The Italian composer has created some of cinema's most-recognizable music, scoring Sergio Leone's Spaghetti Westerns such as "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" and music for "The Untouchables."
It is the 87-year-old's first Oscar for his work on an individual film. He was awarded an honorary Academy Award in 2007.
Morricone praised his fellow nominees, singling out "Star Wars" composer John Williams. Morricone says, "There isn't a great soundtrack without a great movie to inspire it."
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