Alex North facts for kids

Alex North (born Isadore Soifer, December 4, 1910 – September 8, 1991) was an American composer. He was famous for writing music for many movies. Some of his well-known works include A Streetcar Named Desire (which was one of the first movie scores to use jazz music), Viva Zapata!, Spartacus, Cleopatra, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.

Alex North was nominated for the Academy Award (also known as an Oscar) fifteen times for his music. Even though he didn't win any of those times, he received a special Honorary Academy Award in 1986. He was the first composer to get this special award.

He also wrote the famous song "Unchained Melody". This song was the main theme for the movie Unchained (1955). "Unchained Melody" became a very popular song. It has been recorded over 1,500 times by more than 670 different artists in many languages.

Early Life

Alex North was born Isadore Soifer in Chester, Pennsylvania. His parents had moved to the U.S. around 1906. His father worked as a blacksmith, and his mother ran a grocery store.

During World War II, North served as a captain in the U.S. Army from 1942 to 1946. He helped create entertainment programs for soldiers. He also composed music for more than twenty-six documentaries for the War Department during his service.

Career Highlights

North was very good at mixing his modern music style with the usual way movie music was made. He often used special musical themes called leitmotifs. One of his most famous themes became the song "Unchained Melody".

He was nominated for fifteen Oscars, but he never won one of the regular awards. However, he did receive a special Lifetime Achievement Academy Award. Only one other film composer, Ennio Morricone, has received this honor. North also won a Golden Globe award in 1968 for his music in The Shoes of the Fisherman.

Famous Film Scores

Some of his most famous movie scores include:

• A Streetcar Named Desire
• Death of a Salesman
• Viva Zapata!
• The Rainmaker
• Spartacus
• The Misfits
• Cleopatra
• Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
• Dragonslayer
• Under the Volcano

His music for The Wonderful Country used sounds and styles from both Mexican and American music.

Unused Music for 2001: A Space Odyssey

Alex North was asked to write the music for the famous movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. However, the director, Stanley Kubrick, decided not to use North's music in the final film. Even though his score wasn't used, North later used parts of it in other movies like The Shoes of the Fisherman and Dragonslayer. The full score was finally released on CD in 1993 and again in 2007.

Work for Television and Stage

North also wrote music for television shows. He composed music for the 1959 TV series Nero Wolfe. He also wrote music for other TV shows like Climax! and Playhouse 90.

Before working in Hollywood, North spent many years in New York writing music for plays. He wrote the music for the original Broadway show of Death of a Salesman. In New York, he met director Elia Kazan, who later brought him to Hollywood in the 1950s. North was one of the composers who brought modern concert music styles into film. He used more complex rhythms and sounds. He also had a beautiful, flowing style in his music, possibly influenced by Aaron Copland, who was one of his teachers.

His classical music works include two symphonies and a piece called Rhapsody for Piano, Trumpet obbligato and Orchestra. He was nominated for a Grammy Award for his music in the 1976 TV miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man. He also scored the sequel Rich Man, Poor Man Book II and the 1978 miniseries The Word.

Legacy and Recognition

In 2004, Alex North was honored for his lifetime achievements in film music at the Sammy Film Music Awards. In 2016, the Library of Congress added North's 1951 recording of his score for "A Streetcar Named Desire" to its National Recording Registry. This means it's considered an important part of American sound history.

Death

Alex North passed away on September 8, 1991, in Los Angeles, California. His ashes were scattered at sea.

Awards

The American Film Institute (AFI) ranked North's music for A Streetcar Named Desire as the #19 greatest film score. His music for these other films was also considered for the list:

• Cleopatra (1963)
• The Misfits (1961)
• Spartacus (1960)
• Viva Zapata! (1952)
• Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)

Alex North was nominated for fifteen Academy Awards during his career. One nomination was for Best Original Song, and the rest were for Best Original Score. This makes him the composer with the most nominations who never won a competitive Oscar. However, he received a special Honorary Academy Award in 1986.

• Nominated - A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
• Nominated - Death of a Salesman (1951)
• Nominated - Viva Zapata! (1952)
• Nominated - The Rose Tattoo (1955)
• Nominated - Best Original Song (with Hy Zaret) "Unchained Melody" (1955)
• Nominated - The Rainmaker (1956)
• Nominated - Spartacus (1960)
• Nominated - Cleopatra (1963)
• Nominated - The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965)
• Nominated - Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
• Nominated - The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968)
• Nominated - Shanks (1974)
• Nominated - Bite the Bullet (1975)
• Nominated - Dragonslayer (1981)
• Nominated - Under the Volcano (1984)
• Winner - Honorary Oscar for memorable achievement in a host of distinguished motion pictures (1986)

Other Awards

Golden Globe Awards for Original Score:

• Nominated - Spartacus (1960)
• Winner - The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968)

ASCAP Award for Original Score:

• Winner - Lifetime Achievement (1986)
• Winner - Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)

Grammy Awards for Original Score:

• Nominated - Cleopatra (1963)
• Nominated - Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
• Nominated - Rich Man, Poor Man (1976)

Selected Filmography

See Also

In Spanish: Alex North para niños