---
name: "Sonny Rollins"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/sonny-rollins"
roles: ["Composer"]
born: "7 September 1930"
died: "25 May 2026"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-20T04:40:41.412622+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."
---

# Sonny Rollins

Composer. Born 7 September 1930 in New York City, New York, USA. Died 25 May 2026.

## Details

- **Work:** Composer
- **Born:** 7 September 1930, New York City, New York, USA
- **Died:** 25 May 2026
- **Also known as:** Walter Theodore Rollins
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Rollins, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q299208, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0738456/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1077068

## Biography

Sonny Rollins was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He wrote the score for the 1966 British film *Alfie*.

Born Walter Theodore Rollins in New York City on 7 September 1930, he died on 25 May 2026. He also voiced himself in an episode of the television series *The Simpsons* (2013).

Rollins recorded more than sixty albums as a leader over a career spanning seven decades and composed several jazz standards.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, nytimes.com, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Alfie* (1966), Fi1m 79, Music, Original Music Composer — [page](https://film.one/film/alfie.md)

## Complete filmography (8)

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

- *Bird Calls* (2025), as Vocals
- *Jazz Club 2* (2022), Actor
- *Sonny Rollins: Beyond the Notes* (2012), Original Music Composer
- *The Simpsons* (1989), series, as Sonny Rollins (voice) — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-simpsons.md)
- *On s'est tous défilé* (1988), Music
- *Saxophone Colossus* (1986), Original Music Composer
- *Sonny Rollins - Salle Wagram, Paris* (1981), Actor
- *Alfie* (1966), Original Music Composer — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/film/alfie.md)

## Gallery

- ![Sonny Rollins at Stockholm Jazz Fest 2009.](https://film.one/media/person/1242539/gallery-93f2c4319127.jpg) Sonny Rollins at Stockholm Jazz Fest 2009. — Bengt Nyman, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/08/Sonny_Rollins_at_Stockholm_Jazz_Fest_2009.jpg/1280px-Sonny_Rollins_at_Stockholm_Jazz_Fest_2009.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Sonny Rollins, JVC Newport Jazz Festival (2008)](https://film.one/media/person/1242539/gallery-26e07129953e.jpg) Sonny Rollins, JVC Newport Jazz Festival (2008) — Marek Lazarski, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9e/Sonny_Rollins_DSC0214z.jpg/1280px-Sonny_Rollins_DSC0214z.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Saxophonist Sonny Rollins in a press photo dated to 1974. No copyright markings on the photo](https://film.one/media/person/1242539/gallery-222a4d51cf1f.jpg) Saxophonist Sonny Rollins in a press photo dated to 1974. No copyright markings on the photo — Distributed by Milestone Records, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/Sonny_Rollins_1974_press_photo.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Sonny Rollins at Stockholm Jazz Fest 2009](https://film.one/media/person/1242539/gallery-0108f8806b6c.jpg) Sonny Rollins at Stockholm Jazz Fest 2009 — Bengt Nyman, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Sonny_Rollins_2009.jpg/1280px-Sonny_Rollins_2009.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Sonny Rollins](https://film.one/media/person/1242539/gallery-f55e76870fcb.jpg) Sonny Rollins — Brianmcmillen at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/SonnyRollins.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Outdoor portrait of Sonny Rollins, american jazz saxo player, taken on 2005-07-22 during the Jazz à Juan Festival (French Riviera), before his performance.](https://film.one/media/person/1242539/gallery-2007e32bb7e4.jpg) Outdoor portrait of Sonny Rollins, american jazz saxo player, taken on 2005-07-22 during the Jazz à Juan Festival (French Riviera), before his performance. — Yves Moch, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ca/Sonny_Rollins.jpg/1280px-Sonny_Rollins.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

## Awards

### Other awards — 7 won

- Kennedy Center Honors 2011: Kennedy Center Honors (won)
- National Medal of Arts 2010: National Medal of Arts (won)
- Austrian Decoration for Science and Art 2009: Austrian Decoration for Science and Art (won)
- Polar Music Prize 2007: Polar Music Prize (won)
- Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award 2004: Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (won)
- Paul Acket Award 1993: Paul Acket Award (won)
- NEA Jazz Masters 1983: NEA Jazz Masters (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/sonny-rollins