Vangelis (pronounced /van-ge-liss/, with a hard "g" as in "get") is a world-renowned new age and electronic composer and musician. He was born Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou (/evan-ge-loss odee-say-ass papa-thana-see-ou/) on March 29, 1943 in Volos, Greece.
His best known compositions are the Academy Award-winning 1981 theme to the movie Chariots of Fire, the entire score to the movie Blade Runner and the themes used in the soundtrack of Carl Sagan's Cosmos. He also composed the anthem of Football World Cup 2002. A version of "Pulstar", from the album Albedo 0.39, was an early theme for ESPN's "SportsCenter" program -- and served as the news themes for WTVK and WNEV.
In 1943 March 29 Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou [in Greek: Ευάγγελος Οδυσσέας Παπαθανασίου / Eyáġġelos Oḏysséas Papaṯanasíoy (Evángelos Odhiséas Papathanasíu)] was born in Volos, Greece.
He began composing when 4 years old, and is largely a self-taught musician. He refused to take traditional piano lessons, and throughout his career did not have substantial knowledge of reading or writing musical notation. He studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Athens.
In the early 1960s he formed the pop group Forminx (sometimes spelled "Formynx"), which became very popular in Greece.
During the student riots in 1968 he moved to Paris and formed progressive rock band Aphrodite's Child with Demis Roussos and Loukas Sideras. They had a hit single in Europe called "Rain and Tears", and are considered pivotal in the development of progressive rock and concept albums, especially because of their ground-breaking composition 666 (album). In 1972 the group was disbanded, although Vangelis has since produced several albums and singles for Roussos as well as Roussos contributing vocals to the Blade Runner soundtrack.