Wendy Carlos

Grammy Winners

Knowledge panel

Occupation

composer

Born

November 14, 1939

Zodiac

Scorpio

31,699

days alive

86

years old

Born
November 14, 1939
Zodiac
♏︎Scorpio·rabbit 🐇
Updated Jul 2026

About

Grammy Winners

Before Fame

Before achieving fame, Wendy Carlos studied physics and music at Brown University and later music composition at Columbia University. She also worked at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center, contributing to the development of the Moog synthesizer.

Trivia

Switched-On Bach won three Grammy Awards, including Best Classical Album. Carlos's work on Tron was one of the earliest major film scores to be created entirely with synthesizers. She was a close friend and collaborator of Robert Moog, the inventor of the Moog synthesizer.

Family Life

Wendy Carlos has been married and divorced. She has no children.

Birth Chart

Natal Chart

Wendy's Birth Chart

Astrology
♈︎♉︎♊︎♋︎♌︎♍︎♎︎♏︎♐︎♑︎♒︎♓︎☉☽☿♀♂♃♄⛢♆♇
Fire
Earth
Air
Water
☉

Sun Sign

Scorpio♏︎

☽

Moon Sign

Capricorn♑︎

Dominant Element

Water

⚠️ Rising sign requires birth time for accurate calculation

Planetary positions calculated for November 14, 1939

Connections4

Lalo Schifrin

Lalo Schifrin

composer

Bernard Herrmann

Bernard Herrmann

composer

Gerry Mulligan

Gerry Mulligan

composer

James Newton Howard

James Newton Howard

composer

Day Lookup ToolDay MilestonesOn This Day
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⚡ Timeline
2020
Day 29,268
Age 80

Discography Out of Print

Confidence
96%
Jan 1, 2020

As of 2020, much of Wendy Carlos's discography was out of print and not available for digital distribution.

1982
Day 15,389
Age 42

Composed Score for Tron

Confidence
96%
Jan 1, 1982

Wendy Carlos composed the musical score for Walt Disney Productions' science fiction film Tron.

1980
Day 14,658
Age 40

Composed Score for The Shining

Confidence
96%
Jan 1, 1980

She composed the musical score for Stanley Kubrick's horror film The Shining.

1979
Day 14,293
Age 39

Disclosed Transgender Identity

Confidence
96%
Jan 1, 1979

Wendy Carlos raised public awareness of transgender issues by disclosing she had been living as a woman and had undergone gender-affirming surgery.

1972
Day 11,736
Age 32

Underwent Gender-Affirming Surgery

Confidence
96%
Jan 1, 1972

Wendy Carlos underwent gender-affirming surgery.

1971
Day 11,371
Age 31

Composed Score for A Clockwork Orange

Confidence
96%
Jan 1, 1971

Wendy Carlos composed the musical score for Stanley Kubrick's dystopian film A Clockwork Orange.

1968
Day 10,275
Age 28

Released Switched-On Bach

Confidence
96%
Jan 1, 1968

Her album Switched-On Bach, featuring Bach's music performed on a Moog synthesizer, was released and became a commercial success.

Day 10,275
Age 28

Helped Develop Moog Synthesizer

Confidence
96%
Jan 1, 1968

Wendy Carlos was instrumental in the development of the Moog synthesizer, Robert Moog's first commercially available keyboard instrument.

1962
Day 8,084
Age 22

Moved to New York City

Confidence
96%
Jan 1, 1962

Carlos moved to New York City to study music composition at Columbia University.

1960
Day 7,353
Age 20

Studied at Brown University

Confidence
96%
Jan 1, 1960

She studied physics and music at Brown University.

1939
Day 0
Age 0

Born Walter Carlos

Confidence
96%
Nov 14, 1939

Walter Carlos was born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.