Ronald Alfred "Ron" Goodwin (Plymouth, 17 February 1925 – Newbury, Berkshire,
8 January 2003) was an English composer and conductor known for his
film music. He scored over 70 films in a career lasting over fifty
years. His most famous works included Where Eagles Dare, Battle of Britain, 633 Squadron and Operation Crossbow.
Born in Plymouth, Devon,
Goodwin learned to play the piano and trumpet from the age of five
which allowed him to join the school band. When he was nine, the family
moved to Harrow, London, where he attended Willesden County School and Pinner County Grammar School, in Middlesex. From there he went on to study the trumpet in London at the Guildhall School of Music.
Whilst working as a copyist, he formed his own orchestra in his spare
time and began arranging and conducting recordings for over fifty
artists, which resulted in more than 100 chart successes. He wrote his
first feature film score for Whirlpool, with screenplay by Lawrence P. Bachmann. After Bachmann became executive producer at MGM-British Studios in 1959, Goodwin composed and conducted the music for most of its productions, as well as working for other film studios.
In the 1980s Goodwin began concentrating on live orchestral performances and appeared as guest conductor with many symphony orchestras
at home and abroad including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
in Wikipédia
