---
name: "Toots Thielemans"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/toots-thielemans"
roles: ["Composer"]
born: "29 April 1922"
died: "22 August 2016"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-20T05:15:03.112624+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."
---

# Toots Thielemans

Composer. Born 29 April 1922 in Brussels, Belgium. Died 22 August 2016.

## Details

- **Work:** Composer
- **Born:** 29 April 1922, Brussels, Belgium
- **Died:** 22 August 2016
- **Also known as:** Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Isidor, Baron Thielemans
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toots_Thielemans, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q365567, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0857957/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1150009

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Midnight Cowboy*](https://film.one/film/midnight-cowboy.md) (85)

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

## Biography

Toots Thielemans, born Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Isidor Thielemans, was a Belgian musician and occasional actor. He contributed to film soundtracks as a harmonica player and musician, including on *Midnight Cowboy* (1969).

He appeared in a small number of acting roles, such as providing a voice in the Swedish film *Dunderklumpen!* (1974) and in the 1963 television film *En gång i Stockholm*. His film music work also includes credits on titles such as *The Getaway* (1972) and *Arthur* (1981).

*Sources: imdb.com, allmusic.com, catalog.afi.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Midnight Cowboy* (1969), Fi1m 85, Music — [page](https://film.one/film/midnight-cowboy.md)

## Complete filmography (21)

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

- *I huvet på Per Åhlin* (2019), Music
- *Toots Thielemans - Live at le Chapiteau Opera de Liege, May 17, 2012* (2014), as harmonica
- *Little Blond Death* (1993), Music
- *Manon of the Spring* (1986), Musician
- *Jean de Florette* (1986), Musician
- *Demon* (1985), Original Music Composer
- *One Woman or Two* (1985), Original Music Composer
- *Billy Joel: Live At Wembley Arena* (1984), as harmonica
- *Zware jongens* (1984), Music
- *The World of Simon Carmiggelt* (1983), Music
- *Chilly Scenes of Winter* (1979), Music
- *Camping* (1978), Music
- *Invitation to the Dance* (1977), Musician
- *De dwaze lotgevallen van Sherlock Jones* (1975), Music
- *Dunderklumpen!* (1974), as Pellegnillot (voice) · Music
- *The Sugarland Express* (1974), Musician
- *Turkish Delight* (1973), Music
- *The Getaway* (1972), Music
- *This Way to Sesame Street* (1969), Musician
- *Midnight Cowboy* (1969), Music — Fi1m 85, [page](https://film.one/film/midnight-cowboy.md)
- *En gång i Stockholm* (1963), as Music

## Gallery

- ![Toots Thielemans](https://film.one/media/person/1243621/gallery-aa6fe9a12fed.jpg) Toots Thielemans — Ron van der Kolk, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Toots_thielemans.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Toots Thielemans, 6 februari 1979](https://film.one/media/person/1243621/gallery-a40eb25fea49.jpg) Toots Thielemans, 6 februari 1979 — Hans van Dijk for Anefo, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Thielemans1979.jpg/1280px-Thielemans1979.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![The famous belgian harp and guitar player (who also knows how to whistle in quite an artistic manner). I took this image at the "Traumzeit"-Festival in Duisburg (2005)](https://film.one/media/person/1243621/gallery-56ec6f4b172c.jpg) The famous belgian harp and guitar player (who also knows how to whistle in quite an artistic manner). I took this image at the "Traumzeit"-Festival in Duisburg (2005) — wwwuppertal, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/ba/Toots_Thielemans_in_Duisburg_2005.jpg/1280px-Toots_Thielemans_in_Duisburg_2005.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Toots Thielemans, Adele Girard, and Joe Marsala, Onyx, New York, N.Y. (1948)](https://film.one/media/person/1243621/gallery-56eb683d43c3.jpg) Toots Thielemans, Adele Girard, and Joe Marsala, Onyx, New York, N.Y. (1948) — William P. Gottlieb, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/42/Onyx_Club_detail%2C_from-_Toots_Thielemans%2C_Adele_Girard%2C_and_Joe_Marsala%2C_Onyx%2C_New_York%2C_N.Y.%2C_ca._1948_%28William_P._Gottlieb_11251%29_%28cropped%29.jpg/1280px-Onyx_Club_detail%2C_from-_Toots_Thielemans%2C_Adele_Girard%2C_and_Joe_Marsala%2C_Onyx%2C_New_York%2C_N.Y.%2C_ca._1948_%28William_P._Gottlieb_11251%29_%28cropped%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Toots Thielemans, Adele Girard, and Joe Marsala, Onyx, New York, N.Y. (1948)](https://film.one/media/person/1243621/gallery-b656424b1cf6.jpg) Toots Thielemans, Adele Girard, and Joe Marsala, Onyx, New York, N.Y. (1948) — William P. Gottlieb, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c9/Toots_Thielemans%2C_Adele_Girard%2C_and_Joe_Marsala%2C_Onyx%2C_New_York%2C_N.Y.%2C_ca._1948_%28William_P._Gottlieb_11251%29.jpg/1280px-Toots_Thielemans%2C_Adele_Girard%2C_and_Joe_Marsala%2C_Onyx%2C_New_York%2C_N.Y.%2C_ca._1948_%28William_P._Gottlieb_11251%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

## Awards

### Other awards — 7 won

- In Honorem - interprète 2012: In Honorem - interprète (won)
- octave d'honneur 2011: octave d'honneur (won)
- NEA Jazz Masters 2009: NEA Jazz Masters (won)
- Commander of the Order of Rio Branco 2006: Commander of the Order of Rio Branco (won)
- honorary doctorate of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel 2001: honorary doctorate of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (won)
- Commander of the Order of Leopold 1997: Commander of the Order of Leopold (won)
- Paul Acket Award 1995: Paul Acket Award (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/toots-thielemans