- Born
- Died
- Birth nameAbraham Wagenhuizen
- Son of a London cigar maker, Abraham Wagenhuizen was born in the Mile End district of Stepney, East London, on 30 December 1907. He studied music privately with English composer Alan Bush, then began his career as a music arranger in London theatres. Some time after his marriage to cobbler's daughter Celia Marks in 1931 he changed his name legally to Alfred Abraham Ralston. Eventually, he became a respected arranger and conductor for many theatres in London and the provinces, and he also conducted for the BBC. Ralston specialized in English music hall songs and traditional folk tunes, and his own classical works included a ballet score based on 14th Century French music. For the cinema Alfred Ralston is chiefly remembered for two large scale British films, Oh! What a Lovely War (1969) for Richard Attenborough, then Young Winston (1972) also for Attenborough. After films and television Ralston retired to Ruislip in Middlesex where he died from heart trouble on 9 November 1988 at the age of 80.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Jim Marshall
- SpouseCelia Marks(March 10, 1931 - November 9, 1988) (his death, 2 children)
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