---
name: "Emil Richards"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/emil-richards"
fi1m_id: "emil-richards"
tmdb_id: 3708425
roles: ["Musician"]
born: "2 September 1932"
died: "13 December 2019"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 4
average_fi1m_score: 88
average_over: 4
updated: "2026-09-26T01:05:31.256960+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."
---

# Emil Richards

## Identity

Emil Richards

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/emil-richards
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** emil-richards
- **TMDB ID:** 3708425
- **Same entity:** https://www.themoviedb.org/person/3708425

Musician. Born 2 September 1932 in Hartford, Connecticut, USA. Died 13 December 2019.

## Details

- **Work:** Musician
- **Born:** 2 September 1932, Hartford, Connecticut, USA
- **Died:** 13 December 2019
- **Active:** 1974–1983
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1970s 93 (3), 1980s 72 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 88 to 83 across 4 titles
- **Score spread:** 3 at 80+, 1 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Adventure 2, Crime 2, Drama 2, Thriller 2, Horror 1, Mystery 1
- **Screen time:** 8 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $529m across 3 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://www.themoviedb.org/person/3708425

## Biography

Emil Richards was an American percussionist and studio musician. Born Emilio Joseph Radocchia in Hartford, Connecticut, he worked extensively in Los Angeles as a first-call session player on film and television scores from the late 1950s onwards.

Richards contributed percussion to numerous film soundtracks, including *El Norte* (1983), for which he supplied marimba and atmospheric music. His other credits as a musician encompass *Chinatown* (1974), *Jaws* (1975), *Taxi Driver* (1976), *The Wild Bunch* (1969) and *The Godfather Part III* (1990). He died in Los Angeles in 2019.

*Sources: catalog.afi.com, en.wikipedia.org, hollywoodreporter.com.*

## On Fi1m (4)

- *El Norte* (1983), Fi1m 72, Original Music Composer, Music — [page](https://film.one/film/el-norte.md)
- *Taxi Driver* (1976), Fi1m 92, Musician — [page](https://film.one/film/taxi-driver.md)
- *Jaws* (1975), Fi1m 93, Musician — [page](https://film.one/film/jaws.md)
- *Chinatown* (1974), Fi1m 93, Musician — [page](https://film.one/film/chinatown.md)

## Complete filmography (23)

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

- *Falling Down* (1993), Musician — Fi1m 71, [page](https://film.one/film/falling-down.md)
- *The Godfather Part III* (1990), Musician — Fi1m 63, [page](https://film.one/film/the-godfather-part-iii.md)
- *Total Recall* (1990), Musician — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/total-recall.md)
- *El Norte* (1983), Original Music Composer — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/el-norte.md)
- *21 Hours at Munich* (1976), Musician
- *The Outlaw Josey Wales* (1976), Musician
- *Jackson County Jail* (1976), Musician
- *Taxi Driver* (1976), Musician — Fi1m 92, [page](https://film.one/film/taxi-driver.md)
- *Whiffs* (1975), Musician
- *Jaws* (1975), Musician — Fi1m 93, [page](https://film.one/film/jaws.md)
- *Chinatown* (1974), Musician — Fi1m 93, [page](https://film.one/film/chinatown.md)
- *The Outfit* (1973), Musician
- *The Friends of Eddie Coyle* (1973), Musician
- *Shaft in Africa* (1973), Musician
- *Ulzana's Raid* (1972), Musician
- *The Other* (1972), Musician
- *Billy Jack* (1971), Musician
- *Rio Lobo* (1970), Musician
- *Cactus Flower* (1969), Musician
- *The Wild Bunch* (1969), Musician
- *The President's Analyst* (1967), Musician
- *A Big Hand for the Little Lady* (1966), Musician
- *Seven Days in May* (1964), Musician

---
© 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/emil-richards