Chris Bacon

Biography:

Chris Bacon, born on March 17, 1977, is an American composer recognized for his work on film and television soundtracks. He has earned four Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Music Composition, with notable projects including Smash (2012–13), Bates Motel (2013–17), The Tick (2016–19), and Wednesday (2022–present).

Originally from Provo, Utah, Bacon was raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He began playing piano and saxophone at a young age and developed an early passion for composing film music. Reflecting on his aspirations, he once shared that from the moment he started thinking about his future, he always wanted to write music for movies.

He studied music composition at Brigham Young University and later attended the Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television program at the University of Southern California. During this time, he interned with acclaimed composer James Newton Howard, whom he credits with providing invaluable industry experience. Bacon explained that, although his formal education was important, his most formative lessons came while working under Howard. He described it as being “on scholarship” because he was paid to learn the craft of film composition from one of the best in the business. Howard also gave Bacon opportunities to work on various projects, which helped him gain trust from producers under Howard’s guidance.

From 2005 to 2011, Bacon contributed to several of Howard’s scores. He made his solo composing debut with the 2007 Lifetime movie Angels Fall and later scored his first feature film, Source Code, a sci-fi thriller.

Over the years, Bacon has worked on a range of high-profile projects including American Hustle, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Goosebumps. He also composed music for the Amazon Prime series The Tick, directed by Wally Pfister.

In addition to his Emmy-nominated work on Smash, Bates Motel, The Tick, and Wednesday, Bacon is known for his frequent collaborations with renowned composer Danny Elfman.