George Fenton, the composer known for his collaborations with directors such as Lord Richard Attenborough, Nora Ephron and Ken Loach, and for scoring wildlife documentaries narrated by Sir David Attenborough, has died aged 76. He died unexpectedly on Monday, CMG management said.
A spokesperson for CMG management said: “We are sad to announce that George Fenton passed away unexpectedly today. He is survived by his loving wife Amanda, ex-wife Jane, children Gemma, Grace and Bridget, and grandchildren Lola, Audrey, Alfred, George, Frank, Beatrice, and a life of music.”
Career in television and film
Fenton, who was born in Kent in 1949, had written for theatre, television and film. In the 1980s, he wrote the music for The Jewel In The Crown, The Monocled Mutineer and Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads, according to his website. He also wrote theme music for BBC programmes including One O’Clock News, Six O’Clock News, Nine O’Clock News, Newsnight and The Money Programme.
His website says: “In 1990, George scored his first natural history documentary series, David Attenborough’s The Trials Of Life, and followed it up with Attenborough’s next series, Life In The Freezer. This led to the producer Alastair Fothergill asking George to compose the music for The Blue Planet in 2001, which began a 10-year period of writing for natural history television programmes, including Planet Earth, Frozen Planet and Life. In 2022 George partnered up with Alastair Fothergill and David Attenborough again, this time for BBC One’s Wild Isles series.”
Awards and honours
Fenton also scored a number of Lord Attenborough’s films. His website says he won a total of 28 awards for music composition, including Baftas, Emmys, Ivor Novellos, BMIs and a Classic Brit Award. He was made a CBE for services to music in 2023.
He died on Monday in London, his management said.
