Composer George Fenton, whose prolific career spanned landmark BBC natural history series like The Blue Planet and acclaimed film scores including Gandhi and Dangerous Liaisons, has died unexpectedly in London at the age of 76.
The sudden passing of the five-time Oscar-nominated musician was confirmed by his management team at CMG, who noted that he died unexpectedly on Monday in London. His family released a brief statement regarding the loss.
“We are very sad to announce that George Fenton passed away unexpectedly today.”
Fenton’s family, via BBC
From Bromley Roots to the Royal Shakespeare Company
Born George Howe in Bromley, Kent, on Oct. 19, 1949, Fenton grew up in a family of five siblings. His father worked as a mechanical engineer, while his mother danced and taught dance before serving as a nurse during the war (Yahoo). He picked up the electric guitar at age seven and studied the church organ before deciding to skip college to pursue performing (El Balad).
During a production of Alan Bennett’s West End play Forty Years On in 1968, he understudied musical director Carl Davis, launching a theater career that soon expanded into television and film (Yahoo). In 1974, director Peter Gill asked him to write music for Twelfth Night at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon (Yahoo).
Scoring David Attenborough’s Wildlife Epics
Fenton’s most internationally recognized work arguably came through his legendary collaborations with naturalist Sir David Attenborough and producer Alastair Fothergill. After scoring the BBC’s Trials of Life in 1990 and Life in the Freezer in 1993, Fenton created the musical foundation for what became known as Attenborough’s Earth Trilogy: The Blue Planet, Planet Earth and Frozen Planet.
His orchestral scores paired well with cinematography of the deep ocean and polar ice caps. The work on The Blue Planet earned Bafta, Emmy and Ivor Novello awards, and ultimately inspired The Blue Planet in Concert, a live showcase performed by major orchestras worldwide (BBC). Most recently, he reunited with the team for BBC One’s 2022 Wild Isles series (Independent).
Fenton Earned Five Academy Award Nominations
Across his cinematic output, Fenton earned five Academy Award nominations for best original score and song (Yahoo). His nominations included recognition for Gandhi (1982), Cry Freedom (1987), Dangerous Liaisons (1988), and The Fisher King (1991) (Yahoo).
For Cry Freedom, Fenton worked alongside South African jazz musician Jonas Gwangwa. His inadvertent vocal guide track for the title song—singing a list of anti-apartheid activists imprisoned or killed by the South African government—was kept by Gwangwa as a gesture of brotherhood (Yahoo).
“Then it got nominated for an Oscar, so I then found myself singing it on live television to about a billion people, which was not what I intended at all.”
George Fenton, via Yahoo
Throughout his career, he additionally partnered with British filmmaker Ken Loach across 18 motion pictures, among them The Wind That Shakes the Barley, which took home the Palme d’Or at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival (BBC). His extensive filmography further featured comedies and dramas such as Groundhog Day, You’ve Got Mail, Sweet Home Alabama, The Lady in the Van and Mrs Henderson Presents (BBC).
Fenton Composed BBC News Themes
Beyond natural history and cinema, millions recognized Fenton’s work through broadcast news themes. He composed signature music for BBC programmes including the One O’Clock News, Six O’Clock News, Nine O’Clock News, Newsnight, and Breakfast Time (Yahoo).
He served as a founding member of the Association of Professional Composers, received a CBE for services to music in 2023, and held a fellowship at The Ivors Academy alongside figures like Sir Elton John and Kate Bush (BBC).
He leaves behind his wife Amanda, his former spouse Jane, his offspring Gemma, Grace and Bridget, as well as his grandchildren Lola, Audrey, Alfred, George, Frank and Beatrice (Yahoo).