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IMDbPro

George Bruns(1914-1983)

  • Composer
  • Music Department
  • Actor
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Clip: Sword From The Stone
Play clip2:00
The Sword in the Stone: 50th Anniversary Edition
Born in Oregon in 1914, George Bruns was the son of a sawmill worker. He took music lessons as a child, becoming proficient on the piano, tuba and trombone. He attended Oregon State Agricultural College, and in order to pay tuition he played in the ROTC band. Deciding on a musical career, he left college to be a full-time musician, and was soon playing with the likes of Jack Teagarden.

After World War II, he began playing with various swing and jazz bands, then formed his own group (among whom was a trumpet player named Doc Severinsen). In addition to having his own band, he was also musical director at several Portland (OR) radio stations. In 1948 he left Portland for Los Angeles, where he played for orchestras such as the Turk Murphy Band. In 1953 he was hired by UPA Studios as the composer for a cartoon called Little Boy with a Big Horn (1953). The award-winning short launched his career, and over the next few years he composed music for a dozen more pictures.

He was hired by Walt Disney Studios in 1953 to compose the score for Sleeping Beauty (1959). While working on that, he was asked to come up with a song to fill a 3.5-minute gap in a multi-part TV series the studio was shooting. He got together with lyricist Thomas W. Blackburn, and they came up with what would become a landmark song and series of the 1950s: "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" from Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier (1955).

Bruns was then assigned by Disney to write songs for its upcoming childrens show, The Mickey Mouse Club (1955). He spent nearly 20 years at the studio, working on the scores of nearly 40 films and several TV series and specials. He received an Academy Award nomination for his scores for "Sleeping Beauty", Babes in Toyland (1961) and The Sword in the Stone (1963), and another nomination for the song "Love" from Robin Hood (1973).

He retired in 1976, moved back to Oregon, and died of a heart attack in Portland on May 23, 1983.
BornJuly 3, 1914
DiedMay 23, 1983(68)
BornJuly 3, 1914
DiedMay 23, 1983(68)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Add photos, demo reels
  • Nominated for 4 Oscars
    • 1 win & 6 nominations total

Known for

Sleeping Beauty (1959)
Sleeping Beauty
7.2
  • Composer(uncredited)
  • 1959
Ray Bolger, Annette Funicello, Tommy Sands, and Ed Wynn in Babes in Toyland (1961)
Babes in Toyland
6.1
  • Music Department
  • 1961
Peter Ustinov, Brian Bedford, Pat Buttram, Ken Curtis, Andy Devine, Monica Evans, Phil Harris, Roger Miller, Carole Shelley, and Terry-Thomas in Robin Hood (1973)
Robin Hood
7.5
  • Composer
  • 1973
Junius Matthews, Rickie Sorensen, Karl Swenson, and Martha Wentworth in The Sword in the Stone (1963)
The Sword in the Stone
7.1
  • Composer(music)
  • 1963

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Composer



  • Michelle Kwan Skates to Disney's Greatest Hits
    7.6
    TV Movie
    • Composer
    • 1999
  • Walt Disney in The Magical World of Disney (1954)
    The Magical World of Disney
    8.3
    TV Series
    • Composer
    • 1954–1981
  • Cosmic Capers
    6.2
    Short
    • Composer
    • 1979
  • Man, Monsters and Mysteries (1974)
    Man, Monsters and Mysteries
    7.0
    Short
    • Composer
    • 1974
  • Herbie Rides Again (1974)
    Herbie Rides Again
    5.7
    • Composer
    • 1974
  • Peter Ustinov, Brian Bedford, Pat Buttram, Ken Curtis, Andy Devine, Monica Evans, Phil Harris, Roger Miller, Carole Shelley, and Terry-Thomas in Robin Hood (1973)
    Robin Hood
    7.5
    • Composer
    • 1973
  • I'm No Fool with Electricity (1973)
    I'm No Fool with Electricity
    7.4
    Short
    • Composer
    • 1973
  • VD Attack Plan (1973)
    VD Attack Plan
    6.2
    Short
    • Composer
    • 1973
  • Bill Melendez in Snoopy Come Home (1972)
    Snoopy Come Home
    7.3
    • Composer (uncredited)
    • 1972
  • Michael O'Hara the Fourth
    7.3
    TV Movie
    • Composer (music)
    • 1972
  • The City Fox (1972)
    The City Fox
    7.1
    TV Movie
    • Composer
    • 1972
  • Get the Message
    Short
    • Composer
    • 1971
  • The Strange Monster of Strawberry Cove (1971)
    The Strange Monster of Strawberry Cove
    6.5
    TV Movie
    • Composer (music)
    • 1971
  • Room for Heroes
    Short
    • Composer
    • 1971
  • New Girl (1970)
    New Girl
    6.0
    Short
    • Composer
    • 1970

Music Department



  • Angelina Jolie in Maleficent (2014)
    Maleficent
    6.9
    • composer: original music and themes from "Sleeping Beauty"
    • 2014
  • Lindsay Lohan and Herbie in Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005)
    Herbie: Fully Loaded
    4.9
    • composer: theme music
    • 2005
  • The Walt Disney Comedy and Magic Revue (1985)
    The Walt Disney Comedy and Magic Revue
    8.7
    Video
    • musical director: archive footage
    • 1985
  • Peter Ustinov, Brian Bedford, Pat Buttram, Ken Curtis, Andy Devine, Monica Evans, Phil Harris, Roger Miller, Carole Shelley, and Terry-Thomas in Robin Hood (1973)
    Robin Hood
    7.5
    • conductor (uncredited)
    • 1973
  • The Mouse Factory (1971)
    The Mouse Factory
    8.3
    TV Series
    • musical director
    • music supervisor
    • 1972
  • Bill Melendez in Snoopy Come Home (1972)
    Snoopy Come Home
    7.3
    • musical director (uncredited)
    • 1972
  • Walt Disney in The Magical World of Disney (1954)
    The Magical World of Disney
    8.3
    TV Series
    • music
    • piano conductor
    • 1955–1970
  • Island of the Lost (1967)
    Island of the Lost
    4.2
    • conductor
    • 1967
  • Off to See the Wizard (1967)
    Off to See the Wizard
    6.7
    TV Series
    • conductor
    • 1967
  • Roddy McDowall and Mike Mazurki in The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin (1967)
    The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin
    6.4
    • composer: songs
    • 1967
  • The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo (1964)
    The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo
    7.2
    TV Series
    • composer: stock music (uncredited)
    • 1965
  • Ray Bolger, Annette Funicello, Tommy Sands, and Ed Wynn in Babes in Toyland (1961)
    Babes in Toyland
    6.1
    • conductor
    • music adaptor
    • 1961
  • Toby Tyler or Ten Weeks with a Circus (1960)
    Toby Tyler or Ten Weeks with a Circus
    6.8
    • composer: stock music (uncredited)
    • 1960
  • Guy Williams in Zorro (1957)
    Zorro
    8.2
    TV Series
    • composer: additional music
    • 1958–1959
  • Sleeping Beauty (1959)
    Sleeping Beauty
    7.2
    • music adaptation/songs
    • 1959

Actor



  • Visitor from Space (2016)
    Visitor from Space
    5.8
    TV Movie
    • Danny
    • 2016

Videos4

The Sword in the Stone: 50th Anniversary Edition
Clip 2:00
The Sword in the Stone: 50th Anniversary Edition
The Sword in the Stone: 50th Anniversary Edition
Clip 1:55
The Sword in the Stone: 50th Anniversary Edition
The Sword in the Stone: 50th Anniversary Edition
Clip 1:55
The Sword in the Stone: 50th Anniversary Edition
The Sword in the Stone: 50th Anniversary Edition
Clip 2:01
The Sword in the Stone: 50th Anniversary Edition
The Sword in the Stone: 50th Anniversary Edition
Clip 1:37
The Sword in the Stone: 50th Anniversary Edition

Personal details

Edit
  • Born
    • July 3, 1914
    • Sandy, Oregon, USA
  • Died
    • May 23, 1983
    • Portland, Oregon, USA(heart attack)
  • Spouse
    • Ilene Woods1946 - May 23, 1983 (his death, 3 children)

Did you know

Edit
  • Trademark
      Often scored Disney movies, both animated and live action
  • Nickname
    • Big George

FAQ

Powered by Alexa
  • When did George Bruns die?
    May 23, 1983
  • How did George Bruns die?
    Heart attack
  • How old was George Bruns when he died?
    68 years old
  • Where did George Bruns die?
    Portland, Oregon, USA
  • When was George Bruns born?
    July 3, 1914

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