Ron Grainer (August 11, 1922 - February 21, 1981) was an Australian-born composer who worked for most of his professional career in the United Kingdom. He is mostly remembered for his film and television music. Image File history File links Ron Grainer File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Ron Grainer File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... August 11 is the 223rd day of the year (224th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Year 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar). ... February 21 is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Biography

Grainer was born in Atherton, Queensland, Australia. He studied music under Sir Eugene Goosens at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, but this was interrupted by World War II. He was enlisted to the Australian Army and was injured, almost losing a leg. Atherton is the hub of the Atherton Tableland region in Queensland, Australia, located at 17°16′ S 145°28′ E, 752 m above sea level. ... Emblems: Faunal - Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus); Floral - Cooktown orchid (Dendrobium bigibbum); Bird - Brolga (Grus rubicunda); Aquatic - Barrier Reef Anemonefish (Amphiprion akindynos); Gem - Sapphire; Colour - Maroon Motto: Audax at Fidelis (Bold but Faithful) Slogan or Nickname: Sunshine State, Smart State Other Australian states and territories Capital Brisbane Government Const. ... Eugène Goossens has been the name of three notable musicians: Eugène Goossens (February 25, 1845, Bruges, Belgium - 30 December 1906, Liverpool, England) was a conductor. ... The Sydney Conservatorium of Music (formerly the New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music), informally known as ‘The Con’, is one of the oldest music schools in Australia. ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom France Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Charles de Gaulle Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian... The Australian Army is Australias military land force. ...

In Britain from the 1950s, Grainer collaborated with the BBC Radiophonic Workshop on a number of television series themes, including Giants of Steam (a documentary about railways) and, most famously, in 1963 on the science fiction series Doctor Who. Grainer was so impressed with Delia Derbyshire's electronic realisation of his score (which remained the standard version of the Doctor Who theme for 18 years) that he is reputed to have said on hearing it, "Did I write that?". He also offered to split his royalty with her, but this was prevented by BBC bureaucracy. When the series was revived in 2005, Grainer's theme was performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. // Recovering from World War II and its aftermath, the economic miracle emerged in West Germany and Italy. ... The BBC Radiophonic Workshop, one of the sound effects units of the BBC, was created in 1958 to produce effects and new music for radio, and was closed in March 1998, although much of its traditional work had already been outsourced by 1995. ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Doctor Who is a long-running British science fiction television programme (and 1996 television movie) produced by the BBC about the adventures of a mysterious time-traveller known as The Doctor, who explores time and space with his companions, solving problems and righting wrongs. ... Delia Derbyshire (May 5, 1937 - July 3, 2001) was a British musician and composer who was a pioneer of electronic music. ... The Doctor Who theme music was created in 1963, composed by Ron Grainer and realised with electronics by Delia Derbyshire of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is one of the largest broadcasting corporations in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the UK alone and with a budget of more than £4 billion. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The BBC National Orchestra of Wales is the main full scale professional orchestra in Wales. ...

Grainer composed the music for a number of ITC series, including Man in a Suitcase and The Prisoner, the latter based upon an earlier piece of music he had written entitled The Age of Elegance. The ITC Entertainment logo The Incorporated Television Company (ITC) was founded by television mogul Lew Grade in 1954. ... Man in a Suitcase was a 1967 television series produced by ITC Entertainment, one of several ITC productions that used an American star in an attempt to boost the shows sales in the US - in this case Richard Bradford, a method actor who had been spotted after appearing opposite... The Prisoner was a 1967 UK science fiction television series, starring Patrick McGoohan. ...

Perhaps one of his most eclectic film works was the music to The Omega Man, based upon the book I am Legend by Richard Matheson and starring Charlton Heston. The soundtrack was not released on CD until 2002 in a limited run of 3000 copies through FilmScoreMonthly[1]. Copies appear on eBay from time to time, but it is now considered a rarity. The music contains a mix of symphonic, jazz, avantguarde and electronic music. A compilation LP album, The Exciting Television Music of Ron Grainer, appeared in 1980. The Omega Man is a 1971 science fiction thriller starring Charlton Heston. ... I Am Legend is a 1954 science fiction novel by Richard Matheson about the last man alive in Los Angeles. ... Richard Matheson Richard Burton Matheson (born February 20, 1926) is an American author and screenwriter, typically of fantasy, horror or science fiction. ... Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter on October 4, 1924) is an Academy Award-winning American film actor noted for heroic roles and his long involvement in political issues. ... eBay headquarters in San Jose eBay North First Street satellite office campus (home to PayPal) eBay Inc. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ...

One of Grainer's later themes, Tales of the Unexpected, was also to become famous. The light, slightly mocking theme became a hallmark of the series. Tales Of The Unexpected is a British television series that originally aired between 1979 and 1988, made by Anglia Television for ITV. The series was an anthology of different tales, initially based on short stories by author Roald Dahl, that were sometimes sinister, sometimes wryly humourous and usually had a...

He died of cancer in Surrey, England aged 59. Not to be confused with Surry. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ...

Notable television credits

• Doctor Who
• Maigret
• Steptoe and Son
• Tales of the Unexpected
• The Prisoner
• Shelley
• That Was The Week That Was
• Paul Temple
• Man in a Suitcase (also used on TFI Friday)

Doctor Who is a long-running British science fiction television programme (and 1996 television movie) produced by the BBC about the adventures of a mysterious time-traveller known as The Doctor, who explores time and space with his companions, solving problems and righting wrongs. ... Maigret featured on a postage stamp Jules Maigret, known as (Commissaire) Maigret to most people, including his wife, is a fictional police detective, created by writer Georges Simenon. ... Steptoe and Son is a British sitcom written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson about two rag and bone men living in Oil Drum Lane, a fictional street in Shepherds Bush, London. ... Tales Of The Unexpected is a British television series that originally aired between 1979 and 1988, made by Anglia Television for ITV. The series was an anthology of various different tales, initially based on short stories by author Roald Dahl that were sometimes sinister, sometimes wryly humourous and usually had... The Prisoner was a 1967 UK science fiction television series, starring Patrick McGoohan. ... Shelley is a British sitcom originally broadcast on ITV from 1979 to 1992, with occasional hiatuses lasting between one and five years. ... That Was The Week That Was, also known as TW3, was a satirical television comedy programme that aired on BBC Television in 1962 and 1963. ... Paul Temple is a fictional writer of crime-novels and private-detective invented by English author Francis Durbridge (1912-1998). ... Man in a Suitcase was a 1967 television series produced by ITC Entertainment, one of several ITC productions that used an American star in an attempt to boost the shows sales in the US - in this case Richard Bradford, a method actor who had been spotted after appearing opposite... TFI Friday was a light entertainment show hosted by Chris Evans and broadcast on Fridays at 6pm on Channel 4 from 1996 to 2000, with a repeat later that night. ...

Notable film credits

• A Kind of Loving
• The Mouse on the Moon (1963)
• The Omega Man
• Only When I Larf
• To Sir, with Love

A Kind of Loving was a 1962 British film directed by John Schlesinger, based on the 1960 novel by Stan Barstow. ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... The Omega Man is a 1971 science fiction thriller starring Charlton Heston. ... To Sir, with Love (1967) is a British film starring Sidney Poitier that deals with social issues in an inner city school, written and directed by James Clavell and based on a novel of the same name by E.R. Braithwaite. ...

Stage credits

• 1964 - Robert and Elizabeth
• 1966 - On The Level
• 1970 - Sing A Rude Song

1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... Robert and Elizabeth is a theater musical. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... A Status Quo album featuring Francis Rossi, Richard Parfitt, Alan Lancaster and John Coghlan Little Lady (Parfitt) Most Of The Time (Rossi/Young) I Saw The Light (Rossi/Young) Over And Done (Lancaster) Nightride (Parfitt/Young) Down Down (Rossi/Young) Broken Man (Lancaster) What To Do (Rossi/Young) Where I... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ...

External links

• Ron Grainer at the Internet Movie Database

• Ron Grainer web-site