Biography

Jean Michel Bernard is an award winning French pianist, composer, arranger, teacher and music producer for films. He is a worldwide renowned legend in the film music and piano business, he worked with Martin Scorsese, Lalo Schifrin, Ennio Morricone, Michel Gondry and was a member of the Ray Charles quartet. He is a Steinway and Spirio Artist and a Sony Masterworks artist, his latest album Piano Cinema (2022) made more than 2 million streams in only 4 months, his new one @ Sony (June 23) « his songs » is a piano tribute to Elton John. JMB is officially member of the Academy of Motion picture, Arts and Sciences since June 2023. « I love him because he is better than me » (Ray Charles) « I cannot find words to reflect my admiration for his genius » (Lalo Schifrin) Composer of Mission Impossible, Bullitt, Dirty Harry, Mannix...
- IMDb mini biography by: Popion Productions

The soul legend Ray Charles called him a genius, Michel Gondry relied on his musical ingenuity to counter his visual grandeur. Jean-Michel Bernard is a multi Awarded composer-pianist, one of film music's most versatile artists. Trademark of his work is an every present playfulness, be it cool and catchy for a heist movie or cold and disturbing for a relationship drama. Classically trained and influenced by jazz, he started to work in the film industry by collaborating with masters such as Lalo Schifrin and Ennio Morricone. His true calling came when he was asked to write the songs for video film director Michel Gondry's first feature film HUMAN NATURE. This was the turning point in his career. He became a film composer. For Gondry he scored THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP and BE KIND REWIND, for Francis Veber L'EMMERDEUR, for Anne Giafferi QUI A ENVIE D'ETRE AIME and LOVE AT FIRST CHILD, and for actress/director Fanny Ardant CHIMERES ABSENTES and CADENCES OBSTINEE. For his work, he is nominated to the prestigious World Soundtrack Awards and wins the France Musique/UCMF prize at Festival de Cannes the same year. In 2009, JMB is choosen by the Festival de Cannes to represent France for film music concerts at le Marche du Film at Cinema de la Plage. European Union of Film Music Composers honore him for his international career. He also scored (among others) the Joel Hopkin's comedy LOVE PUNCH with Pierce Brosnan and Emma Thompson and has collaborated with Martin Scorsese for HUGO CABRET awarded by 5 Oscars, 2 BAFTA and one Golden Globe Award. He created the class for film music composition at the Paris Conservatory and has most recently scored Gela Babluani's film MONEY which won the Grand Prix at the Brussels Film Festival and BALLAD FOR A PIERCED HEART by Greek director Yannis Economides (score nominated at the Greek Oscars) He received the SACEM Grand Prix for film music and has been officially designated Steinway Artist and Spirio Artist and a Sony Masterworks artist, his latest album Piano Cinema (2024) made more than 2 million streams in only 4 months, his new one @ Sony (June 23) « his songs » is a piano tribute to Elton John. He wrote the score for MAYA DONNE MOI UN TITRE by director Michel Gondry (2024) JMB is officially member of the Academy of Motion picture, Arts and Sciences since June 2023.

"To me it is amazing that I found a real 'soul brother' in the sum of his expressions (composing, conducting, performing, etc.). I cannot find words to reflect my admiration for his genius, a real miracle because he is my double" (Lalo Schifrin).

« I love him because he is better than me ! I told you the same thing about Oscar Peterson, I love true talent, this guy is a genius, in my mind... He's incredible, he really is incredible, I enjoy just being around him, and you know, what I do when I have him on the show with me, I totally focus when he's playing, on him, you know... He is extraordinary I mean, I have to tell you the truth, He's a very unusual man in today's age ». (Ray Charles).
- IMDb mini biography by: Popion productions