Gustavo Santaolalla
Argentine composer, musician, and producer behind the music of The Last of Us, Brokeback Mountain, and Babel, who also records with Bajofondo and performs his Ronroco music live.
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Gustavo’s happenings, collected from public sources, plus his backstory and Starbook, where fans write.
Known for
Overview
- From
- Argentina
- Occupations
- Composer, musician, and record producer
- First band
- Arco Iris, formed when he was a teenager
- Breakout in film
- Ronroco led to The Insider, followed by his score for Amores perros
- Signature instrument
- Ronroco, a ten-string Andean instrument
Mini bio
How it started.
Santaolalla began his music career as a teenager in Argentina with Arco Iris. He later formed Wet Picnic and released solo albums, including Santaolalla in 1982 and G.A.S. in 1995.
A small instrument opens a door.
His 1998 album Ronroco brought together instrumental pieces built around South American strings. Music from it appeared in The Insider, opening a path into film scoring. He composed Amores perros in 2000 and went on to win consecutive Oscars for Brokeback Mountain and Babel.
Music across worlds.
Alongside his screen work, he helped shape Latin rock through production for artists including Juanes, Molotov, and Julieta Venegas. With Bajofondo he explores the meeting of electronic music and tango. The Last of Us brought his music to video games in 2013 and later to television.
Creditschronological, newest first
Film, television & games
- 2025The Last of Us: Season 2Co-composer with David Fleming
- 2024Pedro PáramoComposer
- 2013The Last of UsComposer
- 2006BabelComposer
- 2005Brokeback MountainComposer
Awards
Quotes
Silence sometimes can be louder than the note.Gustavo Santaolalla, Associated Press
In an August 2023 interview, he discussed how silence helps draw audiences into The Last of Us and Brokeback Mountain.
Trivia
- He was never formally trained to read or write music.
- On Ronroco, he also plays charango, Andean pipes, whistles, and guitar.
- Longtime collaborator Aníbal Kerpel plays vibraphone and melodica on Ronroco.
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