Daniel Licht
Daniel James Licht (March 13, 1957 – August 2, 2017) was an American soundtrack composer and musician, best known for writing the score of Showtime TV drama series Dexter.
Daniel Licht | |
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Licht at the San Diego Comic-Con International, 2011 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Daniel James Licht |
Born | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | March 13, 1957
Died | August 2, 2017 60) Topanga, California, U.S. | (aged
Genres | Film score |
Occupation(s) | Film composer |
Years active | 1988–2017 |
Website | danlicht |
Life and career
Licht was born in Detroit, Michigan. He grew up in suburban Detroit and attended the Roeper School, as well as summer school at Berklee College of Music in Boston. He started playing music at the age of eight with his first instrument being the clarinet. He took up the guitar four years later.[1] He began his musical career while still in high school playing guitar with a small jazz ensemble at clubs in the area. Following high school graduation, he attended Hampshire College[2] in Massachusetts and graduated in composition, jazz and world music. Licht moved to New York City and established himself as a musical artist in the Lower East Side creative music scene. He would travel to Germany, the Netherlands and Northern Europe to perform and compose music for theatre and dance companies. He created scores for such companies as Mercedes Benz, Sony and AT&T[3]
He then moved to Los Angeles and pursued a career in film scoring, at the suggestion of his former classmate, Christopher Young.[3] His first major project was the 1991 feature film Children of the Night. His composition earned him his first soundtrack CD release.[3]
Licht scored all seasons of Dexter, which he considered to be one of his "more visible projects", but was reluctant to refer to it as his big break.[4]
From 2012 to 2015 he was the main composer of the Silent Hill video game series, replacing Akira Yamaoka, until Konami decided to pull away from the home console video game industry, effectively ending the Silent Hill series. He also composed the soundtrack for the 2012 video game Dishonored and its 2016 sequel. Dishonored: Death of the Outsider (for which he also composed and was released posthumously) was dedicated to his memory.
Licht died of sarcoma at his home in Topanga, California, at the age of 60.[5][6]
Works
Film
Year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
1991 | Children of the Night | |
1992 | Final Embrace | |
1992 | Amityville: It's About Time | |
1992 | Severed Ties | |
1992 | Inside Out III | |
1992 | Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice | |
1992 | Inside Out IV | |
1993 | Acting on Impulse | |
1993 | Ticks | |
1993 | Where Are We? Our Trip Through America | |
1993 | Amityville: A New Generation | |
1993 | A Girls' Guide to Sex | |
1994 | The Hard Truth | |
1995 | Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest | |
1995 | Zooman | |
1996 | Woman Undone | |
1996 | Hellraiser: Bloodline | |
1996 | The Winner | |
1996 | Thinner | |
1996 | Bad Moon | |
1998 | The Patron Saint of Liars | |
1998 | Brave New World | |
1998 | Legion of Fire: Killer Ants! | |
1998 | Permanent Midnight | |
1998 | Thirst | |
1999 | Splendor | |
1999 | Don't Look Under the Bed | |
1999 | Execution of Justice | |
2000 | Cabin by the Lake | |
2000 | Hendrix | |
2001 | Anatomy of a Hate Crime | |
2001 | Cowboy Up | |
2001 | Soul Survivors | |
2001 | Off Season | |
2002 | Video Voyeur: The Susan Wilson Story | |
2004 | ABC's of Newborn Baby Care | |
2004 | King Solomon's Mines | |
2005 | Icon | |
2008 | The Memory Keeper's Daughter | |
2008 | Gym Teacher: The Movie | |
2010 | Dumbstruck | |
2010 | Wake | |
2016 | Ghostmates |
Television series
Year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
2003 | Oliver Beene | |
2005–2006 | Jake in Progress | |
2005–2006 | Kitchen Confidential | |
2006–2013 | Dexter | |
2008 | Cashmere Mafia | |
2009 | Maneater | |
2010 | Romantically Challenged | |
2011–2012 | Humsafar | Pakistani serial |
2011–2013 | Body of Proof | |
2012 | Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 | Pilot episode only |
2013 | Deception[7] | |
2014–2015 | The Red Road |
Video games
Year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
2012 | Silent Hill: Downpour[8] | |
2012 | Dishonored[1] | |
2012 | Silent Hill: Book of Memories[7] | |
2016 | Dishonored 2[9] | |
2017 | Dishonored: Death of the Outsider[10] |
References
- Folmann, Troels (December 2012). "Interview with Daniel Licht". 8dio.com.
- "'Dexter' Composer Daniel Licht Dead At 60". Billboard.
- Licht, Daniel. "Dan Licht biography". DanLicht.com. Archived from the original on November 28, 2010. Retrieved 2011-02-06.
- Mermelstein, David (October 2, 2010). "Composer brings dexterous touch to 'Dexter'". Variety. ISSN 0042-2738.
- Barnes, Mike (August 4, 2017). "Daniel Licht, Composer on 'Dexter,' Dies at 60". The Hollywood Reporter. ISSN 0018-3660.
- Burlingame, John (August 4, 2017). "Daniel Licht, 'Dexter,' 'Children of the Corn' Composer, Dies at 60". Variety. ISSN 0042-2738.
- "Daniel Licht Composer Credits". Evolution Music Partners. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
- Pera, Delio (November 19, 2012). "Interview: Daniel Licht". Gather Your Party.
- Donnelly, Joe (August 4, 2017). "Daniel Licht, the Dexter and Dishonored composer, dies at 60".
- https://www.thesoundarchitect.co.uk/sound-architect-game-audio-review-dishonored-death-outsider/
External links
- Daniel Licht at AllMusic
- Daniel Licht discography at Discogs
- Daniel Licht on IMDb