Mark Smythe

Mark Cyprian Ward Smythe (1972 – 9 May 2026) was an American-based New Zealand film, television and concert composer and academic. He was best known for scoring the 2022 Australian shark thriller The Reef: Stalked, for which he received nominations at the Society of Composers & Lyricists (SCL) Awards and the World Soundtrack Awards in 2023.

Early life and education Smythe was born in New Zealand in 1972, the son of Brian Smythe and Ginny Ward. He was raised in Nelson and its suburb Washington Valley, and at age 7, he started singing in Nelson Cathedral. Smythe moved to Dunedin. He played in several rock bands there before pursuing screen composition. Soon after his arrival, he received a Hollywood Music in Media Award at the organization's 2013 ceremony, and went on to receive further HMMA nominations in 2015, 2017 and 2021.

His screen credits included the horror films Daddy's Little Girl (2012), Boar, Charlie's Farm and The Possessed, all collaborations with Australian director Chris Sun, as well as the war drama Unfallen, the romantic comedy Love You Like That and The Reef: Stalked (2022), directed by Andrew Traucki. He was 53. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner attributed his death to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.