Mark Snow, the composer for a number of TV shows including The X-Files and its spinoff series Millennium, passed away on Friday, according to Variety. He was 78 and is the latest TV and film composer to pass away, preceded by Mission: Impossible’s Lalo Schifrin at the end of June.
Born August 26, 1946 as Martin Fulterman, Snow began his career working with other composers to do background music for the 1975-1976 series The Rookies and 1976’s The Boy in the Plastic Bubble. Over the decades, his career spanned television (Blue Bloods, Pee-Wee’s Playhouse), film (Jake Speed, Disturbing Behavior), and even video games (Urban Assault, Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain). His genre-specific credits include DC shows Birds of Prey and the first six seasons of Smallville. His final project was the 2020 X-Men film New Mutants.
When it comes to The X-Files, Snow was friends with the show’s executive producer R.W. Goodwin, who repeatedly advocated for Snow to series creator Chris Carter. He was brought on after three auditions, and the show’s second episode “Deep Throat” marked his debut as a solo act and introduced his theme song. At the time, the theme—whose whistle effect was inspired by The Smiths’ “How Soon is Now?”—was second in the charts for weeks in the UK and France.
During the show’s initial run, Snow was nominated and won several awards for his compositions in general and for specific episodes like “Paper Hearts” and its initial series finale, “The Truth.” Between that and his other work, he was a 15-time Emmy nominee throughout his career and won the ASCAP Golden Note award in 2005 for “his unprecedented success as one of the most versatile and popular composers in television and film.”
“Another loss,” said TV and video game composer Bear McCreary. “Mark Snow’s legacy will forever be connected to his iconic work on The X-Files, but he also crafted memorable music for many other series. I chatted with him at length several times about our approaches to work and life. He was always charming and friendly.”
Sean Callery, composer of Fox’s 24, remembered Snow for “giving the most inspiring and intelligent feedback when listening to the work of other young artists (myself included),” he told Variety. “His limitless talent and boundless creativity was matched only by the generosity he bestowed upon other composers who sought his guidance. He combined his decades of experience with the encouragement that composers cultivate: to trust in themselves, embrace their own unique voice, and learn to rely on their own instincts. And he did so with a humor and self-deprecation that made his wisdom all the more enduring.”
Snow is survived by his wife Glynnis, and their daughters and grandchildren.
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