British film composer (born 1949)
Musical artist
George Richard Ian Howe Fenton CBE [ 1] George Fenton , is an English composer. Best known for his work writing film scores and music for television, he has received five Academy Award nominations, several Ivor Novello , BAFTA , Golden Globe , Emmy and BMI Awards, and a Classic BRIT . He is one of 18 songwriters and composers to have been made a Fellow of the Ivors Academy (formally BASCA).
He has frequently collaborated with the directors Richard Attenborough , Nora Ephron , Alastair Fothergill , Stephen Frears , Nicholas Hytner , Ken Loach , Andy Tennant , Neil Jordan and Terry Gilliam .
Early life and career
George Fenton was born in 1949 in Bromley, Kent,[ 2] St. Edward's School, Oxford . He began learning the guitar at the age of 8 and at St. Edwards studied the organ with Peter Whitehouse.[ 3]
In 1968 he appeared in Alan Bennett 's first West End play Forty Years On [ 4] [ 5] Central School of Speech and Drama but had by then decided to continue with his music and had a record contract with MCA Records. For the next few years, he continued to work in theatre playing small parts and playing and writing music.
Theatre
In 1974, Fenton received his first major commission, as composer and musical director for Peter Gill 's theatre production of Twelfth Night Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon .[ 6]
Throughout the rest of the 1970s and early 1980s, Fenton worked frequently as a composer for theatre productions.[ 7] [ 8]
Other theatre includes The Judas Kiss Last Cigarette , Untold Stories , Allelujah! , Mrs Henderson Presents Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show , Talking Heads [ 9] Beat The Devil and Racing Demon
In 1992, George Fenton was credited with the Sound Track to the Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show at Disneyland, Paris.
Television drama
Fenton wrote his first television score in 1976.[ 10] Hitting Town Stephen Poliakoff .
By the late 1970s, Fenton was working regularly in television. His television work has included the regular role of soldier Martin Gimbel in Emmerdale Farm (1975-1976), LWT 's Six Plays by Alan Bennett , Objects Of Affection , An Englishman Abroad Talking Heads Bloody Kids Going Gently , Walter , Saigon: Year of The Cat , Fox Out, Telling Tales , The History Man (TV series) Shoestring (TV series) The Monocled Mutineer The Jewel In The Crown
Wildlife television documentaries
Fenton has composed for a number of notable wildlife television programmes, often collaborating with the wildlife broadcaster David Attenborough and the nature documentary filmmaker Alastair Fothergill . He started on the BBC 's long-running series Wildlife on One Natural World
Since 1990, he has written the music for a number of wildlife series including The Trials of Life Life in the Freezer The Blue Planet Planet Earth Frozen Planet Beyond The Clouds , Shanghai Vice and Between Clouds and Dreams (for Director Phil Agland).
In 2003, he composed and conducted the music for the feature documentary film, Deep Blue Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra – the first film score the orchestra had recorded in its history. In 2007 they repeated the collaboration for the feature documentary film, Earth
In 2022 George partnered up with Alastair Fothergill and David Attenborough again, this time for BBC One’s Wild Isles series.
Television and radio themes
Fenton has composed the jingles or theme music to dozens of British television and radio programs,[ 6] Shoestring Bergerac One O'Clock News Six O'Clock News Nine O'Clock News Newsnight Newsnight Review On the Record Omnibus BBC Breakfast Time BBC World News Reporting Scotland London Plus Telly Addicts Daily Politics PM [ 11]
Feature films
Fenton has written the music for over one hundred feature films.
His first major break came in 1982 [ 12] Richard Attenborough 's biopic Gandhi Ravi Shankar for the Academy Award for Original Music Score . Fenton wrote another four film scores for Attenborough's films: Cry Freedom Shadowlands In Love and War Grey Owl
He has also frequently worked with the theatre and film director Nicholas Hytner , writing the score for all six of the movies that Hytner has directed. These are The Madness of King George The Crucible The Object of My Affection Center Stage The History Boys The Lady in the Van Alan Bennett . Although Fenton composed the original music of five of these films, for The Madness of King George he instead adapted and arranged the music of Handel .[ 13]
Fenton's long-standing collaboration with Stephen Frears has not been limited to television productions. Fenton has scored four of Frear's feature films: Dangerous Liaisons Hero Mary Reilly Mrs Henderson Presents Neil Jordan , scoring The Company of Wolves High Spirits We're No Angels
Fenton has scored more feature films for Ken Loach than for any other filmmaker, by 2023, a total of 18. This started in 1994 with Ladybird, Ladybird Land and Freedom Carla's Song My Name Is Joe Bread and Roses The Navigators Sweet Sixteen Ae Fond Kiss... The Wind That Shakes the Barley Palme d'Or at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival , It's a Free World... Looking for Eric The Angels' Share The Spirit of '45 Jimmy's Hall I, Daniel Blake Sorry We Missed You The Old Oak
Fenton has developed other long-standing collaborations with filmmakers, scoring several films each for directors as diverse as Harold Ramis , Nora Ephron , Phil Joanou and Andy Tennant , including Multiplicity Groundhog Day Mixed Nuts You've Got Mail Final Analysis The Fisher King Heaven's Prisoners Ever After: A Cinderella Story Sweet Home Alabama (film) Anna and the King Hitch Bewitched The Secret: Dare to Dream Unit 234
Live
Fenton won an Ivor Novello Award , BAFTA and Emmy Award for Best Television Score for The Blue Planet and, in October 2002, he created "The Blue Planet in Concert" which was premiered at the Royal Festival Hall in London. He subsequently created Planet Earth In Concert and Frozen Planet In Concert and took these concerts to venues such as Hollywood Bowl , Sydney Opera House , Wembley Arena and the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam.
In 2003, he scored and conducted the music for the documentary film Deep Blue , which was performed by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra , the first film score the orchestra had recorded in its history. In 2007, they repeated the collaboration for the documentary film, Earth . With the producer Jane Carter, Fenton turned each of the scores into concert works. His live film scores continue to be performed by orchestras worldwide.[ 14]
Honours
Fenton was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2023 New Year Honours for services to music.[ 15]
Discography
Films
Awards and nominations
Academy Awards
BAFTA Awards
1981 Nominated BAFTA TV Award Best Original Television Music for Shoestring (Also for: Bloody Kids , Fox )
1982 Won BAFTA TV Award Best Original Television Music for Bergerac (also for The History Man , Going Gently , the BBC News theme)
1983 Nominated BAFTA Film Award Best Score for Gandhi
1985 Nominated BAFTA TV Award Best Original Television Music for The Jewel in the Crown
1987 Won BAFTA TV Award Best Original Television Music for The Monocled Mutineer
1988 Nominated BAFTA Film Award Best Score for Cry Freedom
1989 Nominated BAFTA TV Award Best Original Television Music for Talking Heads
1990 Nominated BAFTA Film Award Best Original Film Score for Dangerous Liaisons
1991 Nominated BAFTA Film Award Best Original Film Score for Memphis Belle
1991 Nominated BAFTA TV Award Best Original Television Music for The Trials of Life
1994 Nominated BAFTA TV Award Best Original Television Music for Life in the Freezer
1996 Nominated Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music for The Madness of King George
2002 Won BAFTA TV Award Best Original Television Music for The Blue Planet
2006 Nominated Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music for Mrs Henderson Presents
2007 Nominated BAFTA TV Award Best Original TV Music for Planet Earth
2012 Nominated BAFTA TV Award Best Original Tv Music for Frozen Planet
Emmy Awards
2002 Won Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series for The Blue Planet Seas of Life: Ocean World
2005 Nominated Primetime Emmy Outstanding Music Composition for Pride
2007 Won Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Music Composition for Planet Earth From Pole to Pole
Golden Globes
1988 Nominated Golden Globe Best Original Score – Motion Picture for Cry Freedom (shared with Jonas Gwangwa)
2000 Nominated Golden Globe Best Original Score – Motion Picture for Anna and the King
2000 Nominated Golden Globe Best Original Song – Motion Picture for Anna and the King
Grammy Awards
1984 Nominated Grammy Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special for Gandhi (shared with Ravi Shankar)
1989 Nominated Grammy Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television for Cry Freedom (shared with Jonas Gwangwa)
Ivor Novello Awards
1980 Nominated Best Best Theme from A TV or Radio production for Shoestring
1981 Nominated Best Best Theme from A TV or Radio production for Fox
1983 Nominated Best Best Theme from A TV or Radio production for Omnibus
1983 Won Best Film Theme or Song for Gandhi (shared with Ravi Shankar)
1985 Won Best Theme from A TV or Radio production for The Jewel in the Crown
1985 Nominated Best Theme or Song for The Company of Wolves
1987 Won Best Best Theme from A TV or Radio production for The Monocled Mutineer
1988. Won Best Film Score for Cry Freedom (shared with Jonas Gwangwa)
1993 Nominated Best Film Theme or Song for Final Analysis
1995 Nominated for Best Theme from A TV or Radio production for Beyond The Clouds
1995 Won Best Film Score for Shadowlands
1999 Nominated Best Film Score for Ever After
2000 Nominated Best Film Score for Anna and the King
2002 Nominated Best Original TV Music for The Blue Planet
2005 Nominated Best Original Film Score for Deep Blue
2010 Nominated Best TV Soundtrack for Life
Classical Brit Awards
2007 Winner Best Soundtrack for Planet Earth
2012 Nominated European Composer for The Angels' Share
1998 Nominated Film Score of the Year for Dangerous Beauty
1998 Nominated Best Original Score for a Drama Film for Dangerous Beauty
1998 Nominated Film Composer of the Year
1998 Nominated Best Original Score for a Drama Film for Ever After: A Cinderella Story
1999 Nominated Film Composer of The Year
2007 Winner Best Original Score for Television for Planet Earth
2008 Winner Best Original Score for a Documentary for Earth
2009 Nominated Best Original Score for a Comedy Film for Fool’s Gold
2010 Nominated Best Original Score for a Television Series for Life
2012 Nominated Best Original Score for a Documentary for Frozen Planet
2015 Nominated Best Original Score for a Documentary for Bears
2016 Nominated Best Original Score for a Comedy Film for The Lady in the Van
World Soundtrack Awards
2015 Winner Lifetime Achievement
BMI Awards
1994 Winner Film Music for Groundhog Day
1999 Winner Film Music for You’ve Got Mail
2003 Winner Film Music for Sweet Home Alabama
2005 Winner Film Music for Hitch
2010 Winner Film Music for The Bounty Hunter
Other work
Fenton founded the Association of Professional Composers which later amalgamated with the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors and with the Composers' Guild of Great Britain to become the British Academy of Composers & Songwriters . He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and is a visiting professor at the Royal College of Music and the University of Nottingham .
In 2020, he and Simon Chamberlain released the album, The Piano Framed . Available digitally and on CD and vinyl, it has solo piano arrangements by Chamberlain of many of Fenton's scores including The Blue Planet , Dangerous Liaisons , The Lady in the Van and Groundhog Day .
References
^ "George Fenton Official Website Biography" . georgefenton.com. Retrieved 1 October 2018 .^ "George Fenton official website biography" . Retrieved 1 October 2018 .^ "St. Edward's Oxford - Governors" .^ "Hymn" . National Theatre. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2015 .^ "George Fenton, Desert Island Discs - BBC Radio 4" . BBC. Retrieved 16 December 2015 .^ a b George Fenton, Desert Island Discs – BBC Radio 4 , retrieved 16 December 2015 ^ Recordings :: George Fenton , retrieved 18 December 2015 ^ Eaton Music – George Fenton, Theatre Credits , retrieved 18 December 2015 ^ "Talking Heads Live" . Bridge Theatre. Retrieved 25 February 2021 .^ "Stephen Poliakoff on Hitting Town" . Bleeding Cool . 6 September 2013. Retrieved 15 December 2015 .^ "How writing PM theme made composer 'very nervous' . BBC. 26 February 2016. Retrieved 29 February 2016 .^ Film Scores , retrieved 15 December 2015 ^ "The Madness of King George (1994)" . IMDb . Retrieved 15 December 2015 .^ "George Fenton official eebsite biography" . George Fenton. Retrieved 1 October 2018 .^ "No. 63918" . The London Gazette
External links
Awards for George Fenton
1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s
International National Artists People Other
