Angela Morley

Angela Morley was born on March 10, 1924 in Leeds, Yorkshire, England as Walter Stott.

Morley's father died of angina in 1933 at the age of 39, after which the family moved to Swinton and Morley ceased piano lessons. Morley then tried playing violin at age 10 and the accordion at age 11, including in competitions, before choosing the clarinet and alto saxophone as primary instruments, taking clarinet lessons and playing in the school orchestra.[6] Morley then played in the semi-professional band led by Bert Clegg in Mexborough.

Former principal saxophonist with the Oscar Rabin band and the Geraldo orchestra in the 1940s.

Morley continued to play saxophone in British dance bands during the period of World War II, joining the Oscar Rabin Band as lead alto in 1941, at age 17.[6] With this band, Morley began writing arrangements for pay and made a recording debut with the tracks "Waiting for Sally" and "Love in Bloom".[4] Morley later joined Geraldo's band, which performed for BBC Radio several times a week,[6] in 1942[1][7] or 1944. With Geraldo's band Morley gained experience arranging for bands of many sizes and styles.

Was an English composer and conductor who, as Wally Stott, became a familiar household name to BBC Radio listeners in the 1950s.

She and Max Geldray continued to be good friends following her transition. She also noted that she was lifelong friends with Herbert W. Spencer from 1955, while working on Gentlemen Marry Brunettes, until his death in 1992.

She is known for her work on Peeping Tom (1960), Watership Down (1978) and The Slipper and the Rose: The Story of Cinderella (1976). She was married to Christine Parker and Beryl Stott.

Morley had two children with her first wife Beryl Stott: a daughter, Helen, who predeceased her in 1967, and a son, Bryan.

In 1970, while still Wally Stott, he married Christine Parker and despite the sex change to become Angela Morley in 1972, they remained together, a close and devoted couple until Angela's death almost thirty-seven years later.

In 1974, Angela Morley became the first openly transgender person to be nominated for an Academy Award, when she was nominated for one in the category of Best Music, Original Song Score/Adaptation for The Little Prince (1974), a nomination shared with Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe, and Douglas Gamley.

Morley was also the composer, conductor, arranger and orchestrator for the Sherman Brothers' musical film adaptation of the Cinderella story, The Slipper and the Rose: The Story of Cinderella in 1976, however she was only credited as conductor and arranger. She was again nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Music, Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Best Adaptation Score for this film along with the Sherman Brothers and again was present at the award ceremony.

Though initially reluctant, citing lack of preparation and unfamiliarity with the novel, Morley wrote most of the score for the animated Watership Down film, released in 1978. She had to work quickly based on work drafted by Malcolm Williamson, then Master of the Queen's Music, who left the project.

She permanently relocated to Los Angeles in 1979 and began working primarily on American television soundtracks, including those of Dynasty, Dallas, Cagney & Lacey, Wonder Woman, and Falcon Crest, working with the music departments of major production companies, including Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Universal Pictures and 20th Century Fox Television.

Morley won three Emmy Awards for her work in music arrangement. These were in the category of Outstanding Music Direction, in 1985, 1988 and 1990, for Christmas in Washington and two television specials starring Julie Andrews.

Living in Scottsdale, Arizona since 1994, and before that Los Angeles since 1980. [April 2006]

Her last film credit was for the Disney film The Hunchback of Notre Dame II in 2002, where she worked as an additional orchestrator and composer of additional music.