Film and TV composer,Gerald Fried, has died at age 95. Over his lengthy career, Fried composed scores forStanley Kubrick’s early films, the acclaimed miniseriesRoots, and the iconicStar Trek"fight music".
The Hollywood Reporterreports that Fried died of pneumonia on Friday in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He was born August 21, 2025, in Manhattan, and was raised in the Bronx, where he became an accomplished oboist. After stints in a number of orchestras, Fried met and befriended a young Kubrick when they joined the same recreational baseball team. Kubrick later recruited Fried to compose music for his first four theatrical features; the low-budget war filmFear and Desire, the film noirsKiller’s KissandThe Killing,and the masterful anti-war dramaPaths of Glory. His other film scores include the classic b-movieI Bury the Living, theRoger Cormancrime moviesMachine Gun KellyandI Mobster,Jack Nicholson’s film debutThe Cry Baby Killer,and the dystopianCharlton HestonthrillerSoylent Green.
In the ’60s and ’70s, Fried largely turned his attention to TV. He scored hours of television, including episodes ofGilligan’s Island,Mission: Impossible,Lost in Space, andDynasty. His best-remembered piece came from his work on the pioneering science fiction seriesStar Trek. He composed scores for a number of episodes, including “Shore Leave”, “Catspaw”, and, most memorably, “Amok Time”, the episode where Kirk and Spock must duel to the death on the planet Vulcan. Fried’s bombastic score for their climactic fight scene has become iconic, and was featured on many subsequentStar Trekepisodes, as well as on other TV shows and movies paying homage to it, includingThe Cable GuyandFuturama.
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Fried’s other crowning accomplishment in TV came as a last-minute replacement; with original composerQuincy Jonesstruggling to complete the score for the 1977 miniseriesRoots,the century-spanning history of an African-American family. Fried was brought in to complete it three weeks before its premiere. He finished Jones' score for the premiere, scored the remaining episodes, and composed the series' stirring main theme, winning Fried and Jones an Emmy. Fried also composed the score for its sequel series,Roots: The Next Generations.He was nominated for three other Emmys, for the TV moviesSilent LoversandThe Mystic Warrior,and the miniseriesNapoleon and Josephine: A Love Story.He was also Oscar-nominated for scoring the 1976 nature documentaryBirds Do It, Bees Do It.
Fried was predeceased by a son,Zachary, at the age of five after a tainted blood transfusion; Fried wrote a stage play,Morningtime Train, based on the experience. He is survived by his wifeAnita Hall, four children, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Our sincerest condolences go out to Fried’s family and friends at this time.
