Carl Davis

Sitter in 5 portraits
Davis was born in Brooklyn New York to Jewish parents with ancestry in Poland and Russia. Encouraged to take up music by his mother, he began playing piano at the age of two and showed promise, later taking lessons from prominent composers including Per Nørgård in Copenhagen. He studied at Queens College, New York, and the New England Conservatory of Music, Boston and graduated from the prestigious Bard College as a composer. During his prolific career which spanned 7 decades he wrote scores for over 50 silent films including the restoration of Abel Gance's Napoleon which was screened at the Empire Leicester Square with a live orchestra (1980). He composed a pastiche piano concerto for BBC’s 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth. He composed for the documentary Anne Frank Remembered which included the only known footage of the diarist. His score for The French Lieutenant’s Woman, directed by Karel Reisz, won him a Bafta in 1982. Extremely versatile and highly sought after for film, television and theatrical arts he was a very successful commercial composer. In 2003 he received a Bafta special lifetime achievement award and in 2005 he was honoured with a CBE. Davis was married to actor Jean Boht for over 50 years.