Harry Manfredini
Biography
Harry Joseph Manfredini (born August 25, 1943) is an American composer, multi-instrumentalist and jazz musician. He has composed scores for more than 100 films and is best known for his work on the "Friday the 13th" film series. His musical background includes classical training and approximately 20 years of experience in popular music.
Manfredini was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, to Italian American parents. During his childhood, he took accordion lessons and studied clarinet and saxophone. As a teenager, he performed in a local rock band.
Read full biography ↓
He earned a Bachelor of Music degree from DePaul University, a Master of Arts degree from Western Illinois University and a doctorate from Columbia University.
Manfredini began composing film scores in the 1970s. His early credits include "Through the Looking Glass" (1976), "Here Come the Tigers" (1978) and "Manny's Orphans" (1978).
He composed the score for "Friday the 13th" (1980) and returned for most of its sequels, including "Friday the 13th Part 2" (1981), "Friday the 13th Part III" (1982), "Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter" (1984), "Friday the 13th: A New Beginning" (1985), "Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives" (1986), "Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood" (1988), "Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday" (1993) and "Jason X" (2001). He collaborated with composer Fred Mollin on "Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood".
His other horror film scores include "The Children" (1980), "Swamp Thing" (1982), "House" (1986), "House II: The Second Story" (1987), "The Horror Show" (1989) and "House IV" (1992).
In addition to his film work, Manfredini composed music for the children's television adaptations "Corduroy" (1984) and "A Pocket for Corduroy" (1986).
In 2017, he composed the score for "Friday the 13th: The Game", a video game based on the film franchise.
In February 2026, Manfredini's involvement in the score for "Crystal Lake", a television prequel to the 1980 film "Friday the 13th" produced by A24, was announced.
Manfredini has cited classical composers Giacomo Puccini, Igor Stravinsky and Maurice Ravel among his musical influences.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.