List of Danny Elfman Oscar nominations
Posted: July 2025
List of Oscar nominations for Danny Elfman. Danny Elfman has been nominated for 4 Academy Awards, all in the category of Best Original Score. Year indicates year/period for which films were eligible for awards consideration, not year of ceremony. Sources: Oscars.org, Internet Movie Database, Wikipedia
2008: Milk (Best Original Score) — lost to Slumdog Millionaire (A.R. Rahman). Other nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Alexandre Desplat), Defiance (James Newton Howard), WALL·E (Thomas Newman)
2003: Big Fish (Best Original Score) — lost to The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Howard Shore). Other nominees: House of Sand and Fog (James Horner), Cold Mountain (Gabriel Yared), Finding Nemo (Thomas Newman)
1997: Good Will Hunting (Best Original Dramatic Score) — lost to Titanic (James Horner). Other nominees: Amistad (John Williams), Kundun (Philip Glass), L.A. Confidential (Jerry Goldsmith)
1997: Men in Black (Best Original Musical or Comedy Score) — lost to The Full Monty (Anne Dudley). Other nominees: As Good as It Gets (Hans Zimmer), Anastasia (Stephen Flaherty, Lynn Ahrens, David Newman), My Best Friend’s Wedding (James Newton Howard)
Some other scores composed by Danny Elfman:
1982: Forbidden Zone
1985: Pee-wee’s Big Adventure
1986: Back to School
1988: Beetlejuice
1988: Midnight Run
1989: Batman
1990: Dick Tracy
1990: Darkman
1990: Edward Scissorhands
1992: Batman Returns
1995: Dead Presidents
1996: Mission: Impossible
1998: A Simple Plan
2000: The Family Man
2001: Planet of the Apes
2002: Spider-Man
2002: Chicago
2003: Hulk
2005: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
2010: Alice in Wonderland
2012: Silver Linings Playbook
2013: American Hustle
2015: Fifty Shades of Grey
2017: Justice League
1989 (television) (theme music): The Simpsons
2004 (television) (theme music): Desperate Housewives