Prolific British film and television composer George Fenton dies at 76

The British composer George Fenton, whose work spanned iconic films and natural history documentaries, has died at the age of 76. His family confirmed his death in a statement reported by BBC News and SuaraGarut.ID. [1][2][3]

Fenton scored notable feature films including Gandhi, Groundhog Day, The Fisher King, The Remains of the Day, and Cry Freedom, as reported by BBC News. Over his career, BBC News and SuaraGarut.ID noted that he earned five Academy Award nominations for his film compositions. [1][3]

In television, Fenton created the scores for major nature series including The Blue Planet and Planet Earth, alongside theme music for BBC News programmes like Newsnight and Breakfast Time. The Blue Planet was a co-production between the BBC Natural History Unit and the Discovery Channel that premiered in September 2001. [1][4]

Born George Hawes in Bromley, Kent, he legally adopted his mother's surname in 1968 to obtain an Actors' Equity card. His compositions earned him multiple BAFTA, Emmy, and Ivor Novello awards, and he was named a Fellow of the Ivors Academy. [1][5][7]