BW
Bill Whelan
Composer, Actor, DirectorBorn May 22, 1950 (75 years)
William Michael Joseph Whelan (born 22 May 1950) is an Irish composer and musician. He is best known for composing a piece for the interval of the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest. The result, "Riverdance", was a seven-minute piece of original music accompanying a new take on traditional Irish stepdance that became a full-length stage production and spawned a worldwide craze for Irish traditional music and dance. The corresponding soundtrack album earned him a Grammy. "Riverdance" was released as a single in 1994, credited to "Bill Whelan and Anúna featuring the RTÉ Concert Orchestra". It reached number one in Ireland for 18 weeks and number nine in the UK. The album of the same title reached number 31 in the album charts in 1995.
Bill Whelan Filmography
| 2021 | Riverdance: The Animated Adventure · as Original Music Composer |
| 2020 | Samhlú 2020 · as Composer |
| 2020 | |
| 2010 | |
| 2005 | The Best of Riverdance · as Composer |
| 2004 | Riverdance in China · as Composer |
| 2001 | |
| 1998 | Dancing at Lughnasa · as Original Music Composer |
| 1997 | |
| 1996 | Some Mother's Son · as Composer |
| 1996 | |
| 1995 | The Century of Cinema (TV Series) · as Composer |
| 1995 | |
| 1994 | Eurovision Song Contest Dublin 1994 · as Composer |
| 1989 |
| 1998 | A Bright Shining Lie · as Ron Dray |
| 2021 | Steps of Freedom · as Self |
| 2011 | The Secret History of Eurovision · as Self |
| 2010 | Music of Ireland: Welcome Home · as Self |
| 1964 | Top of the Pops (TV Series) · as Self |