Biography
Alexander Courage was born in Philadelphia and raised in New Jersey. He received a Bachelor's degree in composition from the Eastman School of Music in 1941. After serving in the United States Army for five years during World War II, he settled in Los Angeles and began work as a composer and arranger for radio. His credits in radio include the well-known programs The Camay Hour and Sam Spade. In 1948 he was employed by MGM as an orchestrator.
Courage has worked extensively in film music. His credits as a composer and arranger include Funny Face, Guys and Dolls, Showboat, Doctor Dolittle, and Superman, and he is a frequent Academy Award nominee. Courage has also gained great distinction as a composer and arranger for television, and is perhaps known best for his work on the programs Wagon Train, Peyton Place, Daniel Boone, The Waltons, and the original Star Trek series. Active in numerous professional organizations, Courage was a member of the first temporary executive board of the Composers and Lyricists Guild of America, and is a regular adjudicator of the Academy Awards.
The Eastman School of Music honored Alexander Courage with the Alumni Achievement Award in 1982.
-From Sibley Music Library Web site, 11/7/05