Angela Morley (March 10, 1924 – January 4, 2009) was a British composer and conductor. In 1974, she became the first openly transgender person to be nominated for an Academy Award.
Morley served as an additional orchestrator for the original trilogy films Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope and Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back but remains uncredited due to contractual obligations. For A New Hope specifically, Morley orchestrated the cue "The Last Battle" for the Death Star trench run scenes. Over the years, Morley became a frequent collaborator of Star Wars composer John Williams, working as an orchestrator on many of his subsequent film scores.
Angela Morley was born in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England on March 10, 1924. As an adult, Morley was a composer and conductor. In 1974, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Music for her work on the film The Little Prince, making her the first openly transgender person to be nominated for an Academy Award. Morley was a collaborator and friend of fellow composer and orchestrator Herbert W. Spencer and met Star Wars composer John Williams through him, attending several of Williams' recording sessions at Denham Studios in England for the 1977 original trilogy film, Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. Williams personally asked Morley to orchestrate for the film, an opportunity that she considered an honor.
A cue orchestrated by Morley played during a pivotal portion of the Death Star trench run sequence in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope.
Spencer and Morley went on to collaborate throughout the production of A New Hope in 1977. Morley and all other additional orchestrators for A New Hope remain uncredited in the film and all subsequent album releases of the film's music. Spencer, as principal orchestrator, is the only individual to receive an orchestration credit on the film due to contractual agreements. Morley's orchestration of the cue 12m1 "The Last Battle," which plays during the Death Star trench run toward the end of A New Hope, starting from Red Leader Garven Dreis' death until the rebels' departure from the successfully destroyed Death Star, is her only publicly revealed contribution. Additionally, she provided uncredited orchestration for the 1980 film Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back. Morley passed away on January 4, 2009 in Scottsdale, Arizona in the United States.