Which composer co-wrote the score for Ridley Scott's Gladiator with Hans Zimmer?

Lisa Gerrard co-wrote the score for Ridley Scott’s Gladiator with Hans Zimmer.

Gerrard was the vocalist and composer best known at the time as a member of Dead Can Dance, the Australian-British musical duo she formed with Brendan Perry in 1981. Her haunting contralto, invented-language vocals, and atmospheric writing became central to Gladiator’s emotional identity.

Zimmer composed the film’s orchestral score, while Gerrard contributed vocals, melodies, and co-writing. Their music accompanies Maximus’s memories of home, his spiritual visions, and the film’s tragic closing moments. The soundtrack blends orchestral writing with world-music textures rather than functioning as a conventional purely symphonic action score.

A common mix-up is confusing Gerrard’s role with that of Klaus Badelt, who worked with Zimmer on other film projects and was associated with the score for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Gerrard also received a Golden Globe nomination for her work on Gladiator, and “Now We Are Free” became the soundtrack’s signature piece.