Malcolm Arnold

Composer

Birthday October 21, 1921

Birth Sign Libra

Birthplace England

DEATH DATE Sep 23, 2006 (84)

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About

Academy Award-winning English composer of light music, film scores, theatre and ballet music, and symphonies.

Before Fame

He started learning the trumpet when he was 12 after seeing Louis Armstrong perform. He received a scholarship to the Royal College of Music when he was 17.

Trivia

He won the 1957 Academy Award for writing the score to the film "The Bridge on the River Kwai," directed by David Lean.

Family Life

His older brother was killed in World War II. He battled alcoholism and rampant promiscuity in the 1960s and 1970s that destroyed two marriages. However, he recovered in the 1980s and 1990s, living out his final years with a series of well-received artistic comebacks.

Associated With

He wrote a concerto for Benny Goodman.