Biography
Sir John Dankworth, also known as Johnny Dankworth, was an English jazz composer, saxophonist, clarinettist and bandleader. Born on 20 September 1927 in Woodford, Essex, he studied at the Royal Academy of Music and began his career in British jazz in the late 1940s. He led the Johnny Dankworth Seven and later a big band, and married jazz singer Cleo Laine in 1958.
From the early 1960s he composed film and television scores, often credited as Johnny Dankworth. His credits include the original theme for the television series The Avengers (1961) and scores for films such as Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960), The Servant (1963), Darling (1965), Modesty Blaise (1966) and Accident (1967). He also wrote the theme for Tomorrow's World.
Dankworth was appointed CBE in 1974 and knighted in 2006. He died on 6 February 2010 in London.
