Biography
Grainer was born in Atherton, Queensland, Australia. He attended high school at St. Joseph's Nudgee College on Brisbane's Northside and then went on to study music under Sir Eugene Goosens at the New South Wales Conservatorium of Music, but this was interrupted by World War II. He was enlisted to the Australian Army and was injured, almost losing a leg.
Moving to Britain in the 1950s, Grainer collaborated with the BBC Radiophonic Workshop on a number of television series themes, including Giants of Steam (a documentary about railways) and in 1963 the science fiction series Doctor Who. Grainer was so impressed with Delia Derbyshire's electronic realisation of his score (which remained the standard version of the Doctor Who theme for 18 years) that he is reported to have said on hearing it, "Did I really write that?" - to which Derbyshire responded "well, mostly!" He also offered to split his royalty with her, but this was prevented by BBC bureaucracy. Grainer composed music for several ITC productions, such as The Prisoner.
Among his most eclectic film works was the music to The Omega Man, based upon the book I Am Legend by Richard Matheson and starring Charlton Heston. The soundtrack was not released on CD until 2002 in a limited run of 3,000 copies. It was remastered and given a general release in 2008, the original occasionally changing hands as a rarity. The music contains a mix of symphonic, jazz, avant garde and electronic music. Grainer's work on The Prisoner may have led to his being hired to score the film. It has been noted that the theme music and incidental music seemed remarkably similar to those of The Prisoner, with alternative notes removed, and the film itself contains visual elements that could be references to, or homage to, The Prisoner. One of Grainer's later themes was for Tales of the Unexpected.
Grainer was married twice, first to Margot (one stepdaughter: Rel) and later to Jennifer (1966–76; one son: Damian), whom he divorced in 1976. Grainer died from spinal cancer in Cuckfield, Sussex, England, aged 58. His second ex-wife was at his side.
A compilation LP album, The Exciting Television Music of Ron Grainer, appeared in 1980. In 1994, a CD comprising 30 TV and film themes composed by Grainer, The A To Z Of British TV Themes - The Ron Grainer Years, was released by the Play It Again label.
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