Danny Elfman
| Danny Elfman | |
|---|---|
Elfman at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con.
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| Born |
Daniel Robert Elfman May 29, 1953 Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Occupation | Composer, singer, songwriter, record producer |
| Spouse(s) | Bridget Fonda (m. 2003) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent(s) | Milton Elfman Blossom Elfman |
| Relatives |
Richard Elfman (brother) Bodhi Elfman (nephew) |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | New wave, ska,alternative rock, film music, video game music |
| Instruments | Trombone, guitar, percussion, vocals, piano, keyboard |
| Years active | 1972–present |
| Associated acts | Oingo Boingo, James Newton Howard |
Daniel Robert "Danny" Elfman (born May 29, 1953) is an American composer, singer, songwriter, and record producer. From 1974 to 1995 he was the lead singer and songwriter for the band Oingo Boingo.
In 1976 Elfman entered the film industry as an actor. In 1982 he scored his first film, Forbidden Zone, directed by his older brother Richard Elfman. Among his honours are four Academy Award nominations, a Grammy for Batman, an Emmy for Desperate Housewives, the 2002 Richard Kirk Award, and the Disney Legend Award.
Danny Elfman was born in Los Angeles, California, into a Jewish family. He is the son of Blossom Elfman (née Bernstein), a writer and teacher, and Milton Elfman, a teacher who was in the Air Force. He was raised in a racially mixed affluent community in Baldwin Hills, California. He spent much of his time in the neighborhood's local movie theatre, adoring the music of such film composers as Bernard Herrmann and Franz Waxman. Stating that he hung out with the "band geeks" in high school, he started a ska band. After dropping out of high school, he followed his brother Richard to France, where he performed with Le Grand Magic Circus, an avant-garde musical theater group.
He was never officially a student at the CalArts; nonetheless, the instructor encouraged him to continue learning. Elfman stated, "He just laughed, and said, 'Sit. Play.' I continued to sit and play for a couple years." At this time, his brother Richard was forming a new musical theater group.
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Wikipedia