Background
Gray was born Józef Żmigrod in Tarnów, Austria-Hungary, in present-day Poland.
Gray was born Józef Żmigrod in Tarnów, Austria-Hungary, in present-day Poland.
He studied under the renowned Austrian composer Arnold Schönberg during the 1920s, and later wrote music for Max Reinhardt"s theatre productions.
As Schoenberg disapproved of such music, Żmigrod took up the stage name Allan Gray, naming himself after Oscar Wilde"s Dorian Gray. Gray began writing film scores in the Weimar Republic, but left the country after the rise of Nazi Germany, moving to the United Kingdom and settling down in England. Establishing himself in the British film industry, he composed for London Films and other major studios before joining Powell and Pressburger for many of their films including,, and
Gray died in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom, on September 10, 1973.
Gray"s "Swing Doors" is featured in the 2008 American video game Fallout 3. Gray"s "Swing Doors" is featured in the documentary The Color of War, in episode "Victory in Europe".
Gray"s "Swing Doors" is featured in an episode of Father Knows Best.