Personal info
Known for
Music Director
Gender
Male
Birthday
19 October
Location
England, United Kingdom
Edit pageGeorge Fenton
Biography
George Fenton (1949–2026) was an English composer best known for his music scores for films, television series, and documentaries. Born on October 19, 1949, in Bromley, Kent, England, he began his career in theatre before moving into television and film composition. He gained recognition for co-composing the soundtrack of Gandhi (1982) with Ravi Shankar, earning his first Academy Award nomination. His notable film credits include Cry Freedom (1987), Dangerous Liaisons (1988), The Fisher King (1991), Groundhog Day (1993), Shadowlands (1993), You've Got Mail (1998), Sweet Home Alabama (2002) and Hitch (2005).
He also composed music for acclaimed BBC nature documentaries such as The Blue Planet, Planet Earth, Frozen Planet and Wild Isles. Throughout his distinguished career, he received five Academy Award nominations and won several BAFTA, Emmy, and Ivor Novello Awards. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2023 for his contributions to music. He died on October 5, 2026, at the age of 76.
