Bridget Fonda and her husband, composer Danny Elfman, have been creating beautiful music together for almost 20 years.
The actor and the musician got married in 2003 and had a son in 2005, after which Fonda decided to step away from the spotlight and retire from acting. Elfman, however, shows no signs of slowing down; he is the main composer for a number of top directors and is known for his work with Tim Burton on many of the most beloved original films. He even performed at Coachella in 2022!
Elfman and Fonda keep their relationship extremely private. They are very rarely seen together and have not been photographed as a couple since Fonda worked in the industry. The couple now splits their time between a ranch in Santa Barbara and a residence in Los Angeles.
Here’s everything you need to know about Bridget Fonda’s husband, composer Danny Elfman.
He’s from California
Danny Elfman and Bridget Fonda at the 61st Golden Globe Awards.
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Elfman is a native of Los Angeles who grew up with a love for music, especially film music. According to his official biography, he traveled a lot as a young man, which helped form his musical palette and understanding of art itself.
He was in a popular band from the 80s
Danny Elfman from Oingo Boingo, circa 1983.
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Elfman was a member of the popular New Wave band Oingo Boingo. The band is best known for their song “Weird Science,” which also appeared in the 80s movie of the same name. Elfman left the band in 1995 to focus on film scores.
He often collaborates with Tim Burton
Tim Burton and composer Danny Elfman in 2013.
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Although Elfman has worked closely with many directors, his partnership with Burton is most famous. They collaborated on more than 20 projects, including Edward Scissorhands, Batman returns, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The dead bride and Burton’s popular Netflix series Wednesday. The pair first worked together on Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure; Burton and Paul Reubens approached Elfman to compose the music after watching his work with Oingo Boingo.
“It was really just Tim and I … kind of like two kids in kindergarten and the teacher leaves and they just run their class without any adult supervision,” Elfman said of his partnership with Burton. “Only later did I realize what a luxury it was.”
Elfman also worked closely with Sam Raimi, Guillermo del Toro, Peter Jackson and Gus Van Sant, among other great directors.
Elfman was the voice of Jack Skellington
Bridget Fonda and Danny Elfman during the 18th Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala.
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While actor Chris Sarandon voiced the town’s Halloween hero in the 1993 cult classic, his singing voice was provided by Elfman. Elfman revisited the role of Jack Skellington for the live performance Nightmare at the 2022 Hollywood Bowl with Phoebe Bridgers as Sally.
He wrote one of the most famous theme songs of all time
Danny Elfman at the premiere of Disney’s “Dumbo” in 2019.
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As if his resume wasn’t impressive enough, Elfman was also behind one of the most legendary television theme songs ever: The Simpsons! He also wrote a theme for ABC Housewives.
Fonda and Elfman married in 2003
Bridget Fonda and Danny Elfman at the premiere of the movie “Seabiscuit” in Los Angeles.
Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic
The couple married on November 29, 2003 in a candlelit ceremony in Los Angeles. As PEOPLE noted at the time, Fonda’s father, Peter, walked her down the aisle to the sounds of a 20-member choir. The couple reportedly met on the set of a movie in 1998 A simple planin which Fonda starred and Elfman scored.
They are the parents of a son
Danny Elfman and Bridget Fonda at the 88th Academy Awards.
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Fonda and Elfman welcomed their only child together, son Oliver, in 2005. After Oliver was born, Fonda decided to take a break from acting to raise her son and has not acted since. Elfman has two children, Mali and Lola, from a previous marriage.
He is a Grammy and Emmy winner
Danny Elfman at the 2021 GRAMMY Museum.
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Elfman has an impressive record of awards. It was nominated for more than a dozen Grammy Awards and won the Grammy for Best Instrumental Composition for Batman theme 1990
Elfman won his first Emmy Award in 2005 for Outstanding Main Theme Score for Housewivesand won another in 2016 for Outstanding Music Direction for Danny Elfman’s music from Tim Burto’s filmsn.
Elfman was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Score, Original Score for Good Will Hunting in 1998; Best Musical, Original Musical or Comedy Men in Black in 1998; Best music, original music for Big fish in 2004; and Best Achievement in Music Written for a Motion Picture, Original Score for Milk in 2009.
Elfman and Fonda sold two mansions in Los Angeles in 2020
Bridget Fonda and Danny Elfman at the 31st AFI Lifetime Achievement Awards for Robert DeNiro.
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The couple unloaded some prime California real estate in fall 2020, listing an 8,300-square-foot home and a 4,300-square-foot midcentury residence; Elfman bought the larger house in 2000 for about $2 million, and the second one in 2015 for $3.6 million. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the couple and their son have made their ranch in Santa Barbara their primary residence, although they still have a home in Los Angeles.
Elfman performed at Coachella 2022
Danny Elfman performs during the 2022 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
Frazer Harrison/Getty
At age 68, Elfman took the stage in Indio, California during both weekends of the popular music festival, performing songs from Oingo Boingo, his film projects and more.
“It was an amazing and intense and crazy feeling. “Going into it, I knew it was going to be a really risky venture,” Elfman said after the event, per Diversity. “I don’t think anyone has tried that before, mixing those kinds of elements into this kind of crazy musical mix. When you try out a conceptual idea, you don’t know what will happen. But in the end, not having a safety net is also extremely exciting.”
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Source: HIS Education