Skip to content
MovieCove
Gerald Fried

Gerald Fried

Composer · Died February 17, 2023, aged 95

Gerald Fried (February 13, 1928 – February 17, 2023) was an American composer, conductor, and oboist known for his film and television scores. He composed music for well-known television series of the 1960s and 1970s, including Mission: Impossible, Gilligan's Island, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Shotgun Slade, Roots, and Star Trek. Early in his career, he collaborated with Stanley Kubrick, scoring several of his earliest films. Fried was nominated for five Primetime Emmy Awards, winning once in 1977 for Roots, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Score for the documentary Birds Do It, Bees Do It (1974).

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
February 13, 1928
Died
February 17, 2023 (aged 95)
Works as
Composer
Titles
49 on MovieCove · 82 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 19% in 30 days

What are Gerald Fried's films like?

Across their 45 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Power.

Genres

Drama13 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 62nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Crime9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 60th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Action8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 40th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Comedy5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 24th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Adventure4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 25th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Horror3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 38th percentile
: browse their Horror movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 68th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
24%
Power
17%
Bonds
16%
Survival
16%
Self
14%
Society
9%
Ideas
3%
Justice13 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival8 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds7 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption4 titles, browse their movies with this themePower4 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed5 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity5 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 45 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 12 · Serious 6 · Dark 27

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 27 · Stylized 17 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 6 · Charged 19 · Intense 20

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 21 · Shifting 20 · Whiplash 4

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 30 · Some laughs 9 · Funny 6

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 15 · Even-paced 28 · Relentless 2

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 18 · Engaged 27 · Full focus 0

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 14 · Affecting 15 · Heavy 16

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 40 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
35
Melancholic
22
Dread
16
Absurd
9
Joyful
6
Other
28

How their films linger

Haunting14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 9 with a twist

  • Happy17
  • Bittersweet16
  • Tragic8
  • Ambiguous3
  • Cyclical1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Gerald Fried's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 30 of their 49 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (18).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Gerald Fried's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

82 credits, 49 with a MovieCove page.

  • Unbelievable!!!!! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Composer

  • Roots: The Gift(1988)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Drop-Out Mother(1988)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Embassy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Composer

  • The Mystic Warrior (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Show 2 episodes · Composer

  • Australia's Animal Mysteries (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Composer

  • A Killer in the Family(1983)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E.: The Fifteen Years Later Affair(1983)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • For Us, the Living: The Story of Medgar Evers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Composer

  • American Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Show 1 episode · Composer

  • Murder Is Easy(1982)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island(1981)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • Dynasty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Show 1 episode · Composer

  • The Wild and the Free (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Composer

  • The Silent Lovers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Composer

  • Flamingo Road (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Composer

  • Gauguin the Savage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Composer

  • Condominium (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Show 2 episodes · Composer

  • The Ordeal of Dr. Mudd(1980)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Disaster on the Coastliner(1979)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Breaking Up Is Hard to Do (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Show 2 episodes · Composer

  • The Seekers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Show 2 episodes · Composer

  • Son-Rise: A Miracle of Love(1979)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • The Rebels (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Show 2 episodes · Composer

  • The Castaways on Gilligan's Island (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Composer

  • The Bell Jar (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Composer

  • Roots: The Next Generations(1979)

    Show 7 episodes · Composer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows

  • The Incredible Journey of Doctor Meg Laurel(1979)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • The Immigrants (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Show 2 episodes · Composer

  • Rescue from Gilligan's Island(1978)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • The Beasts Are on the Streets (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Composer

  • Maneaters Are Loose! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Composer

  • Cruise Into Terror (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Composer

  • Sex and the Married Woman(1977)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Testimony of Two Men (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Show 3 episodes · Composer

  • The Spell(1977)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Roots(1977)

    Show 8 episodes · Composer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident(1976)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Vigilante Force(1976)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Survive!(1976)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • I Will Fight No More Forever(1975)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Birds Do It, Bees Do It (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Composer

  • The Baby(1973)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • The Grissom Gang(1971)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Too Late the Hero(1970)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • The Image of the City (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Composer

  • What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice?(1969)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Danger Has Two Faces (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Composer

  • The Killing of Sister George(1968)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • The Karate Killers(1967)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • One of Our Spies Is Missing(1966)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Mission: Impossible(1966)

    Show 1 episode · Composer · Conductor

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • Star Trek(1966)

    Show 4 episodes · Composer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • One Spy Too Many(1966)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Deathwatch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Composer

  • One Potato, Two Potato(1964)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • The Cabinet of Caligari(1962)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • The Second Time Around(1961)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Twenty Plus Two (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Composer

  • A Cold Wind in August(1961)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • High School Big Shot(1959)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films

  • Cast a Long Shadow(1959)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • I Mobster(1959)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Timbuktu(1958)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • The Lost Missile(1958)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • Terror in a Texas Town(1958)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • The Cry Baby Killer(1958)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Curse of the Faceless Man(1958)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • I Bury the Living(1958)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • The Return of Dracula(1958)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Machine-Gun Kelly(1958)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • The Flame Barrier (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Composer

  • Paths of Glory(1957)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Dino (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Composer · Conductor

  • Trooper Hook(1957)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • The Vampire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Composer · Conductor

  • Bayou (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Composer

  • The Killing(1956)

    Composer · Conductor

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Killer's Kiss(1955)

    Composer · Conductor

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Fear and Desire(1952)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • Stasera sciopero (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Composer

  • Day of the Fight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Composer

Career shape

A full career of 81 titles from 1951 to 2020.

Biggest box office

Paths of Glory (1957)

$9.3K worldwide

Highest rated

Paths of Glory (1957)

Midcredits 99th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Music81 of 81: 76 only music, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score55thOther crew5 of 81: 0 only other crew, 5 with another role

81 titles, 5 with more than one role — music and other crew overlap on 5 of them.

By decade

1950s21 · crew1960s15 · crew1970s26 · crew1980s18 · crew2020s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Gerald Fried's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 48th percentile, the median of all 45; across their 45 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 52nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

52ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 45

Approval · how many liked their films

44thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 45

Reach · how many have seen their films

48thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 45

Midcredits score across 49 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up10
  • 50th to 74th15
  • 25th to 49th14
  • Below 25th10

Shape of the crowd

18 of their 49 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved4
  • Universally Panned1
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser18
  • Broadly Agreed8
  • Mixed16

Most divisive · composer

Sex and the Married Woman (1977)

88th percentile spread · 39% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · composer

Paths of Glory (1957)

Midcredits 99th · 91% liked

Reviewers score the sound and music 55/100 in their films, across 39 reviewed titles; fans 63, detractors 40. The element that speaks to their work as a composer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Gerald Fried's work okay for kids?

Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity and profanity run lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore5 titles42–57 · median 54 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity6 titles12–40 · median 19 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity5 titles7–38 · median 14 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs4 titlesmedian 36 · moderateMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense5 titles41–65 · median 45 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Gerald Fried work with?

People who share at least 2 of Gerald Fried's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Fred J. Koenekamp shares the most, 5.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles