Daniel Licht
Daniel Licht (March 13, 1957 – August 2, 2017) was an American soundtrack composer and musician, best known for writing the score of Showtime TV drama series Dexter.
Also recorded as Daniel James Licht
Daniel Licht

Gage Skidmore · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Name
- Daniel Licht
- Born
- 13 March 1957
- Place of death
- Topanga, California, U.S.
- Occupation
- Film composer
- Died
- 2017 · Topanga.
- Nationality
- United States
- Education
- Hampshire College
- Languages
- English
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
Daniel Licht (March 13, 1957 – August 2, 2017) was an American soundtrack composer and musician, best known for writing the score of Showtime TV drama series Dexter.
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Authority files
wikidata · Q1161567 · wikipedia · Daniel Licht
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Daniel Licht • Born — 13 March 1957 • Place of death — Topanga, California, U.S. • Genre — Film score • Occupation — Film composer • Years Active — 1988–2017
Life and career
Life and career
Licht grew up in suburban Detroit and attended the Roeper School, as well as summer school at Berklee College of Music in Boston. He started playing music at the age of eight with his first instrument being the clarinet. He took up the guitar four years later. He began his musical career while still in high school playing guitar with a small jazz ensemble at clubs in the area. Following high school graduation, he attended Hampshire College in Massachusetts and graduated in composition, jazz and world music. Licht moved to New York City and established himself as a musical artist within the Lower East Side music scene. He would travel to Germany, the Netherlands and Northern Europe to perform and compose music for theatre and dance companies. He created scores for such companies as Mercedes-Benz, Sony and AT&T. He then moved to Los Angeles and pursued a career in film scoring, at the suggestion of his former classmate, Christopher Young. His first major project was the 1991 feature film Children of the Night. His composition earned him his first soundtrack CD release. Licht scored all seasons of Dexter, which he considered to be one of his "more visible projects", but was reluctant to refer to it as his big break. In 2012, Licht took over from Akira Yamaoka as the main composer of the Silent Hill video game series; he retained this position until 2015, when Konami decided to shift away from the home console video game industry. He also composed the soundtrack for all three games in the Dishonored series (2012-2017). Licht died at the age of 60 from sarcoma at his home in Topanga, California, in August 2017. The third Dishonored game, Death of the Outsider, released shortly after his death and was dedicated to his memory. Licht was assisted by his nephew Jon for his work on Dexter, Dishonored, and Silent Hill.
Television series
Television series
• Year — Title — Notes • 2003 — Oliver Beene • 2005–2006 — Jake in Progress • Kitchen Confidential • 2006–2013 — Dexter • 2008 — Cashmere Mafia • 2009 — Maneater • 2010 — Romantically Challenged • 2011–2012 — Humsafar — Pakistani serial; Uncredited; Some of the Dexter score is used, most likely in an unofficial capacity. • 2011–2013 — Body of Proof • 2012 — Don't Trust the B— in Apartment 23 — Pilot episode only • 2013 — Deception • 2014–2015 — The Red Road • 2016 — Guilt
Video games
Video games
• Year — Title — Notes • 2012 — Silent Hill: Downpour • Dishonored • Silent Hill: Book of Memories • 2016 — Dishonored 2 • 2017 — Dishonored: Death of the Outsider

Daniel Licht at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con International in San Diego, California. Please attribute to Gage Skidmore if used elsewhere.
Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America · Dan Licht Uploaded by maybeMaybeMaybe
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
2017
Daniel Licht died at Topanga.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Detroit.
Birth place
Topanga.
Death place
Film
• Year — Title — Notes • 1991 — Children of the Night • 1992 — Final Embrace • Amityville: It's About Time • Severed Ties • Inside Out III • Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice • Inside Out IV • 1993 — Acting on Impulse • Ticks • Where Are We? Our Trip Through America • Amityville: A New Generation • A Girls' Guide to Sex • 1994 — The Hard Truth • 1995 — Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest • Zooman • 1996 — Woman Undone • Hellraiser: Bloodline • The Winner • Thinner • Bad Moon • 1998 — The Patron Saint of Liars • Brave New World • Legion of Fire: Killer Ants! • Permanent Midnight • Thirst • 1999 — Splendor • Don't Look Under the Bed • Execution of Justice • 2000 — Cabin by the Lake • Hendrix • 2001 — Anatomy of a Hate Crime • Cowboy Up • Soul Survivors • Off Season • 2002 — Video Voyeur: The Susan Wilson Story • 2004 — ABC's of Newborn Baby Care • King Solomon's Mines • 2005 — Icon • 2008 — The Memory Keeper's Daughter • Gym Teacher: The Movie • 2010 — Dumbstruck • Wake • 2016 — Ghostmates
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Folmann, Troels. Interview with Daniel Licht. 8dio.com. December 2012.
- 2.'Dexter' Composer Daniel Licht Dead At 60. Billboard.
- 3.Licht, Daniel. Dan Licht biography. DanLicht.com.
- 4.Mermelstein, David. Composer brings dexterous touch to 'Dexter'. Variety. October 2, 2010. 0042-2738.
- 5.Barnes, Mike. Daniel Licht, Composer on 'Dexter,' Dies at 60. The Hollywood Reporter. August 4, 2017. 0018-3660.
- 6.Burlingame, John. Daniel Licht, 'Dexter,' 'Children of the Corn' Composer, Dies at 60. Variety. August 4, 2017. 0042-2738.
- 7.jonlicht.com.
- 8.Daniel Licht Composer Credits. Evolution Music Partners.
- 9.Pera, Delio. Interview: Daniel Licht. Gather Your Party. November 19, 2012.
- 10.Donnelly, Joe. Daniel Licht, the Dexter and Dishonored composer, dies at 60. PC Gamer. August 4, 2017.
- 11.Dishonored: Death of the Outsider Game Audio Review. January 26, 2018.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q1161567: Daniel LichtWikimedia Foundation
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolved
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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