Full Name Józef Żmigrod | Era 20th century | |
 | ||
Born February 23, 1902 ( 1902-02-23 ) Tarnów, Austria-Hungary
(now Tarnów, Poland) Died 10 September 1973, Amersham, United Kingdom Genres Easy listening, Film music Music director The African Queen, A Matter of Life and Death, The Life and Death of Colone, A Canterbury Tale, I Know Where I'm Going! Similar Billy Munn, Emeric Pressburger, Walter Reisch, Michael Powell, Jack Cardiff | ||
Józef Żmigrod (February 23, 1902 – September 10, 1973), better known by his stage name, Allan Gray, was a Polish composer, best known for his film scores.
Contents
Early life and education
Gray was born Józef Żmigrod in Tarnów, Austria-Hungary, in present-day Poland. He studied under the renowned Austrian composer Arnold Schönberg during the 1920s, and later wrote music for Max Reinhardt's theatre productions. As Schoenberg disapproved of such music, Żmigrod took up the stage name Allan Gray, naming himself after Oscar Wilde's Dorian Gray.
Career
Gray began writing film scores in the Weimar Republic, but left the country after the rise of Nazi Germany, moving to the United Kingdom and settling down in England. Establishing himself in the British film industry, he composed for London Films and other major studios before joining Powell and Pressburger for many of their films including The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943), A Canterbury Tale (1944), I Know Where I'm Going! (1945) and A Matter of Life and Death (1946).
Later life and death
Gray died in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom, on September 10, 1973.
Film scores
Other works
In popular culture
Songs
Swing Doors
The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp: Prelude
The Stairway to Heaven