Richard grew up in the Crenshaw district of Los Angeles (Boyz n the Hood), was a semi-professional boxer, food and wine critic and successful stage director. He is also a noted Afro-Latin percussionist and with his brother, Danny Elfman, founded the band Oingo-Boingo. Richard's theatrical career began in Europe, having worked with directors Jérôme Savary in Paris and Peter Brook in London. Elfman has been a published journalist for 30 years, focusing on food, wine and entertainment. He published culture and entertainment magazine and website, Buzzine, between 2010-2015 and produced 275 Buzzine red-carpet, music and celebrity videos. Richard family include his mother, novelist Blossom "Clare Elfman", sister-in-law, actress Bridget Fonda, son, actor-producer Bodhi Elfman, daughter-in-law Jenna Elfman, niece, producer Mali Elfman and nephew, Emmy-winning broadcast journalist, Diego Santiago. Richard resides in the Hollywood hills with his actress/dancer wife, Anastasia Elfman, where they are renown for their underground food/wine/performance salon, "The Barbecue Bacchanals." Richard presently directs film as well as writes and directs live theatre and plays in the band Mambo Diabolico.
Read moreShow less
Biography from TMDB.
- March 6, 1949 (77)
- Los Angeles, California, USA
- Actor, director, writer and producer
- 8 on MovieCove · 17 credits in all
What are Richard Elfman's films like?
Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 5 · Wry 0 · Earnest 1
Light 5 · Serious 1 · Dark 0
A split, not a type: Grounded 1 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 3
Gentle 1 · Charged 3 · Intense 2
Steady 1 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 2
Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 4
Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 2
Casual 5 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 6 · Affecting 0 · Heavy 0
Resolved 5 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Happy3
- Bittersweet3
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Richard Elfman's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 8 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).
Subscription and free streaming for Richard Elfman's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
17 credits, 8 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Sorority of the Damned(2025)
Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films
Bloody Bridget (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)
Carnage Collection: Vicious Violence & Vengeance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
Slice! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)
Aliens, Clowns & Geeks(2019)
Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films
Demons at the Door (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
Scarecrow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
Modern Vampires(1998)
Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films
George of the Jungle(1997)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
Bone Chillers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Shrunken Heads(1994)
Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films
Streets of Rage(1993)
Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films
Oingo Boingo: Skeletons in the Closet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
Forbidden Zone(1980)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
La vie facile (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
One Wicked Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
Star power in the 61st percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 17 titles, 16 of them dated from 1973 to 2025; peak year 1982.
Film career
Peak 1982 · back in prominent film roles after a quiet stretch. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 1982Screen debut· Forbidden Zone
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Richard Elfman's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 20th percentile, the median of all 8; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 19th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up1
- 50th to 74th1
- 25th to 49th1
- Below 25th5
Shape of the crowd
7 of their 8 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Loved1
- Mixed7
Reviewers score the acting 38/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles; fans 58, detractors 24. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Richard Elfman work with?
People who share at least 2 of Richard Elfman's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Matthew Bright shares the most, 3.
Writers
- Matthew BrightShared titles: Modern Vampires (1998), Shrunken Heads (1994), Forbidden Zone (1980)See all 3 shared titles with Matthew Bright
Actors
- Bodhi ElfmanShared titles: Aliens, Clowns & Geeks (2019), Shrunken Heads (1994)See all 2 shared titles with Bodhi Elfman
Composers
- Danny ElfmanShared titles: Aliens, Clowns & Geeks (2019), Forbidden Zone (1980)See all 2 shared titles with Danny Elfman
Producers
- Bernie SternShared titles: Sorority of the Damned (2025), Aliens, Clowns & Geeks (2019)See all 2 shared titles with Bernie Stern
