Danny Elfman Net Worth: As a composer for numerous movies and television shows, Danny Elfman, a musician nominated for an Academy Award four times, is well-known.
Danny Elfman first became famous as the lead singer and songwriter for the rock band Oingo Boingo, a new wave band that enjoyed success from 1975 to 1995, yet he is best remembered as the crooner of many hitmakers from the 1970s to the 1990s.
Daniel Robert Elfman was born in Amarillo, Texas, on May 29, 1953. He is Richard Elfman’s younger brother. Richard Elfman trusted Danny to be the director of the theatre group The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, eventually abbreviated to Oingo Boingo. Elfman is renowned for his lengthy collaboration with director Tim Burton.
Who Is Danny Elfman?
On May 29, 1953, in Los Angeles, California, Danny Robert Elfman was born. He was raised in a Jewish home by his mother, Blossom, a writer and teacher. His father, Milton, a teacher, and his brother Richard, an actor, journalist, and musician.
Elfman grew up spending time at the Baldwin Hills neighborhood movie theatre, where he viewed horror, science fiction, and fantasy films and first encountered the music of Franz Waxman and Bernard Herrmann.
Danny was disqualified from joining the school symphony in elementary school for “having no predisposition for music.” Still, in high school, he made friends with others who shared that interest, who introduced him to jazz and Stravinsky.
Elfman decided to take a globe tour after graduating early. After following his brother Richard there, he played the violin with the musical theatre ensemble Le Grand Magic Circus in France. He spent 10 months traveling through Africa, where he twice suffered malaria.
What Is Danny Elfman’s Net Worth?
American composer, singer, songwriter, and actor Danny Elfman has a 50 million dollar fortune. Elfman is renowned for his work as the lead vocalist and songwriter for the rock group Oingo Boingo (1979–1995) and for writing the music for various movies and television programs.
He has composed the music for more than 100 feature films to date, including “Pee-Big wee’s Adventure” (1985), “Batman” (1989), “Edward Scissorhands” (1990), and “Big Fish.” He has also composed the music for 16 films directed by Tim Burton (2003). The Simpsons (1989) and “Desperate Housewives” are two television programs for which Danny has also composed soundtracks or themes (2004).
“The Simpsons” Royalties
The “The Simpsons” theme tune was written by Elfman in 1998. At the very beginning, you can hear his voice sing “The Simpsonnnnss” over three notes. That’s significant because Danny can continue to get performance royalties as long as he sings the notes (as long as “The Simpsons” airs, which is likely forever).
Danny has implied in interviews that those three notes “made him rich,” giving him significantly more money than he received for writing the song.
When Did Danny Elfman Start His Career?
Until Richard departed the group in the late 1970s to pursue a career as a filmmaker, the Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo gave performances in clubs and on the streets of Los Angeles. Danny wrote the music and the score for Richard’s movie “Forbidden Zone,” based on the band’s live performances.
The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo became the new wave band Oingo Boingo after Richard quit and Danny took command. Between 1981 and 1994, the group put out eight studio albums. The single “Weird Science” from the 1985 album “Dead Man’s Party” served as the title song for the corresponding movie and television show.
Between the 1990s “Nightbreed,” “Dick Tracy,” “Darkman,” and “Edward Scissorhands” and 1999’s “Instinct,” “Anywhere but Here,” and “Sleepy Hollow,” Danny composed the music for 25 movies. In 1993’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” he also wrote the score, 10 songs and provided Jack Skellington’s singing voice.
Elfman scored in the 1997 movie “Men in Black,” as well as “Men in Black II” in 2002, “Men in Black 3” in 2012, and “Men in Black: International” in 2019. He was nominated for a Grammy for the soundtrack to the first movie in the series.
Danny Elfman’s Personal Life
In his adolescence, Danny dated Kim Gordon, who would become the vocalist, guitarist, and bassist for Sonic Youth. He later married Geri Eisenmenger, and the couple had two daughters, Lola (born in 1979) and Mali (born in 1984).
Elfman and Eisenmenger split, after which he wed Bridget Fonda on November 29, 2003, and their son Oliver was born on January 21, 2005. Actor Bodhi Elfman, the spouse of “Dharma & Greg” star Jenna Elfman, is Danny’s nephew.
Danny Elfman Awards and Nominations
Four Oscars have Elfman up for consideration: Best Music, Original Dramatic Score for “Good Will Hunting,” Best Music, Original Musical or Comedy Score for “Men in Black,” Best Music, Original Score for “Big Fish,” and Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score for “Milk.”
Artist presale is live today! 10am – 10pm
Use code: ELFMANhttps://t.co/AWb1iEogPB pic.twitter.com/VDohJtKPkm
— Danny Elfman (@dannyelfman) August 25, 2022
In addition to winning Outstanding Main Title Theme Music for “Desperate Housewives” and Outstanding Music Direction for the “Live from Lincoln Center” episode “Danny Elfman’s Music from the Films of Tim Burton,” he has been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards.
Real Estate
Public records show that in 2000, Danny paid $2.13 million for a house in Los Angeles’s Hancock Park district. Danny and Bridget renovated the 1920s-era house over three years and around $3 million; in 2015, they paid $3.6 million to buy the neighboring property.
Elfman and Fonda listed their combined estate for $14.6 million in October 2020. The price of the larger original home, if sold individually, was $8.8 million, while the cost of the smaller house was $5.8 million. Do you want to learn more about celebrities? Visit our website, Newswatchlist.com, for the most recent news.