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John Barry

John Barry

Known For Sound
Birthday Nov 03, 1933
Died Jan 30, 2011 (77)
Birthplace York, North Yorkshire, England, UK
Popularity 0.3 (history)
Updated Aug 26, 2025 (Update)
Entry Date Apr 28, 2024
Links TMDb IMDb
Biography

John Barry Prendergast OBE (3 November 1933 – 30 January 2011) was an English composer and conductor of film music. He composed the scores for eleven of the James Bond films between 1963 and 1987, as well as arranging and performing the "James Bond Theme" for the first film in the series, 1962's Dr ... . No. He wrote the Grammy- and Academy Award-winning scores to the films Dances with Wolves and Out of Africa, as well as the scores of The Scarlet Letter; Chaplin; The Cotton Club; The Tamarind Seed; Mary, Queen of Scots; Game of Death; and the theme for the television series The Persuaders!, in a career spanning over 50 years. In 1999, he was appointed with an OBE for services to music. Born in York, Barry spent his early years working in cinemas owned by his father. During his national service with the British Army in Cyprus, Barry began performing as a musician after learning to play the trumpet. Upon completing his national service, he formed a band in 1957, the John Barry Seven. He later developed an interest in composing and arranging music, making his début for television in 1958. He came to the notice of the makers of the first James Bond film Dr. No, who were dissatisfied with a theme for James Bond given to them by Monty Norman. Noel Rogers, the head of music at United Artists, approached Barry. This started a successful association between Barry and the Bond series that lasted for 25 years. Barry received awards including five Academy Awards: two for Born Free and one each for The Lion in Winter (for which he also won the first BAFTA Award for Best Film Music), Dances with Wolves and Out of Africa (both of which also won him Grammy Awards). He also received ten Golden Globe Award nominations, winning once for Best Original Score for Out of Africa in 1986. Barry completed his last film score, Enigma, in 2001 and recorded the successful album Eternal Echoes the same year. He then concentrated chiefly on live performances and co-wrote the music to the musical Brighton Rock in 2004 alongside Don Black. In 2001, Barry became a Fellow of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, and, in 2005, he was made a Fellow of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Barry was married four times and had four children. He moved to the United States in 1975 and lived there until his death in 2011. Description above from the Wikipedia page John Barry, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

Filmography

Deadfall

Deadfall

1968

as Orchestra Conductor

Enigma

Enigma

2001

Original Music Composer

Playing by Heart

Playing by Heart

1998

Original Music Composer, Conductor, Orchestrator

Mercury Rising

Mercury Rising

1998

Original Music Composer, Conductor

Swept from the Sea

Swept from the Sea

1998

Original Music Composer

Cry, the Beloved Country

Cry, the Beloved Country

1995

Original Music Composer

The Scarlet Letter

The Scarlet Letter

1995

Original Music Composer

The Specialist

The Specialist

1994

Original Music Composer

My Life

My Life

1993

Original Music Composer

Indecent Proposal

Indecent Proposal

1993

Original Music Composer

Ruby Cairo

Ruby Cairo

1992

Original Music Composer

Chaplin

Chaplin

1992

Original Music Composer

Dances with Wolves

Dances with Wolves

1990

Original Music Composer

Masquerade

Masquerade

1988

Original Music Composer

The Living Daylights

The Living Daylights

1987

Original Music Composer

Hearts of Fire

Hearts of Fire

1987

Original Music Composer

Howard the Duck

Howard the Duck

1986

Original Music Composer

Peggy Sue Got Married

Peggy Sue Got Married

1986

Original Music Composer

A View to a Kill

A View to a Kill

1985

Original Music Composer

Jagged Edge

Jagged Edge

1985

Original Music Composer

Out of Africa

Out of Africa

1985

Original Music Composer, Conductor

A Killing Affair

A Killing Affair

1985

Original Music Composer

The Cotton Club

The Cotton Club

1984

Original Music Composer

Mike's Murder

Mike's Murder

1984

Original Music Composer

Until September

Until September

1984

Original Music Composer

Svengali

Svengali

1983

Original Music Composer

The Golden Seal

The Golden Seal

1983

Music

Octopussy

Octopussy

1983

Original Music Composer

High Road to China

High Road to China

1983

Original Music Composer

Murder by Phone

Murder by Phone

1982

Original Music Composer

Frances

Frances

1982

Original Music Composer, Conductor

Hammett

Hammett

1982

Original Music Composer

Body Heat

Body Heat

1981

Original Music Composer

The Legend of the Lone Ranger

The Legend of the Lone Ranger

1981

Original Music Composer

Somewhere in Time

Somewhere in Time

1980

Original Music Composer

Touched by Love

Touched by Love

1980

Original Music Composer

Raise the Titanic

Raise the Titanic

1980

Original Music Composer

Inside Moves

Inside Moves

1980

Original Music Composer

Night Games

Night Games

1980

Original Music Composer

Willa

Willa

1979

Original Music Composer

The Corn Is Green

The Corn Is Green

1979

Music

Moonraker

Moonraker

1979

Original Music Composer

The Black Hole

The Black Hole

1979

Original Music Composer

Hanover Street

Hanover Street

1979

Original Music Composer

The Betsy

The Betsy

1978

Original Music Composer

The White Buffalo

The White Buffalo

1977

Original Music Composer

The Gathering

The Gathering

1977

Music

First Love

First Love

1977

Original Music Composer

The Deep

The Deep

1977

Original Music Composer

Robin and Marian

Robin and Marian

1976

Original Music Composer

King Kong

King Kong

1976

Original Music Composer

Love Among the Ruins

Love Among the Ruins

1975

Original Music Composer, Conductor

The Day of the Locust

The Day of the Locust

1975

Original Music Composer

The Dove

The Dove

1974

Original Music Composer

The Man with the Golden Gun

The Man with the Golden Gun

1974

Original Music Composer

The Tamarind Seed

The Tamarind Seed

1974

Original Music Composer

Mission: Monte Carlo

Mission: Monte Carlo

1974

Theme Song Performance

A Doll's House

A Doll's House

1973

Original Music Composer

The Glass Menagerie

The Glass Menagerie

1973

Original Music Composer

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

1972

Original Music Composer, Songs

Follow Me!

Follow Me!

1972

Original Music Composer

Walkabout

Walkabout

1971

Music, Conductor, Original Music Composer

Mary, Queen of Scots

Mary, Queen of Scots

1971

Original Music Composer

Diamonds Are Forever

Diamonds Are Forever

1971

Original Music Composer

The Last Valley

The Last Valley

1971

Original Music Composer

They Might Be Giants

They Might Be Giants

1971

Original Music Composer

Monte Walsh

Monte Walsh

1970

Original Music Composer

On Her Majesty's Secret Service

On Her Majesty's Secret Service

1969

Original Music Composer

The Appointment

The Appointment

1969

Original Music Composer

Midnight Cowboy

Midnight Cowboy

1969

Original Music Composer, Music Supervisor

Boom!

Boom!

1968

Original Music Composer

The Lion in Winter

The Lion in Winter

1968

Original Music Composer

Deadfall

Deadfall

1968

Original Music Composer

Petulia

Petulia

1968

Original Music Composer

The Whisperers

The Whisperers

1967

Original Music Composer

You Only Live Twice

You Only Live Twice

1967

Original Music Composer

The Chase

The Chase

1966

Original Music Composer

The Wrong Box

The Wrong Box

1966

Original Music Composer, Conductor, Music Arranger

Dutchman

Dutchman

1966

Original Music Composer

Born Free

Born Free

1966

Original Music Composer, Songs

The Quiller Memorandum

The Quiller Memorandum

1966

Original Music Composer, Songs

Thunderball

Thunderball

1965

Original Music Composer, Conductor

King Rat

King Rat

1965

Original Music Composer, Conductor

The Party's Over

The Party's Over

1965

Original Music Composer

Four in the Morning

Four in the Morning

1965

Original Music Composer, Conductor

The Ipcress File

The Ipcress File

1965

Original Music Composer, Conductor

The Knack... and How to Get It

The Knack... and How to Get It

1965

Original Music Composer

Mister Moses

Mister Moses

1965

Original Music Composer

Boy and Bicycle

Boy and Bicycle

1965

Original Music Composer

Goldfinger

Goldfinger

1964

Original Music Composer, Conductor

Zulu

Zulu

1964

Original Music Composer

Seance on a Wet Afternoon

Seance on a Wet Afternoon

1964

Original Music Composer, Conductor

A Jolly Bad Fellow

A Jolly Bad Fellow

1964

Music

Man in the Middle

Man in the Middle

1964

Original Music Composer

From Russia with Love

From Russia with Love

1963

Original Music Composer, Conductor

The Amorous Prawn

The Amorous Prawn

1962

Original Music Composer

Dr. No

Dr. No

1962

Music Arranger

The L-Shaped Room

The L-Shaped Room

1962

Original Music Composer

Beat Girl

Beat Girl

1960

Music

Never Let Go

Never Let Go

1960

Original Music Composer

No data available

No data available

Organization Category Movie
Television Credits

No data available

Tonight in Person

as Self

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Jan 30, 1963

Legends

as Self

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Nov 17, 2006

Great Performances

as Self

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Jan 28, 1971

Popularity Metrics

Popularity History


Year Month Avg Max Min
2024 6 4 7 2
2024 7 11 18 5
2024 8 8 17 3
2024 9 5 13 1
2024 10 5 15 2
2024 11 2 5 1
2024 12 2 4 1
2025 1 6 21 2
2025 2 2 5 1
2025 3 2 6 1
2025 5 1 2 1
2025 6 1 1 1
2025 7 0 0 0
2025 8 1 10 0

Trending Rank


Year Month Avg Rank Max Rank
2024 6 541 260
2025 8 350 212

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