Brad Fiedel
Brad Ira Fiedel (born March 10, 1951) is a retired American composer for film and television. Known for his signature synthesizer-heavy style, Fiedel is best known for his now-iconic collaborations with director James Cameron on The Terminator and its critically acclaimed sequel Terminator 2: Judgment Day.[1]
Brad Fiedel | |
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Birth name | Brad Ira Fiedel |
Born | New York City, New York, U.S. | March 10, 1951
Occupation(s) | Composer, musician |
Instruments | Synthesizer |
Years active | 1975–2003 |
Website | bradfiedel |
Working primarily in the film genres of science fiction, action, and horror, his filmography includes Fright Night and its sequel, The Serpent and the Rainbow, Blue Steel, True Lies, and Johnny Mnemonic.[1]
Biography
Raised in Bayville, New York on Long Island, Fiedel graduated from The Barlow School. After college, he became a popular and progressive composer. In the 1980s, he worked on several successful movies, predominantly in the action and thriller genres, and pioneered the use of electronic instruments and synthesizers in soundtracks. However, he almost disappeared from the mainstream at the end of the 1990s.[2] He was the keyboardist for Hall and Oates.[3]
He began his career in film in the late 1970s, and wrote extensively for television films and minor cinema releases, until director James Cameron hired him to score the science fiction film The Terminator in 1984, setting the wheels in motion for a successful career.[4]
Since then, Fiedel has scored many popular and successful movies, including Fright Night (1985) and its sequel Fright Night Part 2 (1988), The Big Easy (1987), The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988), The Accused (1988), Blue Steel (1990), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), Blink (1994), and True Lies (1994). He also composed the Lightstorm Entertainment logo jingle.[5]
In recent years, Fiedel moved on to other creative areas, writing original musicals, and designing and building a surf resort in La Saladita, Mexico.
His last major theatrical score was in 1995, and although he enjoyed a brief period of renewed interest following the release of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines in 2003, when Marco Beltrami wrote an orchestral arrangement of his theme, he shows no sign of returning to the film music field.
Family
Fiedel has been married to actress Ann Dusenberry since 1975; the couple have two daughters named Alixandra and Zoe; they live in Santa Barbara, California.[6][7][1]
Partial filmography
- Deadly Hero (1975)
- Playing for Time (1980, TV movie)
- The Bunker (1981, CBS TV movie)
- Night School (1981)
- Just Before Dawn (1981)
- Cocaine: One Man's Seduction (1983, TV movie)
- Eyes of Fire (1983)
- Right of Way (1983, TV movie)
- Calendar Girl Murders (1984, TV movie)
- The Terminator (1984)
- Fraternity Vacation (1985)
- Fright Night (1985)
- Compromising Positions (1985)
- The Midnight Hour (1985)
- Popeye Doyle (1986, TV movie)
- Desert Bloom (1986)
- Let's Get Harry (1986)
- The Big Easy (1986)
- Nowhere to Hide (1987)
- The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)
- Fright Night Part 2 (1988)
- The Accused (1988)
- True Believer (1989)
- Immediate Family (1989)
- Blue Steel (1990)
- Plymouth (1991)
- Blood Ties (1991, TV movie)
- Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
- Gladiator (1992)
- Straight Talk (1992)
- The Real McCoy (1993)
- Striking Distance (1993)
- Blink (1993)
- True Lies (1994)
- Johnny Mnemonic (1995)
- Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny (1996)
- Mistrial (1996, TV movie)
References
- Brad Fiedel on IMDb
- Stevenson, Joseph. "Biography: Brad Fiedel". Allmusic. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
- Brennan, Sandra. "Biography: Brad Fiedel". Allmovie. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
- Sokolove, Michael (April 5, 2016). "He'll Be Back: Composer Brad Fiedel Reclaims the 'Terminator' Score". SPIN. New York. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
- http://www.classicthemes.com/studioLogos.shtml
- Ryon, Ruth (October 3, 1999). "Prolific Cannell Can Set Up Typewriter In Laguna Beach". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
- "Ann Dusenberry profile". Women's Plaza of Honor. University of Arizona. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2010.