Skip to main content
Danny Elfman

Danny Elfman

Sound1953Los Angeles, California, USA

Biography

Daniel Robert Elfman (born May 29, 1953) is an American film composer, singer, songwriter, and musician. He came to prominence as the lead vocalist and primary songwriter for the new wave band Oingo Boingo in the early 1980s. Since scoring his first studio film in 1985, Elfman has garnered international recognition for composing over 100 feature film scores, as well as compositions for television, stage productions, and the concert hall.

Elfman has frequently worked with directors Tim Burton, Sam Raimi, and Gus Van Sant, contributing music to nearly 20 Burton projects, including Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, Beetlejuice, Batman, Edward Scissorhands, Batman Returns, Mars Attacks!, Sleepy Hollow, Big Fish, and Alice in Wonderland, as well as scoring Raimi's Darkman, A Simple Plan, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Oz the Great and Powerful, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Van Sant's Academy Award-winning films Good Will Hunting and Milk. He wrote music for all of the Men in Black and Fifty Shades of Grey franchise films, the songs and score for Henry Selick's animated musical The Nightmare Before Christmas, and the themes for the popular television series Desperate Housewives and The Simpsons.

Among his honours are four Oscar nominations, three Emmy Awards, a Grammy, seven Saturn Awards for Best Music, the 2002 Richard Kirk Award, the 2015 Disney Legend Award, the Max Steiner Film Music Achievement Award in 2017, and the Society of Composers & Lyricists Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Danny Elfman, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Acting History

2026
Send Help
Original Music Composer
2025
Dead Man's Wire
Original Music Composer
Dracula
Original Music Composer
2024
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Original Music Composer
The Simpsons: O C'mon All Ye Faithful
Main Title Theme Composer
2022
White Noise
Original Music Composer
Wednesday
TVMain Title Theme Composer
2021
The Woman in the Window
Original Music Composer
Aliens, Clowns & Geeks
Original Music Composer
2020
Dolittle
Original Music Composer
2019
Dumbo
Original Music Composer
Men in Black: International
Original Music Composer
2018
Fifty Shades Freed
Original Music Composer
The Grinch
Original Music Composer
2017
78/52
as Self
Tulip Fever
Original Music Composer
Fifty Shades Darker
Original Music Composer
The Circle
Original Music Composer
Justice League
Original Music Composer
When We Rise
TVOriginal Music Composer
2016
The Girl on the Train
Original Music Composer
Somnia
Original Music Composer
Alice Through the Looking Glass
Original Music Composer
2014
Big Eyes
Original Music Composer
Mr. Peabody & Sherman
Original Music Composer
2013
2012
Silver Linings Playbook
Original Music Composer
Dark Shadows
Original Music Composer
Frankenweenie
Original Music Composer
Hitchcock
Original Music Composer
Men in Black 3
Original Music Composer
Promised Land
Original Music Composer
2011
Restless
Original Music Composer
Real Steel
Original Music Composer
2010
DemiUrge Emesis
as Narrator (voice)
The Wolfman
Original Music Composer
The Next Three Days
Original Music Composer
Alice in Wonderland
Original Music Composer
2009
Taking Woodstock
Original Music Composer
Notorious
Original Music Composer
9
Songs
9
Original Music Composer
Terminator Salvation
Original Music Composer
2008
Standard Operating Procedure
Original Music Composer
Wanted
Original Music Composer
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Original Music Composer
Milk
Original Music Composer
2007
The Kingdom
Original Music Composer
Sicko
Thanks
Meet the Robinsons
Original Music Composer
2006
Charlotte's Web
Original Music Composer
Nacho Libre
Original Music Composer
IMAX Deep Sea
Original Music Composer
2005
Corpse Bride
as Bonejangles (voice)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
as Oompa Loompa (voice) (uncredited)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Original Music Composer
Corpse Bride
Original Music Composer
2004
Spider-Man 2
Original Music Composer
2003
Hulk
Original Music Composer
Big Fish
Original Music Composer
2002
Spider-Man
Original Music Composer
Red Dragon
Original Music Composer
Men in Black II
Original Music Composer
Chicago
Original Music Composer
2001
Planet of the Apes
Original Music Composer
Novocaine
Original Music Composer
Heartbreakers
Original Music Composer
Spy Kids
Original Music Composer
2000
The Gift
as Tommy Lee Ballard
Psycho Path
as Self - Arranger
Proof of Life
Original Music Composer
The Family Man
Original Music Composer
Psycho Path
Music Producer
1999
Instinct
Original Music Composer
Sleepy Hollow
Original Music Composer
Anywhere but Here
Original Music Composer
1998
Modern Vampires
Original Music Composer
Psycho
Music Producer
A Simple Plan
Original Music Composer
A Civil Action
Original Music Composer
1997
Good Will Hunting
Original Music Composer
Flubber
Original Music Composer
Men in Black
Original Music Composer
Perversions of Science
TVTheme Song Performance8 eps
1996
Freeway
Original Music Composer
Extreme Measures
Original Music Composer
Bordello of Blood
Main Title Theme Composer
The Frighteners
Original Music Composer
Mars Attacks!
Original Music Composer
Mission: Impossible
Original Music Composer
1995
Dolores Claiborne
Original Music Composer
Dead Presidents
Original Music Composer
Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight
Main Title Theme Composer
To Die For
Original Music Composer
1993
The Nightmare Before Christmas
as Jack Skellington (singing) / Barrel / Clown with the Tear away Face (voice)
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Original Music Composer
Sommersby
Original Music Composer
1992
Batman Returns
Original Music Composer
Article 99
Original Music Composer
Batman: The Animated Series
TVMain Title Theme Composer
1990
Edward Scissorhands
Original Music Composer
Dick Tracy
Original Music Composer
Nightbreed
Original Music Composer
Darkman
Original Music Composer
The Flash
Original Music Composer
1989
Batman
Original Music Composer
The Simpsons
TVMain Title Theme Composer
The Simpsons
TVTheme Song Performance
Tales from the Crypt
TVTheme Song Performance
1988
Hot to Trot
Original Music Composer
Scrooged
Original Music Composer
Face Like a Frog
Original Music Composer
Big Top Pee-wee
Original Music Composer
Midnight Run
Original Music Composer
Beetlejuice
Original Music Composer
1987
Summer School
Original Music Composer
1986
Back to School
as Oingo Boingo Band Member
Back to School
Original Music Composer
Amazing Stories
Original Music Composer
Wisdom
Original Music Composer
1985
Pee-wee's Big Adventure
Original Music Composer
Amazing Stories
TVMusic2 eps
1980
Forbidden Zone
Original Music Composer
1977
Hot Tomorrows
as Singer
1975
Saturday Night Live
TVas Self - Cameo (uncredited)

Social Media

Personal Info

Known For
Sound
Gender
Male
Birthday
5/29/1953(72 years old)
Place of Birth
Los Angeles, California, USA