Danny Elfman
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Daniel Robert "Danny" Elfman (born May 29, 1953, in Amarillo, Texas) is a pop musician, composer and writer of film soundtracks. His style is noticable by its very offbeat and intense style, which had already begun by the time of Forbidden Zone.
Elfman's most recognisable composition is probably the theme music to the animated television series The Simpsons.
Elfman was the frontman for the 1980s rock band Oingo Boingo, whose first major appearance was in his brother Richard Elfman's film, Forbidden Zone. Elfman's vocal range and manic stage presence led the band to a long series of recordings and a cult following.
Beginning with the score for Pee-wee's Big Adventure, Elfman made the transition from punk band leader to film composer. This also began his long association with the film director Tim Burton, and has scored many of his films, including Beetlejuice, Batman, Batman Returns, Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow, Mars Attacks!, Big Fish, and Corpse Bride. As a film composer Elfman is recognizably influenced by Nino Rota and Bernard Herrmann.
Burton and Elfman also collaborated intensively on the modern film musical The Nightmare Before Christmas, for which Elfman contributed the singing voice of the main character, as well as writing the lyrics and composing the songs and score. Elfman's music for Burton films contains themes and elements such as a pipe organ and choirs, thus helping to create a fantasy-like gothic atmosphere in Burton's films. He has also written music for the original X-Men cartoon and the theme for the current show Desperate Housewives.
He has also scored many other films including Back to School, Chicago, Dick Tracy, Freeway, Good Will Hunting, Hulk, Midnight Run, both movies in the Men in Black series, The Family Man, and Sam Raimi's Darkman, Army of Darkness, A Simple Plan, Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2.
On November 29, 2003, Elfman married Bridget Fonda.
External links
- Template:Imdb name
- SoundtrackNet entry for Danny Elfman (http://www.soundtrack.net/composers/database/?id=58)
- Danny Elfman's Music For A Darkened People (http://elfman.filmmusic.com)it:Danny Elfman