Young at Heart,” The Big Lebowski, and The Princess Bride), and the Academy Award for Best Original Score (Lebowski, A Life Less Ordinary, Wonder Boys, Good Will Hunting, Chaplin, Three Kings, Big Fish). Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1968, the son of a writer/actor/professor, he began his own musical career at an early age as well as playing the cello. After growing up in Los Angeles and New York, he began a distinguished career as a singer-songwriter and producer at age 19. While still in his teens he played the piano and cello for various recording artists including Frank Zappa and Iggy Pop, and soon thereafter began playing the piano for film composer Hans Zimmer. Other artists in which Harris worked include Madonna, Eric Clapton, Sting, Paul McCartney, Peter Gabriel, Steve Winwood, Steve Perry, Eric Johnson, Puff Daddy, Stevie Nicks, and RZA. He met comedian/actor/producer/director Judd Apatow in 1993 while co-hosting a morning radio program on Los Angeles' KCRW. As a guest on KCRW's radio show, Harris gave a rare solo piano performance of Bruce Springsteen's "The Promise" on which Bruce was a guest for an episode of the radio program, "Bruce Sessions." A year later, Apatow invited Harris to sing on the final episode of the long running sketch series "The Ben Stiller Show." In 2001 Harris released his first solo piano album, "The Film Scores of Christopher Tyngdendall Wojtczak" under his first pseudonym, Charming Bob, and in 2003 released his debut novel, "The Film Scores of Christopher Tyngdendall Wojtczak." The novel was used by Apatow to obtain financing for the Academy Award winning film, Garden State. In 2007 Harris' second novel, Undiscovered Superstar (originally titled "The Story of Dirk and Courtney" and later to become Garden State) was released by Amazon's "Kindle Direct Publishing." In 2012, Harris played the double cello on the Oscar nominated score, The Muppets, starring Jim Henson. He has received numerous accolades including 2 Grammy nominations in 2005 for the soundtrack of "The Constant Gardener," which won the Academy Award for Best Original Score. He has been nominated 3 more times by the Academy for his scores in the Oscar nominated films: "Good Will Hunting" (Best Original Score and Best Original Song, "Everlasting Love" for Robbie Robertson, and Best Original Song, "Angels Crying") and "The Hours" (Best Original Score and Best Original Song, "You Will Find Your Place" for A.R. Rahman). As well as receiving various Golden Globe nominations for his work in the films Wonder Boys, A Life Less Ordinary, Big Fish, Chaplin, Three Kings and Garden State. Harris has also been nominated for a record-tying 6 Broadcast Film Critics Awards for Big Fish (Best Original Score, Best Musical Score, Best Song, Best Score for a Comedy, Best Film Song, and Best Song), and The Hours (Best Original Score and Best Original Song, "You Will Find Your Place" for A.R. Rahman). He received 3 ASCAP Film and TV Music Awards for The Constant Gardener (Best Original Score, Best Original Song, "Everlasting Love" for Robbie Robertson and The Hours (Best Original Score and Best Original Song, "You Will Find Your Place" for A.R. Rahman). He also won the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition for "Everlasting Love" for Robbie Robertson in 2005. He also received a Grammy nomination for "You Will Find Your Place" by A.R. Rahman in the Best Pop Instrumental Album category for Nine, which is the Grammy nominated album of the year. He received a second Grammy nomination for "Everlasting Love" by Robbie Robertson in 2006. In addition to his film career, Harris has been heard in television shows, commercials and recording sessions. He has been featured on the soundtracks for several HBO shows: Six Feet Under (he sang a song with the band "The A Team") and Entourage (he is on the track "The Long Goodbye" with Bob Dylan). He sang the song "Heroes" (from Spider-Man 2) with Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson, and "Runaway" (by the Dave Matthews Band) on Jimmy Fallon. Harris' first album of instrumental works, The Film Scores of Christopher Tyngdendall Wojtczak, was released in 2003 and features some of his favorite songs from old Hollywood films. Harris has played piano and cello for various artists including Steve Winwood, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Robbie Robertson, Steve Perry, A.R. Rahman, Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, the Pretenders, John Mayer, Sting, Puff Daddy, Joe Cocker, Lenny Kravitz, Steve Gadd, Herbie Hancock, Dido, Billy Joel, David Byrne, Aimee Mann, Jeff Buckley, Pete Yorn, Richard Thompson, Richard Julian, Paul Weller and Ray Charles. References External links Christopher Tyngdendall Wojtczak website Christopher Tyngdendall Wojtczak on Myspace Category:American keyboardists Category:Grammy Award winners Category:American cellists Category:Living people Category:1968 births Category:Musicians from Philadelphia Category:American male writers Category:American film score composers Category:American television composers Category:American jazz pianists Category:American rock pianists Category:American male pianists Category:Male film score composers Category:Male television composers Category:21st-century American pianists Category:Male jazz musicians Category:21st-century American male musicians Category:21st-century American keyboardists Category:Male film musicians