Biography

Although of Welsh descent, Edward Williams was born in Surrey in 1921. His father was a poet, journalist and folk song collector, and his mother was the musical daughter of a Colorado cattle rancher. After university and five years wartime Navy service, Edward became assistant to legendary film conductor Muir Mathieson in 1946. His own prolific career as British documentary composer began in 1948, and his many scores included 24 shorts for British Transport Films alone, plus a number of television films and features, often with Welsh subject matter. During the 1960s Williams lectured on music at the University of Bristol and developed his interest in electronic music. In 1984 he commissioned the design of "Soundbeam," an ultrasonic movement-to-MIDI converter which enables electronic instruments to be played from a distance by body movements in an ultrasonic beam. This has proven particularly useful in schools for children with special needs. Additionally, from 1991 Williams has been joint artistic director (with his wife Judith) of the charity Elektrodome which commissions composers and other artists to contribute mutimedia pieces for live performance. In 1995 Williams won the BAFTA Cymru award for best original score for the BBC/S4C series "Excalibur: The Search for Arthur".
- IMDb mini biography by: Jim Marshall