---
name: "Ron Grainer"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/ron-grainer"
roles: ["Composer"]
born: "11 August 1922"
died: "21 February 1981"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
updated: "2026-09-16T15:39:54.701105+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Ron Grainer

Composer. Born 11 August 1922 in Atherton Tableland, Queensland, Australia. Died 21 February 1981.

## Details

- **Work:** Composer
- **Born:** 11 August 1922, Atherton Tableland, Queensland, Australia
- **Died:** 21 February 1981

## Biography

Ron Grainer was an Australian composer who worked primarily in the United Kingdom. Born in Atherton, Queensland, in 1922, he moved to London in 1952 after serving in the Second World War and initially worked as a pianist in light entertainment and for the BBC.

From the early 1960s he composed numerous television themes and incidental scores. These included the themes for *Maigret* (1960) and *Steptoe and Son* (1962), both of which won Ivor Novello awards, as well as *Doctor Who* (1963), *The Prisoner* (1967) and *Tales of the Unexpected* (1979). His film scores encompassed *A Kind of Loving* (1962), *To Sir, with Love* (1967) and *The Omega Man* (1971).

Grainer died in Cuckfield, Sussex, in 1981.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, screenonline.org.uk, m.imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Steptoe and Son* (1962), Fi1m 83, Music — [page](https://film.one/tv/steptoe-and-son.md)

## Also known for

- *Doctor Who* (2005), Main Title Theme Composer
- *Doctor Who* (1963), Main Title Theme Composer — [page](https://film.one/tv/doctor-who.md)
- *The Omega Man* (1971), Original Music Composer
- *To Sir, with Love* (1967), Original Music Composer
- *Doctor Who* (2024), Main Title Theme Composer
- *Doctor Who* (1996), Main Title Theme Composer
- *The Assassination Bureau* (1969), Music
- *A Kind of Loving* (1962), Original Music Composer, Conductor

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/ron-grainer