John Massari (born March 25, 1957) is an American composer and sound designer. He is perhaps best known for scoring the cult classic ''

Killer Klowns from Outer Space ''Killer Klowns from Outer Space'' is a 1988 American science fiction horror comedy film written, directed and produced by the Chiodo Brothers, and starring Grant Cramer, Suzanne Snyder, John Allen Nelson and John Vernon. It is the only movie ...

''.

Biography

Giovanni Massari was born on March 25, 1957 in New York City. Film music's powerful influence drew him to explore creating original music at age six as he began training on piano, trumpet and contra bass. Massari studied musical composition at

Chapman University Chapman University is a private research university in Orange, California. It encompasses ten schools and colleges, including Fowler School of Engineering, Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, Fowler School of Law, and Schmid College of Scie ...

. At the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

(UCLA), Massari studied orchestration and composition with

David Raksin David Raksin (August 4, 1912 – August 9, 2004) was an American composer who was noted for his work in film and television. With more than 100 film scores and 300 television scores to his credit, he became known as the "Grandfather of Film Music ...

and

Henri Lazarof Henri Lazarof (Bulgarian: Хенри Лазаров) (April 12, 1932 – December 29, 2013) was a Bulgarian-American composer. Born in Sofia, Bulgaria, his formal musical training began in Israel under Paul Ben-Haim. After a short stint in Rome, ...

. He also studied with Albert Harris and earned the Frank Sinatra Music Award for composition. Massari was mentored by David Rose,

Jerry Fielding Jerry Fielding (born Joshua Itzhak Feldman; June 17, 1922 – February 17, 1980)Redman, Nick"Fielding, Jerry" Jackson, Kenneth T.; Markoe, Karen E.; Markoe, Arnold (1995). ''Dictionary of American Biography; Supplement 10: 1976–1980''. New ...

, and

Mark Snow Mark Snow (born Martin Fulterman; August 26, 1946) is an American composer for film and television. Among his most famous compositions is the theme music for science fiction television series ''The X-Files''. The theme reached no. 2 on the UK Si ...

. He studied composition with

Leonard Stein Leonard David Stein (December 1, 1916 – June 24, 2004) was a musicologist, pianist, conductor, university teacher, and influential in promoting contemporary music on the American West Coast. He was for years Arnold Schoenberg's assistant, mus ...

at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

(USC). Massari's work spans a broad range of music genres. He has created music for Disney, HBO, MGM and Sony Pictures. Massari scored the 1988 cult film ''

''. He also scored and acted in the 1988 film ''

The Wizard of Speed and Time ''The Wizard of Speed and Time'' is a 1988 low-budget feature film written, directed, and starring animator Mike Jittlov, as well as a 1979 16 mm short film, also by Jittlov. 1979 short film In the original short film, a young man in a green w ...

''. He also composed the theme for ''

The Ray Bradbury Theater ''The Ray Bradbury Theater'' is an anthology series that ran for three seasons on First Choice Superchannel in Canada and HBO in the United States from 1985 to 1986, and then on USA Network, running for four additional seasons from 1988 to 199 ...

''. He also worked on ''

The Cell 2 ''The Cell 2 '' is a 2009 direct-to-video sequel to the 2000 film '' The Cell''. Directed by Tim Iacofano and written by Lawerence Silverstein, Alex Barder and Rob Rinow, the movie is similar in themes as the original, about an investigator who mu ...

'', ''

Retro Puppet Master ''Retro Puppet Master'' (also known as ''Retro Puppetmaster'') is a 1999 American direct-to-video horror film written by Charles Band, Benjamin Carr and David Schmoeller, and directed by David DeCoteau (as Joseph Tennent). It is the seventh film ...

'', and '' Prison Break: Proof of Innocence''.

Filmography

* ''Little House on the Prairie'' (1982–1983) * ''Hart to Hart'' (1982) * ''The Ray Bradbury Theater'' (Theme; 1985–1992) * ''Jonny Quest'' (1987) * ''The Wonderful World of Disney'' (1987) * ''

'' (1988) * ''

'' (1988) * ''Monsters'' (1988-1990) * ''

Snake Eater Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more joints ...

'' (1989) * '' Snake Eater II: The Drug Buster'' (1990) * ''

Steel and Lace ''Steel and Lace'' is a 1991 science fiction action film directed by Ernest D. Farino and starring Clare Wren, Bruce Davison, Stacy Haiduk, David Naughton, and Michael Cerveris. Plot Gaily Morton, a classical concert pianist, is raped by bus ...

'' (1991) * ''

Diplomatic Immunity Diplomatic immunity is a principle of international law by which certain foreign government officials are recognized as having legal immunity from the jurisdiction of another country.

'' (1991) * ''The Big Sweat'' (1991) * ''Dogs Bark Blue'' (1992) * '' Snake Eater III: His Law'' (1992) * ''Death Ring'' (1992) * ''Time Machine: The Journey Back'' (1993) * ''The Making of '...And God Spoke (1993) * ''

Kickboxer 5 ''Redemption: Kickboxer 5'' (stylized on-screen as ''The Redemption'') is a 1995 American direct-to-video martial arts film starring Mark Dacascos and directed by Kristine Peterson. The film is the fifth entry in the ''Kickboxer'' film series an ...

'' (1995) * ''The Redemption'' (1995 * ''Shooting Lily'' (1996) * ''Skeletons'' (HBO TV movie) (1997) * ''Retro Puppet Master'' (1999) * ''Final Stab'' (1999) * ''Breathing Hard'' (2000) * ''Ronny Camaro and Seven Angry Women'' (2003) * '' Speed Demon'' (2003) * '' 24: Conspiracy'' (TV series short) (2005) * ''L. Frank Baum: The Man Behind the Curtain'' (2005) * ''Ray Harryhausen: The Early Years Collection'' (2005) * ''The Shield: Breaking Episode 315'' (2005) * ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Storybook'' (2005) * ''

Ring Around the Rosie "Ring a Ring o' Roses", "Ring a Ring o' Rosie", or (in the United States) "Ring Around the Rosie", is a traditional nursery rhyme, folk song and playground singing game. Descriptions first emerge in the mid-19th century, but are reported as dat ...

'' (2006) * ''Astaire and Rogers: Partners in Rhythm'' (2006) * ''Tinker Bell: A Fairy's Tale'' (2007) * ''Requiem & Rebirth: Superman Lives!'' (2007) * ''

Veritas, Prince of Truth ''Veritas, Prince of Truth'' is a 2007 computer-animated romance fantasy film directed by Arturo Ruiz-Esparza and starring Sean Patrick Flanery, Bret Loehr, Amy Jo Johnson, Tyler Posey, Kate Walsh, and Danny Strong. Premise A young boy must batt ...

'' (2007) * ''Stem Cell'' (2009) * ''From The Dark'' (2009) * ''

'' (2009) * ''American Pickers'' (2010) * ''The Devil's Gravestone'' (2010) * ''Trek Nation'' (2010) * ''Game of Assassins'' (2013) * ''The Wonderful World of Disney Theme'' (1988) * ''Secret Lives of Stepford Wives'' (2014) * ''Thrill Kill'' (2015)

References

External links

*
John Massari
on

SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...

John Massari
on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Massari, John 1957 births American film score composers Living people American male film score composers