MOVIE MUSIC UK

Composer Mark Smythe died on May 9, 2026, after suffering a heart attack while hiking with friends on Mount Wilson near Los Angeles, California. He was 53 years old.

Mark Cyprian Ward Smythe was born in Nelson, New Zealand, in October 1972. He was a chorister at Nelson Cathedral, played violin and clarinet in the Nelson Symphony Orchestra, and performed in several rock bands on New Zealand’s South Island before pursuing a career in screen composition. Smythe moved to Australia in 2004, where he completed his MA in Screen Music at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School. He eventually relocated to Los Angeles in 2013 to further his career as a film composer.

He received SCL Award and World Soundtrack Award nominations for his score to the shark thriller “The Reef: Stalked” (2022) — helped by his innovative “Vote Mark, Vote Shark!” campaign. His other notable works included the horror films “Daddy’s Little Girl” (2012), “Charlie’s Farm” (2015), “Boar” (2017), and “The Possessed” (2021), as well as the war drama “Unfallen” (2017) and the romantic comedy “Love You Like That” (2021).

In addition to his film work, Smythe was also a composer of concert and choral music. His most notable classical works included the orchestral suite “Flying South,” adapted from his score for a Natural History New Zealand documentary and conducted by Smythe in Bulgaria in 2017, and “Song of the Sea,” a work for choir and electric guitar that premiered at the 2024 Choral Arts Initiative Project Festival in Los Angeles. He collaborated with the LA Choral Lab on several projects and also produced new music for strings and electric guitar at The Night Temple.

Smythe was a leading figure in the Society of Composers and Lyricists (SCL) for many years. He served as the organization’s Chief Operating Officer from 2018 to 2021 and was especially instrumental in helping the SCL adapt to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Smythe also worked as a music educator, teaching media composition at California State University, Northridge, and serving as Department Head of Composing for Visual Media at the Los Angeles College of Music. He previously taught at UCLA Extension and JMC Academy in Australia and participated as a panelist in numerous SCL seminars.

Smythe was not married and had no children.

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On a personal note, I want to acknowledge that Mark was a friend, and that his passing at such a young age is a tragedy. I knew Mark through the SCL and spent countless hours with him at screenings, events, and other gatherings over the course of nearly a decade. Mark possessed a dry, sarcastic sense of humor and an endless supply of wit, but he was also kind, generous, and always willing to help anyone at any time.

He was a relentless champion of young composers, the SCL, and film music itself, and that support extended to me, my fellow reviewers, and the IFMCA. He loved everything to do with the genre. He would often introduce me to people as “film music critic extraordinaire.” He was excellent company, always made people feel included, and never came across as anything other than genuine—a quality that can be rare in the entertainment industry.

With his passing, the Los Angeles film music community has lost a giant. While he may not have been “famous” in the traditional sense, his talent far exceeded what his filmography alone might suggest, and his personal impact on the industry was immense.