Monty Norman (born Monty Noserovitch; 4 April 1928 – 11 July 2022) was an English film composer.
Norman was a former big band singer who turned songwriter in the late 1950s. He enjoyed a West End hit in 1958 with “Irma La Douce,” adapted from an earlier successful French musical. Producer Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli, an investor in Norman’s short-lived 1961 musical “Belle,” called him to accompany the team headed to Jamaica in January 1962 to shoot “Dr. No.”
What did Monty Norman compose?
Norman most famously composed the score for “Dr. No,” the 1962 James Bond film starring Sean Connery. His theme for James Bond, as arranged by fellow Englishman John Barry, would go on to become the theme for the entire franchise.
He performed with big bands and in a variety of double acts with comedian Benny Hill before writing songs for early British rockers Cliff Richard and Tommy Steele and composing for stage musicals including “Make Me an Offer, “Expresso Bongo,” “Songbook” and “Poppy.
