Home / Arts and Entertainment / Self-Taught Composer's Accidental Singing Stardom
Self-Taught Composer's Accidental Singing Stardom
5 Oct
Summary
- He was nominated for an Oscar for his score for Gandhi.
- He found himself singing on live television after an Oscar nomination.
- He initially focused on acting before becoming a composer.
A composer who was once a soldier in the soap opera Emmerdale Farm found unexpected success in film and television music. Initially drawn to acting, he transitioned to composing when his roles invariably required him to play an instrument. His early career included a hit cover song in Sweden and acting roles in the mid-1970s.
He made his debut as a composer and musical director in 1974 for a production of Twelfth Night. By 1982, he received an Oscar nomination for his score for Richard Attenborough's Gandhi, a score developed with Ravi Shankar to reflect Indian musical traditions. This was achieved largely through self-teaching.
Throughout the 1980s, he composed soundtracks for acclaimed TV series like The Jewel in the Crown and wrote numerous well-known theme tunes for BBC news programs. His work on Cry Freedom in 1987, which focused on Steve Biko, earned him two Oscar nominations and led to an unexpected singing performance on live television.
