Gerald Fried is an American musician, composer and world class oboist, well known for his compositions in film and television. Born and raised in the Bronx, New York City, Fried attended The Juilliard School of Music. He went to high school with Stanley Kubrick and composed the scores for five of his earliest films. After moving to Los Angeles he began composing and arranging music for several films such as Terror in a Texas Town and shows such as The Man from U.N.C.L.E., working with Robert Drasnin, and also the original Star Trek, for which he composed the famous musical underscore "The Ritual/Ancient Battle/2nd Kroykah" for the episode "Amok Time." Among his many television show themes is his jazz-inspired intro for the western series Shotgun Slade. Fried is perhaps best known for his collaboration with Quincy Jones on their Emmy Award-winning score for the 1977 miniseries Roots. Fried also arranged the exotica album Orienta. He won Golden Pine Award at the 2013 International Samobor Film Music Festival, along with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Clint Eastwood. His credits consist of nearly 300 films, television episodes, and specials. 

February 13th, 1928 in New York City  /  Died:   Feb 17th, 2023