# Bear McCreary
**Bear McCreary** (born 1979) is an American composer for television, film, and video games, known for the scores to the reimagined *Battlestar Galactica*, *The Walking Dead*, *Outlander*, *God of War* (2018) and *God of War Ragnarök*, and *The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power*.[1](https://cora.ucc.ie/server/api/core/bitstreams/d2936cef-699f-46d5-b4d6-513523aae7d1/content) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mccreary-mn0000363772) His work is concentrated in science fiction, fantasy, and horror, and often incorporates musical instruments and traditions from around the world.[3](https://www.theringer.com/2018/05/02/pop-culture/composer-bear-mccreary-interview-god-of-war-walking-dead-battlestar-galactica)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1979[1](https://cora.ucc.ie/server/api/core/bitstreams/d2936cef-699f-46d5-b4d6-513523aae7d1/content) |
| Breakthrough | *Battlestar Galactica*, which premiered on the Sci Fi Channel in 2004, when he was 24[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mccreary-mn0000363772) • [4](https://www.bearmccreary.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/bio.pdf) |
| Emmy | Won Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music for *Da Vinci's Demons* (2013); nominated for *Human Target* (2010), *Black Sails* (2014), and *Outlander* (2015)[5](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/bear-mccreary) |
| BAFTA Games Awards | Best Music for *God of War* (2019) and *God of War: Ragnarök* (2023), shared with Keith Leary and Peter Scaturro[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0566970/awards/) |
| IFMCA honors | Composer of the Year in 2019, 2022, and 2024; Score of the Year for *The Rings of Power* in 2022 and 2024[7](https://filmmusiccritics.org/awards-archive/) |
| Signature theme | The *Outlander* main title, built on the traditional Scottish folk melody "The Skye Boat Song"[5](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/bear-mccreary) |
| Rock project | *The Singularity*, a hard rock concept album released in 2024, followed by the announced *The Singularity: Ekleipsis*[8](https://bearmccreary.com/projects/) |
## Early life and education
McCreary grew up in [Bellingham, Washington](https://www.edgepedia.org/bellingham-washington), where as a sixteen-year-old he imagined and wrote his own films just so he could score them; he spent a year and a half composing a 75-minute score for one such invented science-fiction adventure, which he has said gave him the confidence that he could score a film.[9](https://bearmccreary.com/bio/) • [3](https://www.theringer.com/2018/05/02/pop-culture/composer-bear-mccreary-interview-god-of-war-walking-dead-battlestar-galactica) A chance encounter with the film composer [Elmer Bernstein](https://www.edgepedia.org/elmer-bernstein), whose boat had moored in Bellingham harbor, led Bernstein to encourage him to study composition at the USC School of Music in Los Angeles, where Bernstein took him on as a protégé.[9](https://bearmccreary.com/bio/) McCreary studied composition and recording arts at USC, where he was the last protégé of Bernstein.[10](https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/5827/21/UNREST%20Press%20Kit%20August%202018.pdf) Bernstein died on the very day McCreary began composing the score for his first television series, *Battlestar Galactica*.[9](https://bearmccreary.com/bio/)
## Battlestar Galactica
After scoring short films in the late 1990s and early 2000s, McCreary was hired to compose the music for a new version of the television series *Battlestar Galactica*, which premiered on the Sci Fi Channel in 2004.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mccreary-mn0000363772) At the age of 24 he was, in his biography's words, launched into pop culture with the score.[4](https://www.bearmccreary.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/bio.pdf) Variety called it "the most innovative music on TV today," NPR described it as "a sci-fi score like no other," and io9.com placed him on its list of the Ten Best Science Fiction Composers of All Time, alongside [John Williams](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-williams), Jerry Goldsmith, and [Bernard Herrmann](https://www.edgepedia.org/bernard-herrmann).[4](https://www.bearmccreary.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/bio.pdf) The franchise prequel *Caprica*, set 58 years before *Battlestar Galactica*, was also among his credits.[8](https://bearmccreary.com/projects/)
## Television work
**Genre television.** Starting in 2006, McCreary composed for, and contributed accordion music to, the sci-fi comedy-mystery series *Eureka*, on which his brother Brendan contributed guitar work; his late-2000s credits also include *Trauma* and *Caprica*.[11](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/bear_mccreary) In 2010 he scored the zombie series *The Walking Dead*.[11](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/bear_mccreary) His other series credits include *[Terminator](https://www.edgepedia.org/terminator-franchise): The Sarah Connor Chronicles*, for which he collaborated with Shirley Manson of Garbage, and Marvel's *Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.*.[9](https://bearmccreary.com/bio/)
**Emmy recognition.** McCreary's score for *Human Target* featured what his biography calls the largest orchestra ever assembled in the history of series television and earned him his first Emmy nomination.[4](https://www.bearmccreary.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/bio.pdf) The Television Academy lists four nominations and one win: nominated for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music for *Human Target* (2010) and *Black Sails* (2014), nominated for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series for the *Outlander* episode "Sassenach" (2015), and winner of Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music for *Da Vinci's Demons* (2013).[5](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/bear-mccreary) The *Da Vinci's Demons* main title is a carefully constructed palindrome, sounding the same forwards and backwards.[9](https://bearmccreary.com/bio/)
**Outlander.** For Ronald D. Moore's adaptation of [Diana Gabaldon](https://www.edgepedia.org/diana-gabaldon)'s novels, McCreary built the main title on "The Skye Boat Song," a traditional Scottish folk melody that had long been a favorite of his; his wife, the singer-songwriter Raya Yarbrough, performs it.[5](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/bear-mccreary) • [3](https://www.theringer.com/2018/05/02/pop-culture/composer-bear-mccreary-interview-god-of-war-walking-dead-battlestar-galactica) He later worked with [Sinéad O'Connor](https://www.edgepedia.org/sinead-oconnor) on the seventh-season *Outlander* main title theme, a recording that became O'Connor's last.[9](https://bearmccreary.com/bio/)
## Film and video games
McCreary's film scores include *10 Cloverfield Lane*, which Time magazine singled out as the film's finest feature, a "playfully malicious" string score channeling Bernard Herrmann; *Godzilla: King of the Monsters*; *Happy Death Day*; and the 2019 *Child's Play* remake, for which he created a manic "toy orchestra" and collaborated with [Mark Hamill](https://www.edgepedia.org/mark-hamill).[9](https://bearmccreary.com/bio/) His filmography also includes *The Cloverfield Paradox*, *[Freaky](https://www.edgepedia.org/freaky-film)*, *Crip Camp*, *Rebel in the Rye*, and *Last Voyage of the Demeter*.[11](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/bear_mccreary) • [8](https://bearmccreary.com/projects/)
In video games, he scored Sony's *God of War* (2018) and its sequel *God of War Ragnarök*, work that earned him BAFTA Games Awards for Best Music in 2019 and 2023, shared with music producers Keith Leary and Peter Scaturro, as well as a Grammy nomination.[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0566970/awards/) • [9](https://bearmccreary.com/bio/) In *Ragnarök* he also appears in the game as a surly hurdy-gurdy-playing dwarf named Ræb.[9](https://bearmccreary.com/bio/) His other game credits include *Assassin's Creed Syndicate*, *Call of Duty: Vanguard*, and *SOCOM 4 U.S. Navy SEALs*.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mccreary-mn0000363772) • [8](https://bearmccreary.com/projects/) For *The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power*, Amazon's series set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, he wrote the score with orchestration by the Tutti Music Partners, and he collaborated with [Fiona Apple](https://www.edgepedia.org/fiona-apple) on the project.[8](https://bearmccreary.com/projects/) • [12](https://www.slashfilm.com/1065985/the-rings-of-power-orchestrators-break-down-bear-mccrearys-epic-score-exclusive-interview/) • [9](https://bearmccreary.com/bio/) His score for the Apple TV+ series *[Foundation](https://www.edgepedia.org/foundation-tv-series)* was orchestrated around custom computer software inspired by the show's mathematical premise.[9](https://bearmccreary.com/bio/)
## The Singularity and concert work
The [Singularity](https://www.edgepedia.org/singularity) is McCreary's symphonic rock project. In 2024 he released a hard rock concept album of the same name featuring guest appearances by rock musicians including Slash, Serj Tankian, Joe Satriani, and his brother Brendan McCreary, and he has announced a follow-up album, *The Singularity: Ekleipsis*.[8](https://bearmccreary.com/projects/) • [13](https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/music-releases/bear-mccreary-cool-kids-slash-tim-henson-steve-vai-guthrie-govan) Beyond scoring, he has composed concert commissions for the Calder Quartet and the [Getty Center](https://www.edgepedia.org/getty-center), the Television Academy, the Seattle Symphony, and the Golden State Pops Orchestra, and in 2014 [Gustavo Dudamel](https://www.edgepedia.org/gustavo-dudamel) conducted a suite of his music with the L.A. Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl.[9](https://bearmccreary.com/bio/) In 2011 he composed "Fanfare for STS-135," a rousing orchestral work played at the launch of NASA's space shuttle Atlantis, commemorating the final shuttle launch in American history.[9](https://bearmccreary.com/bio/) He has toured his music internationally, including a 2025 "Themes & Variations" tour celebrating his twenty-year career.[14](https://bearmccreary.com/events/)
## Mentoring and recognition
Through his collective Sparks & Shadows, McCreary encourages his protégés to take on their own projects, including *Percy Jackson and the Olympians*, Paramount+'s *Halo* series adaptation, and *God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla*.[9](https://bearmccreary.com/bio/) The International Film Music Critics Association named him Composer of the Year in 2019, 2022, and 2024, and awarded *The Rings of Power* its Score of the Year in both 2022 and 2024.[7](https://filmmusiccritics.org/awards-archive/) Forbes has described his genre track record as "one of the most impressive in modern day Hollywood."[9](https://bearmccreary.com/bio/) One profile of his Emmy record conflicts with the Television Academy's database: a 2026 [Guitar World](https://www.edgepedia.org/guitar-world) piece calls him a "six-time Emmy-winning composer," while the Television Academy lists one win and four nominations.[13](https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/music-releases/bear-mccreary-cool-kids-slash-tim-henson-steve-vai-guthrie-govan) • [5](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/bear-mccreary)
## References
1. [Scoring Alien Worlds: World music mashups in 21st-Century TV, University College Cork](https://cora.ucc.ie/server/api/core/bitstreams/d2936cef-699f-46d5-b4d6-513523aae7d1/content)
2. [Bear McCreary Biography, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mccreary-mn0000363772)
3. [A Conversation With Bear McCreary, the Composer King of Comic-Con, The Ringer (2018)](https://www.theringer.com/2018/05/02/pop-culture/composer-bear-mccreary-interview-god-of-war-walking-dead-battlestar-galactica)
4. [Bear McCreary Biography (PDF), bearmccreary.com](https://www.bearmccreary.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/bio.pdf)
5. [Bear McCreary, Emmy Awards and Nominations, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/bear-mccreary)
6. [Bear McCreary Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0566970/awards/)
7. [Awards Archive, International Film Music Critics Association](https://filmmusiccritics.org/awards-archive/)
8. [Projects, Bear McCreary official site](https://bearmccreary.com/projects/)
9. [Bio, Bear McCreary official site](https://bearmccreary.com/bio/)
10. [Unrest press kit, University of Gloucestershire](https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/5827/21/UNREST%20Press%20Kit%20August%202018.pdf)
11. [Bear McCreary Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/bear_mccreary)
12. [The Rings of Power Orchestrators Break Down Bear McCreary's Epic Score, SlashFilm](https://www.slashfilm.com/1065985/the-rings-of-power-orchestrators-break-down-bear-mccrearys-epic-score-exclusive-interview/)
13. [Slash, Tim Henson, Guthrie Govan and Steve Vai assembled for McCreary collaboration album, Guitar World](https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/music-releases/bear-mccreary-cool-kids-slash-tim-henson-steve-vai-guthrie-govan)
14. [Events Archive, Bear McCreary official site](https://bearmccreary.com/events/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Craft crew: cinematographers, editors, composers, critics › Film score composers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license