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IMDbPro

Frank Cordell(1918-1980)

  • Music Department
  • Composer
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Born in Kingston-upon-Thames in 1918, Frank Cordell (his full original name) won a Melody Maker poll at age 17 for most promising jazz pianist of 1935. However, his skills at arranging and conducting were acquired while serving in the RAF (1940-1946), during which time he was appointed musical director of Forces Radio. In 1947 Frank married Magda Lustigova, a 26-year-old Hungarian artist who in 1952 would become a founding member of The Independent Group (IG), a British art movement best known for launching Pop Art. Also in 1947, Frank joined the BBC as composer and arranger for radio and television, and his most notable radio score was the historical drama The Gay Galliard (1951) starring Valerie Hobson as Mary, Queen of Scots. His film scores date from 1952, and he composed music for many advertising commercials. Leaving the BBC in 1955, he became musical director of HMV Records (later EMI) up to 1962. Apart from his feature film scores, he scored the eight-part cliffhanger serial Project Z (1968) for the Children's Film Foundation, and music for several TV series. Although usually based in London, he travelled to Japan to score Flight from Ashiya (1964). Today, Frank Cordell is chiefly remembered for scoring two large-scale epics Khartoum (1966) and then Cromwell (1970) for which he received an Oscar nomination. In between film scores he wrote concert hall works including the Concerto for Cello, the Concerto for Horn and a wind quartet entitled Interplay. Before his untimely death in Hastings in 1980 at the age of 62 he scored two documentary shorts, Tiger Tiger (1977) and Fathers of Pop (1979), the latter of which charted the story of The Independent Group. Magda married fellow IG founder John McHale and adopted the professional name Magda Cordell McHale. Frank Cordell's original manuscripts are preserved at the Trinity College of Music in London.
BornJune 1, 1918
DiedJuly 6, 1980(62)
BornJune 1, 1918
DiedJuly 6, 1980(62)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Add photos, demo reels
  • Nominated for 1 Oscar
    • 2 nominations total

Known for

Cromwell (1970)
Cromwell
7.0
  • Music Department
  • 1970
A Dirty Knight's Work (1976)
A Dirty Knight's Work
5.1
  • Composer
  • 1976
Andy Kaufman, Sam Levene, Richard Lynch, Deborah Raffin, and Sylvia Sidney in God Told Me To (1976)
God Told Me To
6.3
  • Music Department(uncredited)
  • 1976
Charlton Heston and Laurence Olivier in Khartoum (1966)
Khartoum
6.8
  • Music Department
  • 1966

Credits

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IMDbPro

Music Department



  • Andy Kaufman, Sam Levene, Richard Lynch, Deborah Raffin, and Sylvia Sidney in God Told Me To (1976)
    God Told Me To
    6.3
    • conductor (uncredited)
    • 1976
  • Cromwell (1970)
    Cromwell
    7.0
    • conductor
    • 1970
  • Hell Boats (1970)
    Hell Boats
    5.5
    • conductor
    • 1970
  • Mosquito Squadron (1969)
    Mosquito Squadron
    5.7
    • conductor
    • 1969
  • Ring of Bright Water (1969)
    Ring of Bright Water
    7.1
    • conductor
    • 1969
  • The Man Who Never Was (1966)
    The Man Who Never Was
    7.7
    TV Series
    • composer: theme music
    • conductor
    • 1966–1967
  • Bradford Dillman and Peter Graves in Court Martial (1965)
    Court Martial
    7.1
    TV Series
    • composer: main title theme
    • 1965–1966
  • Charlton Heston and Laurence Olivier in Khartoum (1966)
    Khartoum
    6.8
    • conductor
    • 1966
  • The Bargee (1964)
    The Bargee
    6.2
    • conductor: The Associated British Studio Orchestra
    • 1964
  • Flight from Ashiya (1964)
    Flight from Ashiya
    5.3
    • conductor
    • 1964
  • A Song for Europe
    TV Special
    • conductor
    • 1961
  • June Laverick in Musical Playhouse (1959)
    Musical Playhouse
    8.4
    TV Series
    • composer: incidental music
    • 1959
  • The Captain's Table (1959)
    The Captain's Table
    5.9
    • conductor
    • 1959
  • Two Grooms for a Bride (1955)
    Two Grooms for a Bride
    5.3
    • composer: additional music (uncredited)
    • 1955
  • Tom Conway in Murder on Approval (1955)
    Murder on Approval
    5.8
    • composer: stock music (uncredited)
    • 1955

Composer



  • Andy Kaufman, Sam Levene, Richard Lynch, Deborah Raffin, and Sylvia Sidney in God Told Me To (1976)
    God Told Me To
    6.3
    • Composer
    • 1976
  • A Dirty Knight's Work (1976)
    A Dirty Knight's Work
    5.1
    • Composer
    • 1976
  • Survival (1961)
    Survival
    8.7
    TV Series
    • Composer
    • 1974
  • The World of Survival (1971)
    The World of Survival
    9.2
    TV Series
    • Composer
    • 1971–1977
  • Cromwell (1970)
    Cromwell
    7.0
    • Composer
    • 1970
  • Hell Boats (1970)
    Hell Boats
    5.5
    • Composer
    • 1970
  • Mosquito Squadron (1969)
    Mosquito Squadron
    5.7
    • Composer
    • 1969
  • Ring of Bright Water (1969)
    Ring of Bright Water
    7.1
    • Composer
    • 1969
  • Project Z (1968)
    Project Z
    8.7
    Short
    • Composer
    • 1968
  • Danger Has Two Faces (1967)
    Danger Has Two Faces
    7.2
    TV Movie
    • Composer
    • 1967
  • The Man Who Never Was (1966)
    The Man Who Never Was
    7.7
    TV Series
    • Composer
    • 1966
  • Bradford Dillman and Peter Graves in Court Martial (1965)
    Court Martial
    7.1
    TV Series
    • Composer
    • 1965–1966
  • Charlton Heston and Laurence Olivier in Khartoum (1966)
    Khartoum
    6.8
    • Composer
    • 1966
  • Never Put It in Writing (1964)
    Never Put It in Writing
    6.7
    • Composer (musical score)
    • 1964
  • The Bargee (1964)
    The Bargee
    6.2
    • Composer
    • 1964

Soundtrack



  • Joe Scarborough, Willie Geist, and Mika Brzezinski in Morning Joe (2007)
    Morning Joe
    4.0
    TV Series
    • performer: "Holiday in Hollywood"
    • performer: "Holiday in Hollywood", "Holiday in Hollywood
    • 2021
  • Jimmy Kimmel in Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2003)
    Jimmy Kimmel Live!
    6.4
    TV Series
    • performer: "Holiday in Hollywood"
    • 2021
  • Ring of Bright Water (1969)
    Ring of Bright Water
    7.1
    • music: "Ring of Bright Water" (Title Song)
    • 1969
  • The Stateless Man (1955)
    The Stateless Man
    6.5
    Short
    • music: "Voyage Through Fear" (uncredited)
    • 1955
  • Joan Collins, James Kenney, and Ian Whittaker in The Slasher (1953)
    The Slasher
    6.1
    • music: "Valse Elegante" (uncredited)
    • 1953

Personal details

Edit
  • Born
    • June 1, 1918
    • Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, England, UK
  • Died
    • July 6, 1980
    • Hastings, East Sussex, England, UK
  • Spouses
      Anja ?1964 - ? (1 child)

FAQ

Powered by Alexa
  • When did Frank Cordell die?
    July 6, 1980
  • How old was Frank Cordell when he died?
    62 years old
  • Where did Frank Cordell die?
    Hastings, East Sussex, England, UK
  • When was Frank Cordell born?
    June 1, 1918
  • Where was Frank Cordell born?
    Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, England, UK

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