Biography
Overview (4)
| Born | in West Chobham, Surrey, England, UK |
| Died | in Bennington, Vermont, USA (stroke) |
| Birth Name | John Mervyn Addison |
| Nickname | Jock |
Mini Bio (1)
John Addison was born on March 16, 1920 in West Chobham, Surrey, England as John Mervyn Addison. He is known for his work on A Bridge Too Far (1977), Sleuth (1972) and Murder, She Wrote (1984). He was married to Pamela Addison. He died on December 7, 1998 in Bennington, Vermont, USA.
Spouse (1)
| Pamela Addison | (? - 7 December 1998) (his death) (3 children) |
Trivia (5)
He was a soldier in XXX Corps, the British tank force that drove north through Holland during "Operation Market Garden", commencing Sept. 17, 1944. He wrote the music-score for A Bridge Too Far (1977), which depicted "Operation Market Garden", as a tribute to his fellow tankers of XXX Corps.
The son of a British army colonel, he was educated at Wellington College and the Royal Academy of Music in London, studying composition, clarinet, oboe and piano.
Among his classical compositions are chamber works, a ballet ("Carte Blanche"), a concerto for trumpet, strings and percussion, a musical revue ("Cranks") and a Bassoon Concertina.
In the 1950's, in addition to his film work, he orchestrated and composed incidental music for leading English playwrights (including John Osborne) at the Royal Court Theatre. He also scored Olivier's staging of "Hamlet" at the National Theatre.
British wartime fighter pilot Douglas Bader, the subject of "Reach for the Sky" - scored by Addison - was his brother-in-law.
