John Addison

Photo of John Addison

Biography

A versatile, prolific talent who entered films in the late 1940s and quickly proved equally adept at scoring comedy or drama, John Addison hit a creative peak a decade later with the British film renaissance. He composed sprightly classical melodies as well as moody jazz scores for the "Angry Young Men" films of the 1960s, as evidenced by his significant contribution to a goodly number of Tony Richardson films, including "Look Back in Anger" …
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Job Title

Actor, Music, Construction, Other

Born

March 16, 1920

Career Milestones

Composed British musical revue, "Cranks" and the stage musicals "The Amazons" and "Popkiss"

Scored the music for several stage productions of the new British playwrights at the Royal Court Theatre including John Osborne's "The Entertainer", "Luther" in the mid-1950s

Taught at the Royal College of Music

Wrote score for ballets, "Carte Blanche" and "Cat's Cradle"

1948

First film score for "The Guinea Pig"

1959

First film collaboration with director Tony Richardson, "Look Back in Anger"

1963

Received an Oscar for his musical score for Richardson's "Tom Jones"

1976

Moved to California; began working in television

1976

Scored "The Seven-Per-Cent Solution"

1977

Earned a BAFTA for his music score for the WWII drama "A Bridge Too Far"

1978

Reteamed with Richardson for the TV-movie "A Death in Canaan" (CBS)

1978

Scored the NBC mininseries "Centennial"

1984

Composed the theme for the CBS series "Murder, She Wrote"

1984

Provided the songs and the musical underscoring for the CBS miniseries "Ellis Island"

1989

Final film score, "To Die For", a vampire drama

1990

Scored the NBC mininseries "The Phantom of the Opera"

1990

Settled in Vermont

1998

Premiered his Bassoon Concertina in Manchester, England

Awards

1963

Academy Award for Music (Music Score--Substantially Original) in Tom Jones

1968

BAFTA Award for Anthony Asquith Award For Original Film Music in The Charge of the Light Brigade

1972

Academy Award for Music (Original Dramatic Score) in Sleuth

1977

BAFTA Award for Anthony Asquith Award in A Bridge Too Far

1985

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement In Music Composition For a Series (Dramatic Underscore) in Murder, She Wrote

1990

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement In Music Composition For a Miniseries or a Special (Dramatic Underscore) in Phantom of the Opera