Mark Thomas, 1956-2023
Composer Mark Thomas died on July 19, 2013, at his home in Wales, after a long illness. He was 67.
Thomas was born in Penclawdd, near Swansea, Wales, in April 1956. He attended Gowerton Grammar School, and studied music composition and orchestration at university, before starting his musical career as a professional violinist, working mostly as a session musician in London. He played on countless film soundtracks in the late 1970s and 1980s, working with composers including John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, James Horner and John Barry, and was one of the violinists in the orchestra pit on the opening night of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s legendary musical The Phantom of the Opera in 1986.
Thomas began writing his own music for film in the early 1990s and quickly established himself as one of the most in-demand composers in the British film and television industry; Thomas took extra pride in writing music for Welsh cinema and television, and intentionally sought out Welsh-language projects. His most profile work included films such as Daisies in December (2005), Twin Town (1997), The Big Tease (1999), Dog Soldiers (2002), Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London (2004), Shadows in the Sun (2005), and The Magic Roundabout (2005), while his TV work included writing for acclaimed mini-series such as Aristocrats (1999), and episodes of Shaun the Sheep, Doc Martin, Benidorm, and Dalziel and Pascoe. He was nominated for an Emmy in 2011 for his main title music for the TV series Episodes, and won a BAFTA Cymru Award in 1998 for his score for Twin Town.
Thomas leaves behind his wife, Luz Marie, and children Imogen, Rosana and Tristam.
Shop at the Movie Music UK Store
Member of the
MOVIE MUSIC UK 