Danny Elfman
Biography
Danny Elfman is an American film composer and singer-songwriter. Born in Los Angeles, he first gained attention as lead vocalist and primary songwriter of Oingo Boingo in the early 1980s. He wrote songs and his first film score for Forbidden Zone (1980), then began scoring studio features in 1985. He is known for a long collaboration with Tim Burton, including the songs and score for The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), for which he also sang the role of Jack Skellington, and Corpse Bride (2005), where he voiced Bonejangles. His other work includes scores for Spider-Man 2, Men in Black, Good Will Hunting, and Milk. His honors include four Oscar nominations and three Emmy Awards, plus a Grammy and seven Saturn Awards for Best Music. He was featured in the 2016 documentary Score.
73years old
Turns 74 on May 29in 229 days
- Born Los Angeles
- Star sign: GeminiThe sign runs May 21 to June 20
- Daniel Robert Elfman (birth name)
Movie Career
- Films
- 6
- Career span
- 37 years1980 to 2017
Genres
- Documentary50%, 3 films
- Fantasy50%, 3 films
- Animation33%, 2 films
- Family33%, 2 films
- Action17%, 1 film
First and latest
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A change of course
Danny Elfman was rejected from his elementary school orchestra because he showed no propensity for music, despite later becoming a film composer.
Big break
Elfman got his first studio film scoring job on Pee-wee's Big Adventure after Tim Burton and Paul Reubens, as fans of Oingo Boingo, invited him, despite his lack of formal training.
Beyond film
Elfman provided the singing voice for Jack Skellington in The Nightmare Before Christmas, as well as voices for Barrel and the Clown with the Tear-Away Face, while also writing the score and songs.
A first
On January 17, 2026, Elfman appeared on Saturday Night Live for the first time, playing drums with A$AP Rocky on the song "Punk Rocky". Oingo Boingo, a West Coast act, had never been asked on the show.
A first
Serenada Schizophrana was Elfman's first original concert work. The American Composers Orchestra commissioned it and gave the premiere on February 23, 2005, at Carnegie Hall.
Danny Elfman movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
- The Nightmare Before Christmas1993 Animation, Family, Fantasyas Jack Skellington - Singing Voice / Barrel / Clown with the Tear Away Facevoice
IMDb rating 7.9416K votes
Worked with
Danny Elfman made one film with each of them. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Christopher Lee's page
J.K. Simmons's page
Alfred Molina's page
Johnny Depp's page
Richard E. Grant's page
Helena Bonham Carter's page
All films by Henry Selick
All films by Mike Johnson
All films by Tim Burton
Awards
Five awards and honors from 1990 to 2023, four of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emmy Awards | |||
| 2023 | Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music | Wednesday | Won |
| 2016 | Outstanding Music Direction | Won | |
| 2005 | Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music | Desperate Housewives | Won |
| Grammy Awards | |||
| 1990 | Best Instrumental Composition | Batman | Won |
| Other honors | |||
| 2015 | Disney Legends | Honored | |
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.