George Fenton

George Fenton
George Fenton in 1969
Born	George Richard Ian Howe (1950-10-19) 19 October 1950 (age 66) London, England

George Fenton (born George Richard Ian Howe; 19 October 1950) is an English composer best known for his work writing film scores and music for television such as for the BBC series The Blue Planet and Planet Earth.

Fenton was born in London and attended St Edward's School in Oxford where "he learnt his music" from Peter Whitehouse. He has no further formal training in music. Fenton's involvement with St Edward's continued as an adult and he has been a governor of the school since 1998.

Initially Fenton worked as an actor, getting an early break in 1968 with a part in Alan Bennett's first West End play Forty Years On. He had some success as an actor in the early 1970s appearing in the film Private Road, in Alan Bennett's first television play A Day Out directed by Stephen Frears, and in the soap opera Emmerdale Farm.

In 1969 Fenton tried his hand as a recording artist with a cover of The Beatles song Maxwell's Silver Hammer and recorded piano for the folk group The Peelers on their Polydor LP "Banished Misfortune". In 1973 he dabbled in band management helping to get the folk-rock band Hunter Muskett a recording contract with Bradley's Records.

While working as an actor Fenton was frequently asked by directors to play an instrument and he decided on a career switch to composing music.

In 1974 Fenton received his first major commission, as composer and musical director for Peter Gill's theatre production of Twelfth Night by the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon.