As one of the most talked-about figures, Danny Elfman has built a significant fortune. In this article, we dive deep into the assets and career highlights.
What is Danny Elfman's Net Worth?
Danny Elfman is an American composer, singer, songwriter, and actor who has a net worth of $50 million. Danny Elfman is known as the lead singer and songwriter for the rock band Oingo Boingo (1979-1995) and for scoring music for numerous television shows and films. He has written scores for more than 100 feature films to date, and he has scored 16 films that were directed byTim Burton, including "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" (1985), "Batman" (1989), "Edward Scissorhands" (1990), and "Big Fish" (2003). Danny has also written scores or theme music for numerous television shows, most notably "The Simpsons" (1989) and "Desperate Housewives" (2004). Elfman has appeared in the films "I Never Promised You a Rose Garden" (1977), "Forbidden Zone" (1980), "Back to School" (1986), and "The Gift" (2000), and he has lent his voice to the Tim Burton films "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (1993), "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (2005), and "Corpse Bride" (2005). He also served as an associate producer on "The Nightmare Before Christmas."
"The Simpsons" Royalties
Elfman composed the theme song to "The Simpsons" in 1998. You can hear his voice at the very beginning singing "The Simpsonnnnss" over three notes. That's an important fact because singing the notes allows Danny to earn performance royalties forever (as long as "The Simpsons" airs, which is likely forever). In interviews Danny has intimated that those three notes "made him rich," earning him far more than he earned to compose the actual tune.
Early Life
Danny Elfman was born Daniel Robert Elfman on May 29, 1953, in Los Angeles, California. He grew up in a Jewish household with mother Blossom (a teacher and writer), father Milton (a teacher and Air Force veteran), and brother Richard, who is an actor, journalist, and musician. During his youth, Elfman enjoyed spending time at the local cinema in Baldwin Hills, where he watched horror, science-fiction, and fantasy movies and was introduced to the scores of composers Franz Waxman and Bernard Herrmann. In elementary school, Danny was rejected from the school orchestra for "having no propensity for music," but in high school, he became friends with classmates who were interested in music and turned him on to jazz and Stravinsky.
Elfman graduated early and decided to travel around the world. He followed his brother Richard to France and played violin with the musical theater group Le Grand Magic Circus, then he spent 10 months traveling through Africa, where he contracted malaria three times. When he returned to L.A., "pretty sick and ready to come home," Richard had formed a street troupe called The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, and he informed Danny on his second day home, "You're the musical director. Now, I know you've got hepatitis so you probably won't be active for a few weeks. But you can start listening and soaking it up!" Elfman attended classes in the Indonesian music department at CalArts and performed there for a few years, but he never officially enrolled at the university.
(Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images for Netflix)
In summary, the total wealth of Danny Elfman reflects strategic moves.
Disclaimer: All net worth figures are estimates based on public data.
