Laurie Johnson, The Avengers’ Composer, Passes Away At 96
British composer Laurie Johnson, whose “The Avengers” theme was one of the most popular espionage show themes of the 1960s, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Tuesday, January 16, in North London, according to a family statement. His age was 96.
One of the last well-known English film composers working in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s was Johnson. In 1964, he composed the music for Stanley Kubrick’s film “Dr. Strangelove.” He also composed the music for films including “Tiger Bay” (1959), the Werner von Braun biography “I Aim at the Stars” (1960), and the science fiction and fantasy pictures “First Men in the Moon” (1964) and “Captain Kronos, Vampire Hunter” (1972).
However, his breakthrough work was the soundtrack for “The Avengers,” a fun and fashionable film that starred Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg as the lovable troubleshooters John Steed and Emma Peel. Johnson joined the show during its fourth season, which aired in America beginning in 1966. The show was created in Britain.
In addition to “The Avengers,” a large portion of Johnson’s most well-known music was composed for British television. In 1961, his rendition of the “Top Secret” theme charted in the United Kingdom. Along with these, he composed the music for the Shirley MacLaine television series “Shirley’s World,” the classic criminal drama “The Professionals” (1977), the anthology “Thriller” (1973), and the spinoff “Jason King” from “Department S” (1971).
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