Film Music Reporter

Richard Rodney Bennett has passed at age 76 on Christmas Eve in New York. The composer was born in 1936 and raised in Budleigh Salterton, Devon. Throughout his career, he has received three Academy Award nominations for his scores for John Schlesinger’s 1967 drama Far from the Madding Crowd starring Julie Christie & Terence Stamp, the 1971 historical drama Nicholas and Alexandra directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and Sidney Lumet’s 1974 mystery drama Murder on the Orient Express based on the novel by Agatha Christie. He also received two Grammy Award nominations for the latter two films. He was also honored with numerous BAFTA nominations and won the award for Murder on the Orient Express. His other film credits include John Schlesinger’s Yanks starring Richard Gere, Sidney Lumet’s Equus starring Richard Burton, the romantic comedy Indiscreet starring Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman and the 1994 hit comedy Four Weddings and a Funeral directed by Mike Newell and starring Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell. His TV work include the mini-series Gormenghast, The Tale of Sweeney Todd starring Ben Kingsley and the Agatha Christie novel adaptation Murder with Mirrors, for which he received an Emmy Award nomination. Apart from his work for film and TV, Bennett was also a writer and performer of jazz songs and composer for the concert hall. In 1998, he was awarded the Knight Bachelor of the Order of the British Empire in the 1998 Queen’s New Years Honours List for his services to music.