Angela Morley, a British composer and conductor, lived from March 10, 1924 to January 4, 2009. Notably, in 1974, she achieved the distinction of being the first openly transgender individual to receive a nomination for an Academy Award.
Although she contributed as an additional orchestrator to the original trilogy films, specifically Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope and Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back, Morley's work went uncredited due to pre-existing contractual agreements. In A New Hope, she orchestrated the musical piece "The Last Battle" for the Death Star trench run sequence. Throughout her career, Morley frequently collaborated with Star Wars composer John Williams, serving as an orchestrator on numerous subsequent scores for his films.
Born on March 10, 1924, in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, Angela Morley became a composer and conductor as an adult. Her 1974 Academy Award nomination for Best Music for the film The Little Prince made her the first openly transgender person to be nominated. Morley developed a collaborative and friendly relationship with fellow composer and orchestrator Herbert W. Spencer, and through him, she met Star Wars composer John Williams. She attended several of Williams' recording sessions at Denham Studios in England for the 1977 original trilogy film, Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. Williams personally requested Morley's orchestration contributions to the film, which she considered an honor.
Spencer and Morley continued their collaboration throughout the 1977 production of A New Hope. Despite their contributions, Morley and all other additional orchestrators for A New Hope did not receive credit in the film or subsequent album releases of its music. Due to contractual obligations, Spencer, as the principal orchestrator, was the only individual credited for orchestration. Morley's publicly revealed contribution is her orchestration of the cue 12m1 "The Last Battle," which plays during the Death Star trench run near the end of A New Hope, specifically from Red Leader Garven Dreis' death until the rebels' successful destruction of and departure from the Death Star. Furthermore, she provided uncredited orchestration for the 1980 film Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back. Morley passed away on January 4, 2009 in Scottsdale, Arizona in the United States.
- Official website (backup link)
- Angela Morley on Wikipedia
- Angela Morley at the Internet Movie Database
- Emmy Winning and Oscar Nominated Arranger Angela Morley Passes Away at 84 by Diamond, Robert on BroadwayWorld ( January 18 , 2009 ) (archived from the original on January 27, 2021)
- Angela Morley: The Story Behind the Two-Time Oscar-Nominated Trans Composer by Betancourt, Manuel on www.huffpost.com ( November 20 , 2017 ) (archived from the original on February 11, 2021)