George Fenton, a prolific composer whose career spanned film, television, and theater, passed away unexpectedly. He was 76 years old. The musician left behind a substantial body of work that earned him five Oscar nominations and numerous accolades from major awards organizations.
Fenton’s early career saw him transition from acting to music composition. Born George Howe in Bromley, Kent in 1949, he began playing electric guitar at age seven after being influenced by The Beatles. He briefly pursued an acting career, appearing in Alan Bennett’s West End play and adopting his mother’s maiden name upon joining Equity due to union rules. A solo music recording resulted in a top 10 hit in Sweden, though his recording career proved short-lived. After taking a role on the ITV soap opera Emmerdale Farm, Fenton made the deliberate choice to focus primarily on composition, beginning with work at the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1974.
Fenton achieved significant recognition for his film and television scores throughout his career. His collaboration with Indian composer Ravi Shankar on the score for Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi brought his first Oscar nomination and remains one of his most celebrated works. He later earned additional nominations for Cry Freedom, on which he partnered with South African jazz musician Jonas Gwangwa. Among his notable film compositions were scores for Groundhog Day, The Fisher King, Dangerous Liaisons, and You’ve Got Mail.
Fenton became particularly renowned for his television work, especially his contributions to nature documentaries. He composed the music for David Attenborough’s Earth Trilogy, which included The Blue Planet, Planet Earth, and Frozen Planet. His orchestral scores for these series earned recognition from the Baftas, Emmy Awards, and Ivor Novellos. He also created theme music for numerous BBC programs including Newsnight and breakfast news broadcasts. Additionally, Fenton collaborated extensively with British director Ken Loach, composing scores for 18 of his films.
At the time of his death, Fenton had recently signed a new worldwide publishing deal and was actively working on two film scores and a musical. He is survived by his wife Amanda, ex-wife Jane, three children, and six grandchildren.
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