John Everett Beal, born January 20, 1947, in Santa Monica, California, is an American composer and conductor who is considered a pioneer in film trailer scoring. Beal began piano at six, joined a boys' choir as a professional soloist at eight, and performed as a jazz drummer by fifteen. He served in the United States Marine Corps and studied percussion and composition at San Diego State University and UCLA. His early breakthrough came in the late 1970s with original scores for television series such as Vegas and Happy Days, and feature films including The Funhouse (1981) and Terror in the Aisles (1984). Beal composed original music for over 2,000 film trailers, notably for Titanic, The Matrix, and The Last Samurai. His work has been performed by major symphonies worldwide, and he has conducted live-to-film concerts for Star Wars, Top Gun: Maverick, and the Harry Potter series.
