George Fenton has died unexpectedly at 76. The composer behind Gandhi, Groundhog Day and The Fisher King leaves a catalogue that reached film, television and themes. His family said he passed away today.
Blue Planet and five Oscars
Five Oscar nominations marked the film side of his career, including recognition for The Remains of the Day and Cry Freedom. That tally sits alongside his work on Blue Planet, which earned awards from the Baftas, Emmy Awards and Ivor Novellos.
Fenton also wrote for Planet Earth and Bergerac, and his theme for Newsnight and Breakfast Time made him a familiar broadcast name. In business terms, that spread across cinema and television meant his music was not tied to one format, one audience or one commissioning cycle.
A family statement today
“We are very sad to announce that George Fenton passed away unexpectedly today.” His family also said: “He is survived by his loving wife Amanda, ex-wife Jane, children Gemma, Grace and Bridget, and grandchildren Lola, Audrey, Alfred, George, Frank and Beatrice, and a life of music.”
The statement gives the news its hard edge: the death was unexpected, but no cause was given. For readers who knew him through the scores, that is the unresolved part of the story.
From Bromley to themes
Born George Howe in Bromley, Kent in 1949, he chose the electric guitar at seven and later studied the church organ. He rejected the chance to attend university and music college to pursue performance, then appeared in Alan Bennett's first West End play Forty Years On in 1968.
He later told Radio 4's Sue Lawley, “I love live audiences,” and in another account recalled Brian Rudd with the line, “He came into our lives as a chimney sweep, which he clearly wasn't,” before adding, “My mother went mad at him because he filled the house with soot.”
Fenton's death closes the career of one of the UK's most prolific composers. The scale of the credits is the point: five Oscar nominations, awards for Blue Planet, and themes that kept returning across series and schedules.
