Daniel Robert Elfman was born on May 29th, 1953 in Los Angeles, California. His parents were Blossom and Milton Elfman. His father was a teacher. Blossom, his mother, was a novelist. She won an Emmy for her writing in a TV movie. Danny spent his childhood in Los Angeles.
When he turned 18, he moved with his brother, Richard, to France. In France, he joined a theater group. This is where he became acquainted with the many different instruments of the orchestra.
After spending a few years in France, he moved to Africa. He moved back to the U.S. after contracting malaria.
In 1980, Elfman worked with his brother, director Richard Elfman, on the film Forbidden Zone. Forbidden Zone was done first as 16mm film (AKA Hercules Family, in 1980), then reshot as a 35mm version, which came out in 1983.*
Richard formed a group known as The Mystic Knights of Oingo Boingo. They performed the score that Danny wrote for Forbidden Zone. Oingo Boingo, as it's known today, became a permanent group and drew a large cult following. In 1995, however, they broke up.
In 1985, Danny met Tim Burton. Tim had asked Danny to score the music for Pee-Wee's Big Adventure. This was Tim's first time directing and Danny's first time composing for a big-budget film.
Danny called in his friend and fellow Oingo Boingo member, Steve Bartek, to orchestrate for him. Pee-Wee was a success. Thus began the friendship between Danny and Tim. Today, they are still working together as a team.
Danny has scored the music for every single movie that Tim has directed, with the exception of Ed Wood.
He won his only Grammy in 1989 for his theme to Batman.
He was nominated for two academy awards in 1998, one for Men in Black and the other for Good Will Hunting.
The Nightmare Before Christmas was a project where Danny wrote the songs, composed the score, and sang the leading role in the movie.
Besides Tim Burton, Danny has worked with many other directors such as Brian DePalma, Emilo Estevez, Warren Beatty, and the Hughes brothers. In 1996, he composed the score to Freeway which was directed by one of his high school friends.
In return for his services, Elfman was paid only a dollar. In 1997, Elfman wrote music for a scene in Wes Craven's Scream 2.
Danny Elfman is one of the few artists that have established themselves as both a composer and a rocker. He has drawn a large following of fans who find his works to be fresh and innovative. (Translated: COOL!) Although he is looked down upon by many of his colleaques, he still continues to be one of the most popular and sought-after film composers in the film industry.
-Groovy Yak-