 |
Richard ElfmanAmerican film actor, director, producer, screenwriter, writer and magazine publisher
Date of Birth: 06.03.1949
Country:  USA |
Content:
- Rick Elfman: Multi-Talented Artist and Filmmaker
- Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo
- Literary Debut and Group Performances
- Filmmaking Debut
- Acting and Directing Career
- Personal Life
Rick Elfman: Multi-Talented Artist and Filmmaker
Early Life and Career ExplorationsRick Elfman was born on March 6, 1949, in Los Angeles, California. Before pursuing a career in entertainment, he worked as a semi-professional boxer, restaurant and wine critic, and a successful theater director.
Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo
In 1975, Elfman founded the experimental musical-theatrical troupe "Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo," inspired by his experience with Paris's "Le Grand Magic Circus." His first wife, Marie-Pascale Elfman, and his younger brother Danny assisted in the formation of the group.
Literary Debut and Group Performances
In the same year, Elfman published his debut novel, "The Schlemazl of Sebriem." The troupe's original performances featured over 15 musicians in elaborate costumes and clown makeup, performing songs spanning from the late 19th to mid-20th centuries. They appeared on "The Gong Show" and in the 1977 film "I Never Promised You a Rose Garden." Elfman departed in 1979 to pursue filmmaking, leaving Danny as musical director. Danny eventually transformed the group into the iconic eight-piece band known as "Oingo Boingo."
Filmmaking Debut
Elfman's directorial film debut came with the 1982 cult classic "Forbidden Zone." The black-and-white film was an adaptation of the troupe's stage show, with cast members including fellow Oingo Boingo members and Danny performing a modified version of Cab Calloway's "Minnie the Moocher as Satan." Elfman also contributed his vocals to the film, performing "The Yiddishe Charleston." In 2010, a colorized version of "Forbidden Zone" premiered at the Museum of Modern Art as part of an exhibition on Tim Burton's work.
Acting and Directing Career
As an actor, Elfman has appeared in nine films, and as a director, he has helmed ten, including "Shrunken Heads" (1994) and "Modern Vampires" (1998). He has also hinted at working in the film industry under unusual pseudonyms such as Aristide Sumatra and Mahatma Kane Sumatra.
Personal Life
After divorcing his first wife, with whom he had two children, Elfman remained single for decades. He remarried in 2006 to Lauren Elfman, with whom he has collaborated on his later films.
