"If there's one thing I really love... it's sad music."
- Danny Elfman in 1996, regarding Black Beauty

Daniel Richard Elfman was born on May 29th, 1953 in Amarillo, Texas to Blossom and Milton Elfman. His father was a teacher and his mother was a novelist of children's stories who won an Emmy award for her writing in a TV movie. Elfman spent his childhood in Los Angeles, and when he turned 18, he moved with his older brother, Richard, to France (Richard's son Jimmy is married to actress Jenna Elfman). There, he joined a theater group and became acquainted with the many different instruments of the orchestra. After spending a few years in France, he moved to Africa. He eventually moved back to the U.S. after contracting malaria, though he still considers his time in Africa a great benefit to himself.

In 1980, Elfman worked with his brother once again on the film Forbidden Zone, which Richard directed. He formed a group known as "The Mystic Knights of Oingo Boingo" and they performed the score that Elfman wrote for Forbidden Zone (re-released in 1983). The group could be found in dark taverns and makeshift stages around Los Angeles performing musical/theatrical gigs with theatrical elements. Oingo Boingo, as it became known, emerged as a permanent group and drew a large cult following until 1995, when the group dissolved. In 1985, Elfman met Tim Burton, who asked Elfman to score the music for Pee-Wee's Big Adventure. This was Burton's first time directing and Elfman's first time composing for a big-budget film. Elfman called in his friend and fellow Oingo Boingo member, Steve Bartek, to orchestrate for him and the quirky project was a success. Thus began the friendship between Elfman and Burton. Elfman first became known by soundtrack fans in general with his funky, light-hearted score for Beetlejuice. Combined with Harry Belafonte's songs, the album was an enormous cult success.

Elfman would continue to score several Tim Burton movies in the following decades, with the exception of Ed Wood. He won a Grammy in 1989 for his magnificent theme to Batman, which Elfman considers to be one of his best scores. Countering notions that the Academy refuses to honor composers who are self-taught, Elfman finally received two Oscar nominations in 1998, for Men in Black and Good Will Hunting, but then would go several years again without a nomination. Standouts in his career include Edward Scissorhands in 1990, which contains a cue ("The Grand Finale") that is considered one of the best single tracks in the history of film, The Nightmare Before Christmas in 1993, for which Elfman wrote the songs, composed the score, and sang the leading role as Jack Skellington in the movie, and Alice in Wonderland in 2010. The composer's ability to merge orchestral and rock elements has yielded impressive results in unlikely assignments ranging from Real Steel in 2010 to Fifty Shades of Gray in 2015.

Besides Tim Burton, Elfman has worked with many other directors, including Brian DePalma, Emilo Estevez, Warren Beatty (who Elfman says is "insane" to work with), 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 asked to be paid only a dollar. He remains one of the few artists to have established himself as both highly successful composer and a rocker, and he has drawn a large following of fans who find his works to be fresh and innovative. His most lasting associations may be with superhero films, however, his contributions to Batman, Spider-Man, and The Avengers all balancing his counter-culture popularity with enthusiasts of Burton's more bizarre inclinations. Outside of film music, Elfman, with the support of his wife, actress Bridget Fonda, has been active in liberal American political causes, including launching an organization to repel vice-presidential candidate and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin in 2008.