Ken Thorne
| Ken Thorne | |
|---|---|
| Born |
26 January 1924 East Dereham, Norfolk, England, UK |
| Died |
9 July 2014 (aged 90) West Hills, California, United States |
| Residence | West Hills, California |
| Occupation | Film score composer |
| Spouse(s) | Linda Thorne |
Kenneth "Ken" Thorne (26 January 1924 – 9 July 2014) was a British television and film score composer.
Early life
Thorne was born in East Dereham, a town in the English county of Norfolk. Thorne began his musical career as a pianist with the big bands of England during the 1940s, playing at night clubs and the dance halls. At age 27, Thorne decided to seriously study composition with private tutors at Cambridge and later studied the organ for five years in London.[1]
Film scoring
Thorne began composing scores for films in 1948. Thorne was considered Richard Lester's composer of choice since their first work together on It's Trad, Dad! (1962), Help! (1965) and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966).
When Henry Mancini was scoring Blake Edwards' 1968 film The Party with Peter Sellers, Thorne composed the soundtrack to Inspector Clouseau. He also composed the music scores for How I Won the War (1967), The Monkees movie Head (1968), The Magic Christian (1969) and The Ritz (1976). He was also hired for Richard Lester's films Superman II and III with instructions to reuse the themes composed by John Williams from the first film and adapt them for the sequels, also adding some original work. From the 1980s, Ken Thorne mainly focused on his work for TV.
Death
Thorne died at a hospital in West Hills, California on 9 July 2014.[2]
Selected filmography
- Three on a Spree (1961)
- It's Trad, Dad! (1962)
- She Knows Y'Know (1962)
- Master Spy (1963)
- Help! (1965)
- A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966)
- How I Won the War (1967)
- Inspector Clouseau (1968)
- The Touchables (1968)
- Sinful Davey (1969)
- The Bed-Sitting Room (1969)
- The Magic Christian (1969)
- A Talent for Loving (1969)
- Hannie Caulder (1971)
- Juggernaut (1974)
- The Ritz (1976)
- Power Play (1978)
- Arabian Adventure (1979)
- The Outsider (1980)
- Superman II (1980)
- Wolf Lake (1980)
- The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1982)
- The House Where Evil Dwells (1982)
- Superman III (1983)
- Lassiter (1984)
- The Evil That Men Do (1984)
- Finders Keepers (1984)
- The Trouble with Spies (1987)
- Sunset Grill (1993)
Awards and nominations
- Academy Awards
- Winner for Best Music, Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966)
- Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films
- Nominated for Best Music The House Where Evil Dwells (1982)
- Nominated for Best Music Superman II (1980)
- Nominated for Best Music Arabian Adventure (1979)
- Emmy Awards
- Nominated for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music and Lyrics for "For A Love Like You" from A Season of Hope (1995) [shared with Dennis Spiegel (lyricist)]
- Grammy Awards
- Nominated for Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Show for Help! (1965) [shared with John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison]
References
- ↑ Ken Thorne. supermancinema.co.uk 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
- ↑ http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-passings-20140713-story.html
External links
- Ken Thorne at the Internet Movie Database
- Ken Thorne at Epdlp (Spanish)