Greg O'Connor
Greg O'Connor | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | Gregory Joseph O'Connor May 27, 1967 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1990–present |
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Gregory Joseph O'Connor (born May 27, 1967) is an American composer and songwriter. He has composed scores for over 30 television series and has written numerous featured songs for television, films, and commercials. He is a Primetime Emmy winner and a four-time Emmy nominee. He has scored projects including variety, single-camera comedy, multi-camera comedy, animation, one-hour drama, game show, sketch comedy, award show, stand-up, reality, hidden camera, documentary, and virtual reality.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]
Early life
O'Connor was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame’s Department of Music, as well as the "Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television" program at USC.[10][11] He began studying music at age six, taking piano lessons at the Bryn Mawr Conservatory of Music in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. He also played alto saxophone for eight years. His education included performing in various ensembles as a pianist, saxophonist, or vocalist, including concert band, jazz band, glee club, and various top 40 bands throughout high school and college.[12][13]
Career
1990s
Early in his career, O'Connor scored the Emmy Award-winning Ben Stiller Show and The Sunday Comics on FOX.[14][15]
Chicago
In 1993, O'Connor co-wrote the song "Here with Me (A Candle in the Dark)" for the Chicago album Stone of Sisyphus, which was unreleased until 2008.[16] He has written and produced other songs for Chicago, including “Firecracker” and “Someone Needed Me the Most” from their 2022 album Born for this Moment.[17] He also co-wrote the songs "The Only One" and “Show Me a Sign" with James Pankow from their 1997 and 1998 compilation albums The Heart of Chicago 1967–1997 and The Heart of Chicago 1967–1998 Volume II.[18] Both songs reached the top 20 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts.
MADtv
In 1995, O'Connor became the musical director and composer for all 15 seasons of the sketch comedy show MADtv, produced by David Salzman and Quincy Jones.[19] In 2006, 2007, and 2008, he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award as a composer for MADtv, and won in 2006 for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics.[20] The songs that were nominated include "Sad Fitty Cent," co-written with Academy Award-winning filmmaker Jordan Peele.[21] He also won a BMI Film and TV Award for his work on the show in 2007.[22] He would go on to work with MADtv cast members on their own projects, including Will Sasso’s Ten Minute Podcast and Frank Caliendo's The Caliendo Cast.[23] He also composed songs for Emmy-winning actress Alex Borstein.[24]
2000s
In 2002, O'Connor composed the underscore for all three seasons of the hidden camera series The Jamie Kennedy Experiment, as well as for the cop drama 10-8: Officers on Duty in 2003, starring Ernie Hudson and Danny Nucci.[25] He was the musical director and composer for the ABC reality competition series The Next Best Thing, which aired for one season in 2007. O'Connor co-produced and arranged the song "Christmas Is Just Around the Corner" from Barry Manilow's 2007 album In the Swing of Christmas.[26] He also co-produced five songs on Manilow's album The Greatest Songs of the Eighties in 2008.[27] That same year, he wrote and produced three featured songs for Lori Petty’s directorial feature film debut, The Poker House. He also composed music for award-winning comedian David Alan Grier's Chocloate News.[28]
2010s
In 2010, O'Connor composed, produced, and sang two songs for the animated film LEGO: The Adventures of Clutch Powers. In 2011, he wrote and produced two songs for the film The Greening of Whitney Brown, starring Kris Kristofferson, Aidan Quinn, and Brooke Shields, one of which was performed by Shields.[29] In 2012, he produced and composed songs for the Lionsgate animated film Foodfight! He also produced two songs for Oscar-winning producer Al Ruddy, performed by Kimberley Locke on the soundtrack of the 2008 film Camille. In 2016, he composed the opening theme songs for the ABC series Greatest Hits, produced by Grammy Awards producer Ken Ehrlich.[30] He also composed the theme song for the series Gay Skit Happens, with two members of Pentatonix. In 2019, he scored the TV short Defrost: The Virtual Series, directed by Randal Kleiser and starring Bruce Davison, Harry Hamlin, and Tanna Frederick.[31]
2020s
In 2020, O'Connor wrote the featured “Laura Dern” song for the 35th Film Independent Spirit Awards, which instantly went viral and was featured in many major publications and news outlets.[32][33][34][35][36] He also composed the main title theme for the Disney+ series Prop Culture.[37] He scored the animated feature film Bobbleheads: The Movie for Universal Pictures, starring Cher, Jennifer Coolidge, Brenda Song, and Luke Wilson.[38] In 2023, he composed the score and featured songs for the film drama My Home Unknown, produced by Lawrence Kasanoff.[39] He also composed the company logo music for Kasanoff's Threshold Entertainment, as well as for Academy Awards producer Rob Paine's House of Paine Entertainment.
Notable credits
| Year | Title | Network | Credit(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | The Ben Stiller Show | FOX | Composer, cast (Springsteen band pianist)[41] |
| 1992 | The Sunday Comics | FOX | Composer[41] |
| 1993 | Bakersfield P.D. | FOX | Composer |
| 1994 | Project Time | Disney | Composer |
| 1994 | Sports Illustrated 1994 Swimsuit Issue Video | WarnerVision / Dakota | Composer |
| 1994 | Trashed | MTV | Composer |
| 1995 | MADtv | FOX | Composer, music director, cast (various roles)[42] |
| 1995 | 1995 Young Comedians Special | HBO | Composer (theme) |
| 1996 | Comedy Central Canned Ham: The Cable Guy | HBO | Composer |
| 1999 | HBO Workspace | HBO | Composer (theme) |
| 2000 | My Funny Valentine | AMC | Composer |
| 2001 | Gary & Mike | UPN | Composer |
| 2002 | The Jamie Kennedy Experiment | The WB | Composer |
| 2003 | 10–8: Officers on Duty | ABC | Composer |
| 2003 | 2003 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | E! | Composer (opening song) |
| 2003 | Queens Supreme | CBS | Composer (theme) |
| 2004 | Blue Collar TV | The WB | Composer |
| 2004 | He's a Lady | TBS | Composer |
| 2004 | The Mansion | TBS | Composer (theme) |
| 2005 | The Starlet | The WB | Composer |
| 2006 | Jacob and Joshua: Nemesis Rising | Logo TV | Composer (theme), cast (record producer) |
| 2006 | The Big Gay Sketch Show | Logo TV | Composer |
| 2007 | The Next Best Thing | ABC | Composer |
| 2008 | Chocolate News | Comedy Central | Composer, cast (church piano player) |
| 2008 | The Capture of the Green River Killer | Lifetime | Producer (songs) |
| 2009 | Super Dave Spike-Tacular | Spike | Composer |
| 2016 | Gay Skit Happens | Logo TV | Composer |
| 2016 | Greatest Hits | ABC | Composer (theme) |
| 2016 | MADtv 20th Anniversary Reunion | The CW | Composer |
| 2020 | 35th Film Independent Spirit Awards | IFC | Composer (song: "Gay Spirit")[43] |
| 2020 | Prop Culture | Disney+ | Composer (theme)[37] |
| Year | Title | Producer | Credit(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Mona Must Die | MMD Productions | Composer |
| 1994 | Reality Bites | Universal Pictures / Jersey Films | Composer (additional music) |
| 1994 | Timecop | Universal Pictures / Largo Entertainment | Producer (songs) |
| 1995 | Get Shorty | MGM/UA / Jersey Films | Composer (additional music) |
| 2008 | Camille | A-Mark Entertainment | Producer (songs, additional music) |
| 2008 | The Poker House | Phase 4 Films | Composer, producer (songs) |
| 2010 | LEGO: The Adventures of Clutch Powers | Threshold Entertainment | Composer, producer (songs) |
| 2011 | The Greening of Whitney Brown | Perfect Weekend | Composer (songs, additional music), producer (songs) |
| 2012 | Foodfight! | Lionsgate | Composer, producer (songs) |
| 2012 | Holiday Spin | Mystique Films / Lifetime | Composer (dance music) |
| 2015 | Hoovey | Gundersen Entertainment / EchoLight Studios | Composer, producer (songs) |
| 2016 | A Sunday Horse | The Sunday Horse II | Composer, producer (songs) |
| 2019 | Defrost: The Virtual Series | Randal Kleiser Productions | Composer |
| 2019 | Grease XR | Randal Kleiser Productions | Composer |
| 2020 | Bobbleheads: The Movie | Universal Pictures / Threshold Entertainment | Composer, songwriter[38] |
| 2023 | My Home Unknown | Lawrence Kasanoff / Threshold Entertainment | Composer, songwriter |
| 2024 | Baby Boomer Yearbook | Randal Kleiser Productions | Composer |
Awards
| Year | Award | Project | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Gary & Mike - "Mole Folks Song" | Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics | Nominated[44] |
| 2006 | Primetime Emmy Awards | MADtv - "A Wonderfully Normal Day" | Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics | Won[45] |
| 2007 | BMI Film & TV Awards | MADtv | BMI Film & TV Awards | Won[46] |
| 2007 | Primetime Emmy Awards | MADtv - "Merry Ex-Mas" | Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics | Nominated[47] |
| 2008 | Primetime Emmy Awards | MADtv - "Sad Fitty Cent" | Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics | Nominated[48] |
References
- ↑ "Artist Biography". cdbaby.
- ↑ "SCL gathers notable songwriters for musicale". filmmusicsociety.
- ↑ "2006 Emmy nominations list – part 2". Variety.
- ↑ "Greg O'Connor". hollywood.com.
- ↑ "Composer Bio". emmys.
- ↑ "Greg O'Connor: 'MAD TV' Fox 'JKX: the Jamie Kennedy Experiment' the WB.(who scores primetime)". Business Highbeam. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05.
- ↑ "Greg O'Connor". IMDb.
- ↑ "Emmy Winning Composer Greg O'Connor Scores Big". The Hollywood 360.
- ↑ "Defrost A Virtual Reality Movie Thawing the Audience's Point of View 360 Degrees". The Hollywood 360.
- ↑ "BMI Composers Score at 2006 Creative Emmys". BMI.
- ↑ Burlingame, Jon. "Callery Wins Second Emmy". film music society.
- ↑ "Emmy Winning Composer Greg O'Connor Scores Big - The Hollywood 360". The Hollywood 360.
- ↑ "PrepNews Winter 2012 by St. Joseph's Preparatory School - Issuu". PrepNews Winter 2012.
- ↑ "The Ben Stiller Show credits - Metacritic". www.metacritic.com. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
- ↑ "Conversations with Greg O'Connor - Voyage LA Magazine | LA City Guide". voyagela.com. Archived from the original on 2025-07-10. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
- ↑ Chicago: Stone of Sisyphus: X... Tracks & Reviews | AllMusic, retrieved 2026-06-19
- ↑ Chicago: Born for This Moment Tracks & Reviews | AllMusic, retrieved 2026-06-19
- ↑ Chicago: The Heart of Chicago... Tracks & Reviews | AllMusic, retrieved 2026-06-19
- ↑ "Mad TV (TV Series 1995–2016) - IMDb". www.imdb.com. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
- ↑ "Greg O'Connor | Emmy Awards and Nominations". Television Academy. Retrieved 2026-06-19.
- ↑ "Outstanding Original Music And Lyrics 2008 - Nominees & Winners Emmy Awards". Television Academy. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
- ↑ "Event | BMI Film TV Awards 2007". BMI.com. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
- ↑ TMP – We Are Friends, retrieved 2026-06-23
- ↑ "Drop Dead Gorgeous (in a Down-to-Earth Bombshell Sort of Way) - Production & Contact Info | IMDbPro". pro.imdb.com. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
- ↑ Ding, Mary Ann (2024-12-03). "Greg O'Connor: From Emmy-Winning Composer to Solo Artist". Digital Music News. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
- ↑ Barry Manilow: In the Swing o... Tracks & Reviews | AllMusic, retrieved 2026-06-20
- ↑ Barry Manilow: The Greatest S... Tracks & Reviews | AllMusic, retrieved 2026-06-20
- ↑ "Chocolate News (TV Series 2008) - IMDb". www.imdb.com. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
- ↑ "The Greening of Whitney Brown (2011) - IMDb". www.imdb.com. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
- ↑ Ding, Mary Ann (2024-12-03). "Greg O'Connor: From Emmy-Winning Composer to Solo Artist". Digital Music News. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
- ↑ Aronson, Sheryl (2016-07-18). "Emmy Winning Composer Greg O'Connor Scores Big". The Hollywood 360. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
- ↑ "Laura Dern Gets Epic Musical Tribute From Gay Men's Chorus: Watch". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
- ↑ "How a Gay 'Fanboy' Created an Unforgettable Laura Dern Tribute | Advocate.com". www.advocate.com. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
- ↑ Iasimone, Ashley (2020-02-09). "Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles Performs Priceless Ode to Laura Dern at the Spirit Awards: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
- ↑ "Laura Dern Gets a Tribute in Song at the Independent Spirit Awards - PAPER Magazine". www.papermag.com. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
- ↑ Grady, Constance (2020-02-10). "The best awards show segment of the weekend is LA's Gay Men's Chorus celebrating Laura Dern". Vox. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
- 1 2 "Greg O'Connor: The Emmy Winner's Journey From Composer to Artist - LA Weekly". 2024-12-03. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
- 1 2 "Greg O'Connor: The Emmy Winner's Journey From Composer to Artist - LA Weekly". 2024-12-03. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
- ↑ Stephan, Katcy (2024-09-17). "Gravitas Ventures Acquires North American Rights to 'My Home Unknown' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
- 1 2 "Greg O'Connor - IMDb". www.imdb.com. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
- 1 2 Aronson, Sheryl (2016-07-18). "Emmy Winning Composer Greg O'Connor Scores Big". The Hollywood 360. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
- ↑ "Greg O'Connor: The Emmy Winner's Journey From Composer to Artist - LA Weekly". 2024-12-03. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
- ↑ "Greg O'Connor: The Emmy Winner's Journey From Composer to Artist - LA Weekly". 2024-12-03. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
- ↑ "Outstanding Music And Lyrics 2001 - Nominees & Winners Emmy Awards". televisionacademy.
- ↑ "2006 Creative Arts Emmys Press Room photo". Emmys.
- ↑ "BMI Film & Television Awards Salute Composers of Top Movie, TV Music". BMI.
- ↑ "Greg O'Connor". Emmys.
- ↑ "Greg O'Connor". Emmys.