Elia David Cmíral (;[1] born October 1, 1950)[2] [3] is a Czech composer for film, television, ballet,[4] and video games. He has worked on numerous projects across multiple genres, though he is arguably best known for his work in the thriller and horror cinema, and has collaborated with filmmakers like Wes Craven, John Frankenheimer, John Travolta, and Ernest Dickerson.
Cmíral was born in Czechoslovakia, to an actress and a stage director, and was the grandson of one of Antonín Dvořák's pupils.[5] Cmiral attended the Prague Conservatory, where he studied composition and double bass.[6] His first scoring opportunity came with his father's production of Cyrano de Bergerac.[6] He emigrated to Sweden, where he composed for a number of European films, television shows, and stage productions.[6] In 1987 he moved to the United States, where he attended the University of Southern California and scored for an independent film entitled Apartment Zero.
As a composer, he is best known for his work in the horror and thriller film genres, with notable examples including Ronin, Bones, Stigmata, They, Wrong Turn, Pulse and Piranha 3DD. He also composed for the television series Nash Bridges and the first and third entries in the Atlas Shrugged film series, an adaptation of the best-selling Ayn Rand novel of the same name.[7] He also composed and the award-winning adventure game The Last Express and the third-person shooter . As well as working in Hollywood, he has also composed numerous scores for films made in Sweden and the Czech Republic.
Cmíral currently resides in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles.[6]