James Bernard

Famous for composing over 20 scores for the beloved horror studio Hammer Film Productions, James Bernard enjoyed a musical career that spanned decades. Born in India in 1925 to a British family, Bernard relocated to the Bernard's picturesque country estate in Gloucestershire, England when he was a small boy. There, he first nurtured his love of music by playing the family's upright Broadwell piano. During his teens, Bernard had the good fortune to meet composer Benjamin Britten, who was visiting Bernard's school, Wellington College in Berkshire, England. Britten took an interest in the young musician's efforts and offered him tremendous encouragement, later inviting Bernard to serve as a page turner for him during his concerts. The onset of World War II found Bernard enlisting in the Royal Air Force in 1943. After briefly assisting cryptologist Alan Turing, whose machine Enigma eventually broke the Nazi's codes, Bernard befriended a major named Paul Dehn. Dehn was a writer, and the two developed an instant bond, moving into an apartment together and becoming longtime companions. After their time in the military was over, Bernard enrolled at the Royal College of Music, studying under Imogen Holst. After he graduated in 1949, Bernard was asked by Dehn to collaborate with him on a screenplay for a film called "Seven Days to Noon." Though his background was in music rather than creative writing, Bernard agreed and the two penned a thriller that was soon produced by the Bolting Brothers. The film met with so much acclaim that Bernard and Dehn won an Academy Award for their work. Bernard was still focused on music, however, and though he at first focused on the goal of becoming a concert pianist, he eventually transitioned into composing scores. His first big break on that front came in 1954 when he was tapped to provide the score for a BBC Radio production of "The Death of Hector." More radio plays soon came but before long, Bernard was hoping to break into film. He got his chance the following year when the composer slated to write the score for a film at Hammer Film Productions became ill. The movie's producer, Tony Hind, hired Bernard to replace the absent composer based on recordings he had heard of Bernard's work. Soon, Bernard was scoring his first film, "The Quatermass Xperiment" (1955), beginning a career with Hammer that would span 20 years. In 1974, Bernard composed the score for "The Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires" (1974). This would prove to be his last film before he entered semi-retirement. Tragically, his partner Dehn died of cancer in 1976. After eventually beginning a new relationship with actor Ken McGregor, Bernard moved with McGregor to Jamaica, where Bernard happily remained uninvolved in show business for several years. Unfortunately, McGregor was killed during a robbery in 1992, while Bernard was staying in England. Bernard remained in England for the rest of his life, occasionally returning to the world of composing. In 1997, he was approached to create an original score for the classic silent horror film "Nosferatu" (1922), and he later scored the acclaimed short film "Green Fingers" (2000). Bernard died on July 12, 2001. He was 76 years old.