English composer John Barry died of a heart attack at his home in Oyster Bay, New York, on 30 January 2011. Born John Barry Prendergast in York, England, on 3 November 1933, he may be best remembered for creating the musical sound of James Bond (he composed scores for a dozen James Bond movies). He won one Academy Award for Original song and four for Original Score (and was nominated for two more). He also won one Saturn Award for Best Music, and was nominated for another. Other awards include: two Emmy nominations, one Golden Globe win, ten other Golden Globe nominations, one BAFTA win, two other BAFTA nominations, one Grammy win, two other Grammy nominations, one Razzie Award, and two other Razzie nominations (a list of his award-nominated work is at the bottom of this piece).
He studied music in York and later, by correspondence course, with Stan Kenton arranger Bill Russo. In the mid-1950s he launched his own band, the John Barry Seven, which scored several instrumental hits and also backed English singer Adam Faith on records and in public appearances. His first television work came in1959 for the tv series Drumbeat, followed soon thereafter by the jump to the movies. He arranged the James Bond theme for Dr. No (1962), and then moved on to musically define the character in a dozen films in the franchise.
He composed for film, stage, and television, although Variety notes that “Barry scaled back his work in the 1990s, scoring a handful of films (including Oscar-nominated Chaplin, the IMAX Across the Sea of Time, and the Sylvester Stallone hit The Specialist) while also creating concept albums of original, non-film music The Beyondness of Things and Eternal Echoes. His last film was Enigma in 2001.”
His genre work includes: Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009), The Jacket (2005), Digimon: Digital Monsters (2000), two episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000 (“Quest of the Delta Knights” [1998] and “Gunslinger” [1993]), The Saint (1997), The Living Daylights (1987), Howard the Duck (1986), The Golden Child (1986), Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), A View to a Kill (1985), Octopussy (1983), Murder by Phone (1982), Somewhere in Time (1980), The Black Hole (1979), Moonraker (1979), The Return of Superman (1979), The Adventures of Stella Star (1978), The Deep (1977), King Kong (1976), The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1972), Diamonds are Forever (1971), Doomwatch (1971), On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), You Only Live Twice (1967), Casino Royale (1966), Thunderball (1965), Goldfiner (1964), From Russia with Love (1963), and Dr. No (1962).
He was divorced three times in the 1960s and ’70s, and married his present wife, Laurie, in 1978. She survives him, as do four children and five grandchildren. His IMDB entry offers a fairly sizeable biography.
John Barry’s award-nominated works:
The Black Hole (1979): Saturn nomination
Born Free (1966): Academy Award wins (original score, and original song [“Born Free”], shared with Don Black); Golden Globe nomination (shared with Don Black); Grammy nomination
Chaplin (1992): Academy Award nomination; Golden Globe nomination
Dances with Wolves (1990): Academy Award win; BAFTA nomination; Golden Globe nomination; Grammy win
The Deep (1977): Golden Globe nomination (shared with Donna Summer)
The Dove (1974): Golden Globe nomination (shared with Don Black)
Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years (1977): Emmy nomination
Elizabeth Taylor in London (1963): Emmy nomination
From Russia with Love (1963): Golden Globe nomination (shared with Lionel Bart and Monty Norman)
Goldfinger (1964): Grammy nomination
Indecent Proposal (1993): Razzie nomination (shared with Lisa Stansfield, Ian Devaney, and Andy Morris)
The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981): Razzie win (Worst Musical Score) and nomination (Worst Original Song, shared with Dean Pitchford)
The Lion in Winter (1968): Academy Award win; BAFTA win; Golden Globe nomination
Mary, Queen of Scots (1971): Academy Award nomination; Golden Globe nomination
Out of Africa (1985): Academy Award win; BAFTA nomination; Golden Globe win
Somewhere in Time (1980): Saturn win; Golden Globe nomination
A View to a Kill (1985): Golden Globe nomination (shared with Duran Duran)