People

Jeff Beal

Sound · follow into films and chains

Biography

Jeff Beal (born June 20, 1963) is an American composer and jazz instrumentalist. He has won five Emmy Awards out of nineteen nominations, most frequently for House of Cards. Other television credits include Monk, Ugly Betty, Rome, Carnivàle, Medium, and the Jesse Stone television films. Beal's film scores include Pollock (2000), Appaloosa (2008), Shock and Awe (2017), Breaking News in Yuba County (2021), and Raymond & Ray (2022). In addition to his scoring career, Beal is a prolific composer of concert music. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Beal’s grandmother was a pianist and accompanist for silent movies who influenced his musical development. In addition to studying both classical and jazz trumpet, Jeff was a self-taught pianist. He studied at the Eastman School of Music, where he met his wife, soprano Joan Sapiro Beal. The couple lives in New York City. Beal disclosed that in 2007 that he had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

Notable films