Movie Fans Surprised to Learn Where Film Composer Hans Zimmer Got His Start

Oscar-winning film composer Hans Zimmer's start in pop music surprised many people as they watched a feature on him during the latest episode of 60 Minutes on Sunday.

Best known for his scores for such movies The Lion King, Rain Man, Dune, Dunkirk and Gladiator, he started off playing synthesizers in European bands, including The Buggles.

The British band is best known for making history by being the first music video played on MTV in the U.S.

The 24-hour music channel launched in 1981, and played its first music video, the aptly titled Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles. Zimmer even made a brief appearance in the video where he can be seen playing the synths while waring a shiny black jacket.

Zimmer began closely working with one of the band's founders, Trevor Horn, in 1977 and the two would collaborate again in 1992 when they worked on the score for the Robin Williams-led movie Toys.

Even though he described being in the band as a bit "tedious," it clearly gave him the inspiration to get into film composing.

"For me, it really was the impetus to go into, 'Hey, I like this idea of combining visuals and music. This is going to be where I want to go,'" Zimmer previously told CBS.

He also told The Guardian in 2014: "It's a strange thing. When I started in film music, I very consciously left rock 'n' roll, and the music business behind."

But he still felt like a rocker in his spirit. "I am a rock 'n roller, and I'll always be a rock 'n roller," he told IndieWire, adding that he loves "the sound of anarchy."

"Hans Zimmer was the keyboardist on 'Video Killed the Radio Star'??? HANS ZIMMER?!!!??!" tweeted one person after the 60 Minutes feature.

Another added: "This just broke my brain. Hans Zimmer was in the Radio Kills The Video Star band???"

And a third wrote: "I was today years old when I learned that @HansZimmer was in The Buggles. My mind is blown. Video really just killed my radio star."

Zimmer, 65, who won his most recent Academy Award for film composition in 2022 for his work Denis Villeneuve's Dune told 60 Minutes he has no plans to slow down.

"I would describe myself as somebody who's deeply in love with music, and deeply in love with movies, and playful. I love to play, like, as any musician does, as in any language. It says, you know, you play music," the composer said.

He has been nominated 12 times for an Oscar. He won his first in 1994 for his work on the Disney animated film, The Lion King.