Christopher Joseph Lennertz (born January 2, 1972) is an American composer, conductor, songwriter, and lyricist. He has composed the scores for films such as Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007), Hop, Horrible Bosses (both 2011), Think Like a Man (2012) and ' (2017), and the Medal of Honor video game series created by Steven Spielberg. He additionally composed the scores for Supernatural, Revolution, The Boys and Gen V, all created by Eric Kripke.
He composed the score for Sausage Party (2016) and Galavant with Alan Menken, and the television series Agent Carter, which included a first-ever Marvel musical number co-written by him and Glenn Slater. He later composed the scores for Lost in Space and '.
Lennertz was born on January 2, 1972, in Methuen, Massachusetts. He attended Easton Area High School in Easton, Pennsylvania, and then Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California, where he studied with Academy Award-winner Elmer Bernstein. He was mentored as an assistant, arranger, and orchestrator to legendary composers Basil Poledouris and Michael Kamen.
Lennertz began his musical career in 1998, though his first credit as an orchestrator was in 2000, with the direct-to-video animated film ', where he served as an orchestrator and additional music provider. His first major breakthrough composition was in 2007, with the jukebox musical comedy Alvin and the Chipmunks, directed by Tim Hill; the album containing his score for the film was released in 2008. Lennertz would also collaborate with several directors, including Hill, Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, Seth Gordon, Tim Story, and Matthew O'Callaghan.
He would continue to compose and conduct music for several other blockbuster films, including Marmaduke (2010), ' (2011), Hop (2011), Horrible Bosses (2011), Think Like a Man (2012), The Wedding Ringer (2015), and Sausage Party (2016). He composed the score for six Looney Tunes animated short films, directed by Matthew O'Callaghan and animated by Reel FX Creative Studios. Outside of composing music for films, Lennertz composed the score for video games, including Medal of Honor titles such as ' (2003), ' (2004), and ' (2005), as well as James Bond games such as From Russia with Love (2005), and ' (2008). Lennertz has also composed the score for television shows, including Supernatural (2005âÂÂ2020), Agent Carter (2015âÂÂ2016), Lost in Space (2018âÂÂ2021), The Boys (2019âÂÂpresent; with Matt Bowen), Gen V (2023âÂÂpresent; with Matt Bowen), and ' (2024âÂÂpresent).
Lennertz married Shannon Madden Lennertz on August 13, 2008. They had two children together, Tobi (born January 20, 2008) and Vesper (born March 13, 2013).