Mark Snow

Mark Snow (born Martin Fulterman; August 26, 1946 – July 4, 2025) was an American composer for film and television. He was perhaps best known for composing the theme for The X-Files, and would compose for the show's initial nine-season run from 1993 to 2001. He would return for the show's revival from 2015 to 2018. Additionally, he composed the score for the two feature films and the short-lived spinoff series The Lone Gunmen.

In addition to The X-Files, Snow would serve as composer for shows including Smallville, Blue Bloods, Ghost Whisperer, Hart to Hart, Millennium, One Tree Hill, the 2002 revival of The Twilight Zone and Starsky & Hutch.

Early life and education

Snow was born Martin Fulterman to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York, on August 26, 1946. His grandfather immigrated to the United States from Poland. After graduating from the High School of Music & Art in 1964, he attended the Juilliard School. With roommate Michael Kamen, Snow formed a band called Emil and the Detectives, which later became the group New York Rock & Roll Ensemble. After an unsuccessful attempt to become a record producer, he moved to Los Angeles in 1974 and began composing. Around this time, he changed his name to Mark Snow.

Career

Among his most famous compositions is the theme music for science fiction television series The X-Files, working on the series for the show's initial nine-season run from 1993 to 2001. He landed the job in part because he lived in close proximity to creator Chris Carter, enabling easy communication between the two.

The theme did not come easily to Snow, with Carter rejecting earlier motifs that were louder and bolder. It began taking its eventual shape when Snow accidentally placed his hand on his keyboard while an echo sound effect was programmed; intrigued by the ethereal sound, he used it as a model for the rest of the theme. Alongside the show's success, the theme was released as a single, topping the charts in France and reaching #2 in the United Kingdom. He would return for the show's revival from 2015 to 2018. Additionally, he composed the score for the two feature films and the short-lived spinoff series The Lone Gunmen.

In addition to The X-Files, Snow also served as composer for shows including Smallville, Blue Bloods, Ghost Whisperer, Hart to Hart, Millennium, One Tree Hill, the 2002 revival of The Twilight Zone and Starsky & Hutch. He was nominated for a César Award for scoring the 2006 Alain Resnais film Private Fears in Public Places. He also composed the theme to the TV series La Femme Nikita which ran from 1997 to 2001.

Personal life and death

Snow was married to Glynnis Daly, and had three children. Through his marriage to Daly, a daughter of actor James Daly, Snow was a brother-in-law to actress Tyne Daly and actor Tim Daly.

Snow died from myelodysplastic syndrome at his home in Washington, Connecticut, on July 4, 2025, at the age of 78.

Works

Television series

Year	Title	Notes
1975–1976	The Rookies	6 episodes
1976	Gemini Man	1 episode
1976	Visions	2 episodes
1977	The San Pedro Beach Bums	Theme music
1977–1979	Starsky & Hutch	16 episodes
1979	Flatbush	1 episode
1978–1979	The Next Step Beyond	6 episodes
1979	Brothers and Sisters	12 episodes
1980	When the Whistle Blows	7 episodes
1978–1980	Family	16 episodes
1978–1981	Vega$	4 episodes
1978–1982	The Love Boat	3 episodes
1979–1981	240-Robert	6 episodes
1979–1984	Hart to Hart	93 episodes
1981	Dynasty	4 episodes
Strike Force	1 episode
1981–1984	Cagney & Lacey	5 episodes
1982	T. J. Hooker	5 episodes
1983	The Family Tree	3 episodes
Matt Houston	1 episode
1983–1984	Lottery!	7 episodes
1984	Paper Dolls	11 episodes
1984–1985	Crazy Like a Fox	16 episodes
1986	Bridges to Cross	1 episode
Kay O'Brien	3 episodes
1986–1988	Aaron's Way	10 episodes
1986–1988	Falcon Crest	40 episodes
1987	CBS Summer Playhouse	1 episode
1989–1990	Pee-wee's Playhouse	4 episodes
1991	All Together Now	1 episode
1992–1993	Dark Justice	52 episodes
1993–2002, 2016–2018	The X-Files	217 episodes
1995–1996	Nowhere Man	25 episodes
1997	20,000 Leagues Under the Sea	2 episodes
Perversions of Science	1 episode
1996–1999	Millennium	67 episodes
1999–2000	Harsh Realm	9 episodes
2000–2001	Bull	20 episodes
2001	The Lone Gunmen	13 episodes
2001–2002	Pasadena	13 episodes
2001–2007	Smallville	132 episodes
2002	Haunted	11 episodes
2002–2003	Birds of Prey	13 episodes
The Twilight Zone	43 episodes
2003–2005	One Tree Hill	29 episodes
2005	Kojak	9 episodes
2005–2010	Ghost Whisperer	107 episodes
2010–2024	Blue Bloods	287 episodes
2011–2012	Ringer	12 episodes

Television films

Year	Title	Director	Notes
1976	The Boy in the Plastic Bubble	Randal Kleiser	—N/a
1978	Big Bob Johnson and His Fantastic Speed Circus	Jack Starrett	—N/a
Overboard	John Newland	—N/a
1979	The Return of Mod Squad	George McCowan	—N/a
1980	Casino	Don Chaffey	—N/a
Angel City	Philip Leacock	—N/a
1981	Off Sides (Pigs vs. Freaks)	Dick Lowry	—N/a
1982	Paper Dolls	Edward Zwick	—N/a
Games Mother Never Taught You	Lee Philips	—N/a
I'd Rather Be Calm	Linda Day	—N/a
1983	Malibu	E. W. Swackhamer	—N/a
Packin' It In	E. W. Swackhamer	—N/a
Two Kinds of Love	Jack Bender	—N/a
The Winter of Our Discontent	Waris Hussein	—N/a
1984	Something About Amelia	Randa Haines	—N/a
A Good Sport	Lou Antonio	—N/a
Secrets of a Married Man	William A. Graham	—N/a
I Married a Centerfold	Peter Werner	—N/a
1985	Not My Kid	Michael Tuchner	—N/a
Challenge of a Lifetime	Russ Mayberry	—N/a
California Girls	Rick Wallace	—N/a
The Lady from Yesterday	Robert Day	—N/a
International Airport	Don Chaffey Charles S. Dubin	—N/a
Rockhopper	Bill Bixby	—N/a
Royal Match	E.W. Swackhamer	—N/a
Beverly Hills Cowgirl Blues	Corey Allen	—N/a
I Dream of Jeannie... Fifteen Years Later	William Asher	—N/a
1986	One Terrific Guy	Lou Antonio	—N/a
Blood & Orchids	Jerry Thorpe	Composed with Charles Fox
Acceptable Risks	Rick Wallace	—N/a
News at Eleven	Mike Robe	—N/a
Louis L'Amour's Down the Long Hills	Burt Kennedy	—N/a
One Police Plaza	Jerry Jameson	—N/a
1987	Warm Hearts, Cold Feet	James Frawley	—N/a
Pals	Lou Antonio	—N/a
Murder by the Book	Mel Damski	—N/a
Still Crazy Like a Fox	Paul Krasny	—N/a
Murder Ordained	Mike Robe	—N/a
Cracked Up	Karen Arthur	—N/a
Kids Like These	Georg Stanford Brown	—N/a
A Hobo's Christmas	Will Mackenzie	—N/a
The Father Clements Story	Edwin Sherin	—N/a
Roman Holiday	Noel Nosseck	—N/a
1988	Alone in the Neon Jungle	Georg Stanford Brown	—N/a
The Return of Ben Casey	Joseph L. Scanlan	—N/a
Bluegrass	Simon Wincer	—N/a
Scandal in a Small Town	Anthony Page	—N/a
The Secret Life of Kathy McCormick	Robert Lewis	—N/a
Ladykillers	Robert Michael Lewis	—N/a
Disaster at Silo 7	Larry Elikann	—N/a
Goodbye, Miss 4th of July	George Miller	—N/a
Aaron's Way: The Harvest	Noel Nosseck	—N/a
1989	Those She Left Behind	Noel Nosseck	—N/a
Everybody's Baby: The Rescue of Jessica McClure	Mel Damski	—N/a
Stuck with Each Other	Georg Stanford Brown	—N/a
Settle the Score	Edwin Sherin	—N/a
When He's Not a Stranger	John Gray	—N/a
1990	Miracle Landing	Dick Lowry	—N/a
The Girl Who Came Between Them	Mel Damski	—N/a
Follow Your Heart	Noel Nosseck	—N/a
Child in the Night	Mike Robe	—N/a
Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again	Dick Lowry	—N/a
Dead Reckoning	Robert Michael Lewis	—N/a
The Little Kidnappers	Donald Shebib	—N/a
The Lost Capone	John Gray	—N/a
Opposites Attract	Noel Nosseck	—N/a
Crash: The Mystery of Flight 1501	Philip Saville	—N/a
In the Line of Duty: A Cop for the Killing	Dick Lowry	—N/a
1991	The Marla Hanson Story	John Gray	—N/a
White Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd	Paul Wendkos	—N/a
In the Line of Duty: Manhunt in the Dakotas	Dick Lowry	—N/a
Living a Lie	Larry Shaw	—N/a
The Rape of Doctor Willis	Lou Antonio	—N/a
The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw	Dick Lowry	—N/a
Wife, Mother, Murderer	Mel Damski	—N/a
Dead and Alive: The Race for Gus Farace	Peter Markle	—N/a
1992	Battling for Baby	Art Wolff	—N/a
The Last P.O.W.? The Bobby Garwood Story	Georg Stanford Brown	—N/a
A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story	Dick Lowry	—N/a
Highway Heartbreaker	Paul Schneider	—N/a
Deliver Them from Evil: The Taking of Alta View	Peter Levin	—N/a
In the Line of Duty: Street War	Dick Lowry	—N/a
A Taste for Killing	Lou Antonio	—N/a
The Danger of Love: The Carolyn Warmus Story	Joyce Chopra	—N/a
An American Story	John Gray	—N/a
Her Final Fury: Betty Broderick, the Last Chapter	Dick Lowry	—N/a
1993	Telling Secrets	Marvin J. Chomsky	—N/a
The Disappearance of Nora	Joyce Chopra	—N/a
The Man with Three Wives	Peter Levin	—N/a
Father & Son: Dangerous Relations	Georg Stanford Brown	—N/a
Born Too Soon	Noel Nosseck	—N/a
In the Line of Duty: Ambush in Waco	Dick Lowry	—N/a
Precious Victims	Peter Levin	—N/a
Scattered Dreams	Neema Barnette	—N/a
1994	Murder Between Friends	Waris Hussein	—N/a
In the Line of Duty: The Price of Vengeance	Dick Lowry	—N/a
Witness to the Execution	Tommy Lee Wallace	—N/a
A Place for Annie	John Gray	—N/a
Moment of Truth: Cradle of Conspiracy	Gabrielle Beaumont	—N/a
Heart of a Child	Sandor Stern	—N/a
The Substitute Wife	Peter Werner	—N/a
Moment of Truth: Caught in the Crossfire	Chuck Bowman	—N/a
Shadows of Desire	Sam Pillsbury	—N/a
1995	Texas Justice	Dick Lowry	—N/a
A Stranger in Town	Peter Levin	—N/a
The Other Mother: A Moment of Truth Movie	Bethany Rooney	—N/a
Seduced and Betrayed	Félix Enríquez Alcalá	—N/a
Down, Out & Dangerous	Noel Nosseck	—N/a
The Unspoken Truth	Peter Werner	—N/a
Trial by Fire	Alan Metzger	—N/a
In the Line of Duty: Hunt for Justice	Dick Lowry	—N/a
Mixed Blessings	Bethany Rooney	—N/a
1996	Smoke Jumpers	Dick Lowry	—N/a
Project ALF	—N/a
Conundrum	Douglas Barr	—N/a
Sweet Temptation	Ron Lagomarsino	—N/a
Forgotten Sins	Dick Lowry	—N/a
Special Report: Journey to Mars	Robert Mandel	—N/a
Summer of Fear	Mike Robe	—N/a
A Loss of Innocence	Graeme Clifford	—N/a
Phone Calls from the Dead	—N/a	—N/a
1997	Payback	Ken Cameron	—N/a
The Perfect Mother	Peter Levin	—N/a
Night Sins	Robert Allan Ackerman	—N/a
The Price of Heaven	Peter Bogdanovich	—N/a
Cloned	Douglas Barr	—N/a
The Day Lincoln Was Shot	John Gray	—N/a
1999	A Memory in My Heart	Harry Winer	—N/a
A Touch of Hope	Craig R. Baxley	—N/a
2000	In the Name of the People	Peter Levin	—N/a
Code Name Phoenix	Jeff Freilich	—N/a
Another Woman's Husband	Noel Nosseck	—N/a
Murder, She Wrote: A Story to Die For	Anthony Pullen Shaw	—N/a
Dirty Pictures	Frank Pierson	—N/a
Sole Survivor	Mikael Salomon	—N/a
2001	For Love of Olivia	Douglas Barr	—N/a
2003	Critical Assembly	Eric Laneuville	—N/a
D.C. Sniper: 23 Days of Fear	Tom McLoughlin	—N/a
2004	She's Too Young	Tom McLoughlin	—N/a
Helter Skelter	John Gray	—N/a
Bereft	Tim Daly	—N/a
Paradise	Frank Pierson	—N/a
2005	Odd Girl Out	Tom McLoughlin	—N/a

Theatrical films

Year	Title	Director	Notes
1977	Flush	Andrew J. Kuehn	—N/a
1978	Skateboard	George Gage	—N/a
1979	Something Short of Paradise	David Helpern	—N/a
1981	High Risk	Stewart Raffill	—N/a
1983	Over Here, Mr. President	Noam Pitlik	—N/a
1986	Jake Speed	Andrew Lane	—N/a
1988	The In Crowd	Mark Rosenthal	—N/a
Ernest Saves Christmas	John R. Cherry III	—N/a
1991	Dolly Dearest	Maria Lease	—N/a
1994	Caroline at Midnight	Scott McGinnis	—N/a
1994	Playmaker	Yuri Zeltser	—N/a
1995	Dead Badge	Douglas Barr	—N/a
Born to Be Wild	John Gray	—N/a
1998	The X-Files	Rob Bowman	—N/a
Disturbing Behavior	David Nutter	—N/a
1999	Stranger in My House	Joe Cacaci	—N/a
Crazy in Alabama	Antonio Banderas	—N/a
2006	Private Fears in Public Places	Alain Resnais	—N/a
2008	The Hamlet Adventure	Ivaylo DikanskiGreg Roach	—N/a
The X-Files: I Want to Believe	Chris Carter	—N/a
Adventures in Appletown	Robert Moresco	—N/a
2009	Wild Grass	Alain Resnais	—N/a
2010	White Irish Drinkers	John Gray	—N/a
2011	The Hunters	Chris Briant	—N/a
2012	You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet	Alain Resnais	—N/a
2014	Life of Riley	—N/a
2020	The New Mutants	Josh Boone	—N/a

Video games

Year	Title	Notes
1998	Urban Assault	Composed with Sylvius Lack
The X-Files Game	Composed with Paul Wayne Hiaumet
2004	Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain	Composed with Mike Reagan

External links

at IMDb
discography at Discogs
Agency representation
December 31, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
with Randall D. Larson, Soundtrax: Episode 2008-11, May 23, 2008