Danny Elfman
Born: 29 May 1953, Los Angeles, California.
Biography:
Massively popular singer/songwriter and composer who conquered the world twice, firstly as the front man of the cult rock group Oingo Boingo, and then as one of the most successful film music composers of the 80s and 90s. Born in California (his mother Blossom was a children's novelist, his father Milton a teacher), Elfman and his brother Richard (now a successful director) globe-hopped through Europe and Africa during their late adolescence, picking up musical influences as they went, before eventually settling in Los Angeles in the 1970s. Keen to focus his musical creativity, and in response to Richard’s impending debut as a film director, Elfman formed a rock band named The Mystic Knights of Oingo Boingo. Initially conceived to provide music for the resulting low-budget film "Forbidden Zone" (1980), Oingo Boingo quickly built up a cult following in the Los Angeles area, and within five years had become hugely popular on the underground performance scene. With hit songs such as "Weird Science", "Not My Slave" and "Dead Man’s Party", Elfman and his cohorts (some of whom, notably Steve Bartek and Richard Gibbs have also gone into film music) enjoyed a decade of success, before they finally split in 1995. Sometime in 1984, Elfman was approached by a fan of the band, who asked him if he would consider scoring the film he just made. The fan was Tim Burton, the film was "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure", and Elfman's career in film music was launched. Today, Elfman is one of the most original, respected and sought-after composers in the business today, with a completely unique style and wildly differing musical tastes. In the twenty or so years since his fledgling effort, Elfman has scored some of the Hollywood's most successful films, including "Batman" (1989), "Batman Returns" (1992), Mission: Impossible (1996), the Oscar-nominated "Good Will Hunting" (1997), "Men in Black" (1997), "Planet of the Apes" (2001), "Chicago" (2002), "Spider-Man" (2002), "Men in Black II" (2002) and "Spider-Man 2" (2004). His continuing collaboration with Tim Burton has resulted in such memorable works as "Beetlejuice" (1988), "Edward Scissorhands" (1990), "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas" (1993), "Mars Attacks!" (1996) and "Sleepy Hollow" (1999), and if that were not enough, Elfman is also responsible for writing one of modern television's most popular themes, for the animated comedy show "The Simpsons". Massively successful, with a huge fan base across the world, Danny Elfman is inarguably one of the most popular film music composers working today. He is a three-time Oscar nominee, lives and works in Los Angeles (in a studio surrounded by shrunken heads in glass jars), and is married to actress Bridget Fonda.
Reviews:
9, Alice in Wonderland, Anywhere But Here, Batman, Batman Returns, Beetlejuice, Big Fish, Black Beauty, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlotte’s Web, Chicago, A Civil Action, Corpse Bride, Dolores Claiborne, Edward Scissorhands, The Family Man, The Frighteners, Good Will Hunting, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Hulk, Instinct, The Kingdom, Meet the Robinsons, Men in Black II, Milk, Planet of the Apes, Proof of Life, Psycho, A Simple Plan, Sleepy Hollow, Sommersby, Spider-Man 2, Spy Kids, Taking Woodstock, Terminator Salvation, Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Wolfman, Wanted, Music for a Darkened Theater (compilation), and Music for a Darkened Theater Vol.2 (compilation)
Filmography:
Alice in Wonderland (2010), Frankenweenie (2010), Green Hornet (2010), The Wolfman (2010), 9 (2009), Notorious (2009), Taking Woodstock (2009), Terminator Salvation (2009), Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008), Milk (2008), Standard Operating Procedure (2008), Wanted (2008), The Kingdom (2007), Meet the Robinsons (2007), Charlotte's Web (2006), Deep Sea 3D (2006), Nacho Libre (2006), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Corpse Bride (2005), Desperate Housewives (2004), Spider-Man 2 (2004), Big Fish (2003), Hulk (2003), Chicago (2002), Men in Black II (2002), Red Dragon (2002), Spider-Man (2002), Heartbreakers (2001), Novocaine (2001), Planet of the Apes (2001), Spy Kids (2001), The Family Man (2000), Proof of Life (2000), Anywhere But Here (1999), Instinct (1999), My Favorite Martian (1999), Sleepy Hollow (1999), A Civil Action (1998), Psycho (1998), The Revenant (1998), A Simple Plan (1998), Flubber (1997), Good Will Hunting (1997), Men in Black (1997), Extreme Measures (1996), Freeway (1996), The Frighteners (1996), Mars Attacks! (1996), Mission: Impossible (1996), Dead Presidents (1995), To Die For (1995), Black Beauty (1994), Dolores Claiborne (1994), Shrunken Heads (1994), Army of Darkness (1993), Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Sommersby (1993), Batman Returns (1992), Article 99 (1991), Pure Luck (1991), Darkman (1990), Dick Tracy (1990), Edward Scissorhands (1990), The Flash (1990), Nightbreed (1990), Batman (1989), Beetlejuice (1988), Big Top Pee-Wee (1988), Hot to Trot (1988), Midnight Run (1988), Scrooged (1988), Summer School (1987), Back to School (1986), Wisdom (1986), Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985), Forbidden Zone (1980).
Highest Grossing Films as at end of 2008 (adjusted for inflation):
Spider-Man ($500.3m), Batman ($455.6m), Spider-Man 2 ($433.1m), Men in Black ($393.2m), Mission: Impossible ($294.8m), Batman Returns ($282.5m), Men in Black II ($236.0m), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ($231.8m), Planet of the Apes ($229.0m), Good Will Hunting ($217.1m).
Awards:
2008 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Score – Milk
2003 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Score - Big Fish
1997 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Dramatic Score - Good Will Hunting
1997 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Musical/Comedy Score - Men in Black
2003 Golden Globes - Nominee, Best Original Score - Big Fish
1993 Golden Globes - Nominee, Best Original Score - Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas
2002 BAFTA Awards - Nominee, Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music - Chicago
2005 Grammy Awards – Nominee, Best Song Written for a Motion Picture or Television – “Wonka’s Welcome Song” from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
2004 Grammy Awards – Nominee, Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or Television – Big Fish
2002 Grammy Awards – Nominee, Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or Television – Spider–Man
2001 Grammy Awards – Nominee, Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or Television – Planet of the Apes
1997 Grammy Awards – Nominee, Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or Television – Men in Black
1991 Grammy Awards – Nominee, Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or Television – Edward Scissorhands
1990 Grammy Awards – Nominee, Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or Television – Dick Tracy
1989 Grammy Awards – Nominee, Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or Television – Batman
2005 Emmy Awards – Winner, Outstanding Main Title Music – Desperate Housewives
1990 Emmy Awards – Nominee, Outstanding Main Title Music – The Simpsons
Links:
Music for a Darkened People by Ryan Keaveney
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