List of frequent Tim Burton collaborators

Tim Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker, animator, and artist, who often works with certain actors and crew members in multiple feature film directing projects.

Film composer Danny Elfman composed the music for most of Burton's feature films, except for Ed Wood (1994), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016). He also composed the music for The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), a stop-motion animated film Burton co-wrote and produced.[1]

The actors who collaborated with Burton the most frequently are Johnny Depp (8 films), Helena Bonham Carter (7 films), and Michael Keaton, Christopher Lee and Michael Gough (5 films each). Other actors that Burton has worked with more than once include Alan Arkin, Danny DeVito, Conchata Ferrell, Albert Finney, Carmen Filpi, Eva Green, Pat Hingle, Jan Hooks, Rance Howard, Jeffrey Jones, O-Lan Jones, Martin Landau, Lisa Marie, Jack Nicholson, Catherine O'Hara, Michelle Pfeiffer, Missi Pyle, Paul Reubens, Alan Rickman, Deep Roy, Winona Ryder, Diane Salinger, Glenn Shadix, Martin Short, Timothy Spall, Terence Stamp, Sylvia Sidney, Christopher Walken, Frank Welker, and Paul Whitehouse.

From left to right, actors Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter alongside Burton in 2009; both are constant presences in Burton's films. Bonham Carter was married to him, while Depp is a personal friend of Burton and starred in several of his films; This partnership began in Edward Scissorhands (1990).

Actor Jason Hervey appeared in the short film Frankenweenie (1984), before appearing in Burton's feature film-directing debut Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985).[2] Actor Vincent Price worked with Burton on three projects, hosting the television film Hansel and Gretel (1983), narrating the short film Vincent (1982) and appearing in the feature film Edward Scissorhands (1990).[3] Twin actresses Ada and Arlene Tai worked with Burton as uncredited extras in Ed Wood before being cast as the conjoined twins Ping and Jing in Big Fish (2003).[4] In addition to starring in Beetlejuice and its sequel, Edward Scissorhands, and Frankenweenie (2012), Winona Ryder appeared in the Burton-directed music video for the Killers' 2012 single "Here with Me".

Catherine O'Hara, Glenn Shadix and Paul Reubens provided voices for The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) after working with Burton on directorial projects.

Christina Ricci was the first actor to reunite with Burton for television, appearing as a series regular in Wednesday (2022–present) after starring in Sleepy Hollow (1999). Likewise, Jenna Ortega, the leading series regular of Wednesday, reunited with Burton shortly after, starring in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024). Steve Buscemi also reunited with Burton as a series regular for the second season of Wednesday after starring in Big Fish as well as Joanna Lumley after having a role in Corpse Bride (2005).

  1. ^ "Danny Elfman filmography". AllMovie. AllRovi. Retrieved October 20, 2012.
  2. ^ "Jason Hervey filmography". AllMovie. AllRovi. Retrieved October 20, 2012.
  3. ^ "Vincent Price filmography". AllMovie. AllRovi. Retrieved October 20, 2012.
  4. ^ Burton, Tim (2004). Big Fish (DVD commentary track). Columbia Pictures.