AllMovie

A prominent film composer whose work accompanied such classic films as Where Eagles Dare (1968) and Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy (1972), Ron Goodwin started his musical career early in life and composed the scores for over 60 films in his half-century career. Goodwin was born in Plymouth, England, in 1925, and at age five began playing the piano at the request of his mother. Though he would take up the trumpet soon after, the burgeoning musician continued to refine his skills on the piano into young adulthood, forming a successful band known as the Woodchoppers along the way. Quickly establishing himself as a talented musician to watch for, it wasn't long before Goodwin was working for the BBC and the newly established Polygon alongside the likes of Petula Clark and Peter Sellers. Goodwin's first feature-film score came with the 1959 film Whirlpool, and after forging a lucrative relationship with MGM British Studios two years later, his work as a film composer continued to flourish. Touring the globe with his band in his later years, the tireless composer was awarded an Ivor Novella lifetime achievement award in 1994. 1996 would find Goodwin serving as guest conductor for the Royal Academy of Music's Festival of British and American Film Music. After suffering from asthma for many years, Ron Goodwin died suddenly in his Reading home in January 2003. He was 77.