Marco Beltrami (born October 7, 1966) is an American composer of film and television scores. He has worked in a number of genres, including horror (Scream, Mimic, The Faculty, Resident Evil, The Woman in Black, Carrie, A Quiet Place, the Fear Street trilogy, and The Nun II), action (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Live Free or Die Hard, World War Z), science fiction (I, Robot; Snowpiercer), Western (3:10 to Yuma, Jonah Hex, The Homesman), and superhero (Blade II, Hellboy, Jonah Hex, The Wolverine, Fantastic Four, Logan, Venom: Let There Be Carnage).
A long-time collaborator of Wes Craven, Beltrami scored seven of the director's films including the original four Craven-directed films in the Scream franchise (1996–2011), later returning for the seventh in 2026. He has also worked with such directors as James Mangold, Guillermo del Toro, Tommy Lee Jones, Alex Proyas, Ole Bornedal, Kathryn Bigelow, Bong Joon Ho, Dan Gilroy, and John Krasinski.
Beltrami has been nominated for two Academy Awards for 3:10 to Yuma (2007) and The Hurt Locker (2008), and a Golden Globe Award for A Quiet Place (2018). He won a Satellite Award for Soul Surfer (2011) and an Emmy Award for Free Solo (2018).
Early life Beltrami was born on Setauket, New York, of Italian and Greek descent. He attended Ward Melville High School, and afterwards, graduated from Brown University and studied at the Yale School of Music, and then moved west to the USC Thornton School of Music in Los Angeles, where he studied under composer Jerry Goldsmith.I, Robot "Two-disc Collector's Edition" DVD / Blu-ray isolated score with composer's commentary (transcription unavailable)
Career A few classical commissions and USC student films aside, Beltrami scored his first feature in 1994, the thriller Death Match for director Joe Coppolletta, and reached a higher level of public acclaim in 1996 when he wrote the score for Wes Craven's smash hit shocker Scream. Since then, Beltrami has become firmly entrenched as a composer of choice for the horror/thriller and action genre, with the Scream sequels and hit films such as Mimic (1997), The Faculty (1998), Angel Eyes (2001), Joy Ride (2001), Resident Evil (2002), which he co-composed with Marilyn Manson, Blade II (2002), Hellboy (2004), I, Robot (2004), and Red Eye (2005) featuring prominently in his resume. Apart from horror/thriller and action, he also scores certain independent films such as The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys and Tommy Lee Jones' The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada. He was nominated for an Emmy Award for his score for the film David and Lisa in 1998, indicating a desire to spread his musical wings beyond the bounds of his genre pigeonholing.
He has composed the recent entries in the Die Hard franchise, Live Free or Die Hard and A Good Day to Die Hard, taking over from Michael Kamen from whom Beltrami used some of the original themes from the previous three films due to Kamen's death in 2003. Beltrami earned an Academy Award nomination for his work on James Mangold's acclaimed 2007 western remake, 3:10 to Yuma. Despite having met a mixed critical response, he was also nominated, alongside Buck Sanders, for the 2010 Academy Award for Best Original Score for his score to The Hurt Locker. In 2011, he was met with critical praise and won a Satellite Award for Best Original Score for his score to the drama film Soul Surfer. Beltrami composed the soundtrack for Pierce Brosnan's 2014 spy film November Man. He co-composed the score for the 2015 Fantastic Four film with Philip Glass.
Beltrami's signature style is based around highly percussive texture. He often employs both traditional percussive instruments such as bass drums, as well as violins and brass instruments, forming layers of hits and stabs.
Collaborations
Beltrami has worked repeatedly with such directors as Wes Craven, James Mangold, Guillermo del Toro, Tommy Lee Jones, Alex Proyas, Len Wiseman, John Moore, Jean-François Richet, Jonathan Levine, and John Krasinski. He has also worked with other musicians, including Marilyn Manson (for Resident Evil).
It was reported in October 2002 on Beltrami's official website that he had worked on orchestral arrangements for "Thyme", "The General", and "Elvis Presley and the Monster of Soul" (also known as "Leave Me Alone") from the then-unreleased Guns N' Roses album Chinese Democracy. While none of those tracks appear on the final track listing of the album, they were confirmed as being recorded during the sessions with a chance of release in the future. However, he was credited officially for providing arrangements on "Street of Dreams", "Madagascar", "There Was a Time", "This I Love", and "Prostitute". "Chinese Democracy" is also the name of a track on Beltrami's score for 3:10 to Yuma. In 2023 he was credited on the final single release of "The General".the general
Filmography
Film Year Title Director Notes 1994 Death MatchJoe Coppoletta1995 The BicyclistRobert Stark Hickey Short film The Whispering Gregory Gieras 1996 Scream Wes Craven 1st of 7 collaborations with Craven1997 Mimic Guillermo del Toro 1st of 3 collaborations with del Toro Nightwatch Ole Bornedal 1st of 4 collaborations with BornedalAdditional scoring; main score by Joachim Holbek Scream 2 Wes Craven 1998 Halloween H20: 20 Years LaterSteve Miner Composed with John OttmanHalloween themes by John Carpenter 54Mark Christopher The FacultyRobert Rodriguez1999The Minus ManHampton FancherThe Crow: SalvationBharat NalluriThe FlorentineNick Stagliano2000 Scream 3Wes CravenThe IncorporatedKenneth GuertinDracula 2000Patrick LussierThe WatcherJoe CharbanicHighway 395Fred Dryer 2001 Angel EyesLuis MandokiComposed with Michael Sherwood Joy RideJohn DahlTexas RangersSteve MinerUnused score; replaced by Trevor Rabin 2002 The Dangerous Lives of Altar BoysPeter Care Resident EvilPaul W. S. Anderson Composed with Marilyn Manson I Am DinaOle Bornedal Blade IIGuillermo del Toro 2003 Terminator 3: Rise of the MachinesJonathan MostowTerminator themes by Brad Fiedel2004 I, RobotAlex Proyas1st of 3 collaborations with Proyas HellboyGuillermo del Toro Flight of the PhoenixJohn Moore1st of 4 collaborations with MooreAlien vs. PredatorPaul W. S. AndersonUnused score; replaced by Harald Kloser 2005 CursedWes Craven XXX: State of the UnionLee Tamahori The Three Burials of Melquiades EstradaTommy Lee Jones Red EyeWes Craven 2006 Underworld: EvolutionLen Wiseman Underworld themes by Paul Haslinger1st of 3 collaborations with Wiseman The OmenJohn Moore Omen themes by Jerry Goldsmith 2007The SubstituteOle Bornedal TMNTKevin MunroeUnused score; replaced by Klaus BadeltCaptivityRoland Joffé The InvisibleDavid S. Goyer 3:10 to YumaJames Mangold 1st of 4 collaborations with Mangold Live Free or Die HardLen Wiseman Die Hard themes by Michael KamenThe Ballad of Esequiel HernandezKieran FitzgeraldComposed with Bobby Flores 2008 The EyeDavid MoreauXavier Palud Max PayneJohn Moore Composed with Buck Sanders AmusementJohn Simpson MesrineJean-François Richet Composed with Marcus Trumpp1st of 3 collaborations with Richet 2009 In the Electric MistBertrand Tavernier The Hurt LockerKathryn Bigelow Composed with Buck SandersKnowingAlex Proyas 2010 Repo MenMiguel Sapochnik Jonah HexJimmy Hayward Composed with MastodonDon't Be Afraid of the DarkTroy NixeyComposed with Buck Sanders My Soul to TakeWes Craven2011 Soul SurferSean McNamaraThe ThingMatthijs van Heijningen Jr.The Thing themes by Ennio MorriconeComposed with Brandon Roberts Scream 4Wes Craven2012 Trouble with the CurveRobert Lorenz The Woman in BlackJames Watkins The SessionsBen Lewin 2013 Warm BodiesJonathan LevineComposed with Buck Sanders1st of 3 collaborations with Levine A Good Day to Die HardJohn MooreDie Hard themes by Michael Kamen SnowpiercerBong Joon Ho1st of 2 collaborations with Bong The WolverineJames MangoldComposed with Brandon Roberts World War ZMarc ForsterComposed with Muse CarrieKimberly Peirce2014 The HomesmanTommy Lee Jones The GiverPhillip Noyce The November ManRoger Donaldson The DropMichaël R. Roskam Seventh SonSergei Bodrov The Woman in Black: Angel of DeathTom Harper Composed with Brandon Roberts & Marcus Trumpp 2015 The GunmanPierre Morel Hitman: Agent 47Aleksander Bach Fantastic FourJosh Trank Composed with Philip Glass True StoryRupert Goold No EscapeJohn Erick DowdleComposed with Buck Sanders The Night BeforeJonathan Levine Composed with Miles Hankins2016 Gods of EgyptAlex Proyas The ShallowsJaume Collet-Serra Ben-HurTimur Bekmambetov2017First They Killed My FatherAngelina JolieMatildaAlexei UchitelLoganJames MangoldComposed with Brandon RobertsLittle EvilEli CraigComposed with Brandon Roberts & Marcus Trumpp The SnowmanTomas Alfredson2018 A Quiet PlaceJohn Krasinski1st of 2 collaborations with Krasinski Free SoloElizabeth Chai VasarhelyiJimmy ChinComposed with Brandon RobertsThe Emperor of ParisJean-François RichetComposed with Marcus Trumpp2019 Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and VileJoe Berlinger Composed with Dennis Smith Velvet BuzzsawDan Gilroy Composed with Buck Sanders Long ShotJonathan Levine Composed with Miles Hankins Ford v Ferrari James Mangold Composed with Buck Sanders Gemini Man Ang Lee Unused score; replaced by Lorne Balfe Scary Stories to Tell in the DarkAndré Øvredal Composed with Anna Drubich 2020UnderwaterWilliam EubankComposed with Brandon Roberts A Quiet Place Part II John Krasinski Love and MonstersMichael MatthewsComposed with Marcus Trumpp The Way I See It Dawn Porter Composed with Buck Sanders & Brandon Roberts 2021 Chaos Walking Doug Liman Composed with Brandon Roberts Fear Street Part One: 1994 Leigh Janiak Composed with Marcus Trumpp Fear Street Part Two: 1978 Composed with Brandon Roberts Fear Street Part Three: 1666 Composed with Anna Drubich & Marcus TrumppAmerican NightAlessio Della Valle Venom: Let There Be Carnage Andy SerkisThe Shadow in My EyeOle BornedalComposed with Buck Sanders & Ceiri Torjussen 2022No ExitDamien PowerComposed with Miles HankinsDeep WaterAdrian Lyne 2023PlaneJean-François RichetComposed with Marcus TrumppRenfieldChris McKayThe Nun IIMichael ChavesSilent NightJohn Woo2024The KillerThe Unholy TrinityRichard GrayComposed with Tristan Beltrami2025BallerinaLen WisemanUnused score, with Anna Drubich; replaced by Tyler Bates and Joel J. RichardDeaf President Now!Nyle DiMarco Davis GuggenheimComposed with Buck Sanders 2026 Scream 7 Kevin Williamson The Truth and Tragedy of Moriah Wilson Marina Zenovich Documentary film Unabomber Janus Metz PedersenPost-production 2027 Ally Bong Joon Ho First composition for an animated film
Television
Year Title Notes 1995 Land's End13 episodes 1996 InhumanoidTelevision film 1997 Stranger in My Home Dellaventura1 episode1998 David and LisaTelevision film1999 Dybt vand Tuesdays with Morrie2000Goodbye Casanova Television film; composed with Gianluca Piersanti2002 Glory Days9 episodes2000–04The Practice85 episodes2009–11 V 22 episodes2011The Sunset LimitedTelevision film 20141864Miniseries 2014–17 Turn: Washington's Spies 40 episodes2015–16LuciferTheme music and 13 episodes 2017–18 Six 18 episodes2019The Twilight Zone10 episodesBubble Guppiesfeaturing Bleeding Fingers Musicfrom the episode "Dragons 'N' Roses!"2021–25Nine Perfect Strangers8 episodes2022–23Pantheon16 episodes2023MotoGPTitle Music2024Apples Never FallMiniseries
Video games Year Title Notes 2017FortniteTheme and additional music
Actor Year Title Director Role Notes 2011 Scream: The Inside Story Daniel Farrands Himself Documentary film Still Screaming: The Ultimate Scary Movie Retrospective Ryan Turek Himself Documentary film 2022 Scream Matt Bettinelli-OlpinTyler Gillett Partygoer Vocal cameo
Awards and nominations NominationsAcademy AwardsGolden Globe AwardsCésar AwardPrimetime Emmy Awards
Industry awards
Academy Awards Year Category Work Result 2008 Best Original Score 3:10 to Yuma 2010 Best Original Score The Hurt Locker
Golden Globes