018), Original Music Composer
- *Ekspeditionen - På sporet af Vitus Bering* (2018), series, Original Music Composer
- *Game Night* (2018), Original Music Composer
- *Den of Thieves* (2018), Original Music Composer
- *The Foreigner* (2017), Original Music Composer
- *War Dogs* (2016), Original Music Composer — Fi1m 55, [page](https://film.one/film/war-dogs.md)
- *The Neon Demon* (2016), Original Music Composer — Fi1m 61, [page](https://film.one/film/the-neon-demon.md)
- *The Secret Slaves of the Middle East* (2016), Music
- *My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn* (2015), Music
- *The Knick* (2014), series, Original Music Composer — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-knick.md)
- *The Normal Heart* (2014), Original Music Composer
- *Mea Culpa* (2014), Original Music Composer
- *The Square* (2013), as Songs
- *Only God Forgives* (2013), Original Music Composer — Fi1m 48, [page](https://film.one/film/only-god-forgives.md)
- *Spring Breakers* (2013), Original Music Composer
- *The Company You Keep* (2012), Original Music Composer
- *Golem* (2012), Music
- *Arbitrage* (2012), Original Music Composer
- *NWR* (2012), Additional Music
- *Drive* (2011), Original Music Composer — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/film/drive.md)
- *Contagion* (2011), Original Music Composer — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/contagion.md)
- *The Lincoln Lawyer* (2011), Original Music Composer
- *Severe Clear* (2010), Music
- *In the Beginning* (2009), Original Music Composer
- *Spy(ies)* (2009), Original Music Composer
- *Vice* (2008), Original Music Composer
- *Stiletto* (2008), Original Music Composer
- *First Snow* (2006), Original Music Composer
- *Havoc* (2005), Original Music Composer
- *Stan Ridgway's Holiday In Dirt* (2005), Music
- *Wicker Park* (2004), Original Music Composer
- *Wonderland* (2003), Original Music Composer
- *Solaris* (2002), Original Music Composer — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/solaris.md)
- *Narc* (2002), Original Music Composer
- *Traffic* (2000), Original Music Composer — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/traffic.md)
- *The Limey* (1999), Original Music Composer — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/the-limey.md)
- *Wicked* (1998), Original Music Composer
- *The Fifth Element* (1997), Additional Music — Fi1m 73, [page](https://film.one/film/the-fifth-element.md)
- *Schizopolis* (1997), Original Music Composer
- *Gray's Anatomy* (1996), Original Music Composer
- *The Underneath* (1995), Original Music Composer — Fi1m 62, [page](https://film.one/film/the-underneath.md)
- *King of the Hill* (1993), Original Music Composer — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/king-of-the-hill.md)
- *Black Magic* (1992), Music, Original Music Composer
- *Kafka* (1991), Original Music Composer — Fi1m 58, [page](https://film.one/film/kafka.md)
- *Pump Up the Volume* (1990), Original Music Composer
- *sex, lies, and videotape* (1989), Original Music Composer — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/film/sex-lies-and-videotape.md)
- *Red Hot Chili Peppers: [1986] St. Louis, MO* (1986), as Drums
- *Pee-wee's Playhouse* (1986), series, Music

## Gallery

- ![Cliff Martinez (2012)](https://film.one/media/person/9240/gallery-04c2bea84962.jpg) Cliff Martinez (2012) — Raffi Asdourian from New York, United States, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/46/Cliff_Martinez_%2813522505295%29.jpg/1280px-Cliff_Martinez_%2813522505295%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Cliff Martinez](https://film.one/media/person/9240/gallery-793a8cb84439.jpg) Cliff Martinez — Raffi Asdourian from New York, United States, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/93/Cliff_Martinez_%28cropped%29.jpg/1280px-Cliff_Martinez_%28cropped%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Cliff Martinez](https://film.one/media/person/9240/gallery-52000c256713.jpg) Cliff Martinez — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Other awards — 2 won

- Robert Award for Best Score 2017: Robert Award for Best Score (won)
- Robert Award for Best Score 2014: Robert Award for Best Score (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/cliff-martinez