Paul Leonard-Morgan (born 1974) is a Scottish composer particularly known for his work in scoring for television and film. He won a
Scottish BAFTA
BAFTA in Scotland is the Scottish branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Formed in 1986, the branch holds two annual awards ceremonies recognising the achievement by performers and production staff in Scottish film, televis ...
for the film ''Reflections upon the Origin of the Pineapple'' (2000), which was his first film score.
Early life
Leonard-Morgan's mother was a music teacher. As a child, he learned to play the piano, violin, and recorder. He studied at the
Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland ( gd, Conservatoire Rìoghail na h-Alba), formerly the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama ( gd, Acadamaidh Rìoghail Ciùil is Dràma na h-Alba) is a conservatoire of dance, drama, music, production, and ...
, graduating in 1995 with a
BA in musical studies.
Career
Leonard-Morgan's first album, ''Filmtales'', was released in 2007. Between 2006 and 2011, he wrote scores for the BBC spy drama ''
Spooks''.
In 2007, he worked on the documentary ''J.K. Rowling: A Year in the Life'', providing the backing music that went with the film that showed the author working on ''
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'' is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the seventh and final novel of the main ''Harry Potter'' series. It was released on 21 July 2007 in the United Kingdom by Bloomsbury Publi ...
''.
In 2008, he was chosen by the U.S. Olympic Committee to compose a new U.S. Olympic Team anthem. In the same year, he also wrote the music for
Neil Oliver
Neil Oliver (born 21 February 1967) is a British television presenter, archaeologist, historian and author. He has presented several documentary series on archaeology and history, including ''A History of Scotland'', ''Vikings'', and ''Coast'' ...
's BBC television series ''
A History of Scotland''. His score was performed by the
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (BBC SSO) is a Scottish broadcasting symphony orchestra based in Glasgow. One of five full-time orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), it is the oldest full-time professional rad ...
in 2009.
In 2011, Leonard-Morgan composed the soundtrack for the sci-fi thriller ''
Limitless'', and he also wrote music for the
television series based on the film.
In 2012, he scored the sci-fi film ''
Dredd
''Dredd'' is a 2012 science fiction action film directed by Pete Travis and written and produced by Alex Garland. It is based on the '' 2000 AD'' comic strip '' Judge Dredd'' and its eponymous character created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezq ...
'', for which he was shortlisted at the 2013
World Soundtrack Public Choice Award.
Leonard-Morgan first became involved with video game soundtracks by composing material for ''
Battlefield Hardline
''Battlefield Hardline'' is a first-person shooter video game developed by Visceral Games and published by Electronic Arts. It was released in March 2015 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Unlike the prev ...
'', which was released in March 2015. In May 2016, a trailer for ''
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III'' was released, which included his composition; the game came out in 2017, with a score by Leonard-Morgan.
Leonard-Morgan cowrote the score for the video game ''
Cyberpunk 2077
''Cyberpunk 2077'' is a 2020 action role-playing video game developed by CD Projekt Red and published by CD Projekt. Set in Night City, an open world set in the ''Cyberpunk'' universe, players assume the role of a customisable mercenary know ...
''. In an interview with ''Headliner Magazine'' on creating the score and soundtrack for the game, he said, "Writing dark music is relatively easy. Writing dark music like nobody else has ever written before is a little bit harder".
Awards and honours
*
Scottish BAFTA
BAFTA in Scotland is the Scottish branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Formed in 1986, the branch holds two annual awards ceremonies recognising the achievement by performers and production staff in Scottish film, televis ...
- Best Composer or Original Sound Design, for ''Reflections upon the Origin of the Pineapple'' (2000).
*
BAFTA Nomination for ''
Fallen
Fallen may refer to:
People
* Carl Fredrik Fallén (1764–1830), Swedish botanist and entomologist
* Gabriel Toledo (born 1991), known as FalleN, Brazilian ''Counter-Strike'' player
Arts, entertainment, and media
Fictional entities
* Fallen ( ...
'' (2004)
*
Ivor Novello Awards
The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They have been presented annually in London by the Ivors Academy (formerly the BASCA) since 1956, and over 1,000 statuettes have been a ...
Nomination for ''
Fallen
Fallen may refer to:
People
* Carl Fredrik Fallén (1764–1830), Swedish botanist and entomologist
* Gabriel Toledo (born 1991), known as FalleN, Brazilian ''Counter-Strike'' player
Arts, entertainment, and media
Fictional entities
* Fallen ( ...
'' (2004)
*
World Soundtrack Awards The World Soundtrack Awards, launched in 2001 by the Film Fest Gent, is aimed at organizing and overseeing the educational, cultural and professional aspects of the art of film music, including the preservation of the history of the soundtrack and i ...
Nomination - Discovery of the Year, for ''
Limitless'' (2011)
*
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
Nomination - Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score), for ''
Limitless'' (2016)
Selected discography
References
External links
*
Profileat the
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland ( gd, Conservatoire Rìoghail na h-Alba), formerly the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama ( gd, Acadamaidh Rìoghail Ciùil is Dràma na h-Alba) is a conservatoire of dance, drama, music, production, and ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leonard-Morgan, Paul
1974 births
Living people
British male film score composers
Scottish film score composers
Hollywood Records artists
Atlantic Records artists