# Jeff Danna

Jeff Danna is a Canadian film composer. He has composed or co-composed scores for a wide range of films and television, including The Boondock Saints (1999), Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004), Silent Hill (2006), The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009), The Good Dinosaur (2015), Storks (2016), The Breadwinner (2017), The Addams Family (2019), Onward (2020), Guillermo Del Toro’s Tales of Arcadia (2019-2021), Nora Twomey’s My Father’s Dragon (2022) and Julia (2022).
His older brother, composer Mychael Danna, is a frequent collaborator, and the two have received Emmy nominations for their work on Camelot (2011), Tyrant (2014-2016), and Alias Grace (2017). Additionally, Danna has been nominated for six Annie Awards, won five BMI Film & TV Awards, a Gemini Award, a Genie award, two Hollywood Music in Media Awards, and 15 SOCAN Awards.

## Early life

Danna was born in Burlington, Ontario, to a musical family active in local theatre and church choir. A reluctant young piano student, Danna found solace in an electric guitar left behind at his home by a friend. Unknowingly following in the path of three generations of Winnipeg mandolin players, progress came quickly. He began playing professionally at the age of 15 until a hand injury brought his performance career to a halt at 22.

## Career

Danna's first foray into film scoring occurred while recovering from his injury. Unable to play for extended periods of time, his brother, Mychael, suggested that he record the guitar parts on some of Mychael's first scores, figuring that they could take breaks at intervals as necessitated by his injury. Seeing a way to sustain his music career, Danna turned to film scoring. Subsequently, the brothers' first co-writing venture, Cold Comfort, was nominated for a Genie award and laid the foundation for Jeff's career in film and many future collaborations with his brother.
After cutting his teeth on independent Canadian features, Danna moved to Los Angeles to begin his work in television, landing jobs on the CBS crime show Sweating Bullets, Beverly Hills 90210, and the Warner Brothers' legacy title, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues. A series of television movies followed, notably Showtime' My Own Country for director Mira Nair, The Matthew Shepard Story (a Gemini Best Score winner), Ice Bound, and Spinning Boris for director Roger Spottiswoode.
Feature film work began with the indie Uncorked (At Sachem Farm), starring Minnie Driver and Rufus Sewell, featuring the on-camera fingerstyle guitar solo showcase of the influential "Ross' Concert," played in the studio by Danna and Dean Parks. This was followed by the cult classic The Boondock Saints, which featured choral and orchestral elements mixed with electronica, along with "The Blood Of Cu Chulainn", a Danna brothers' offering from their album, A Celtic Romance.
Following that was Tim Blake Nelson's O, a modern-day retelling of Shakespeare's Othello. Danna took the opportunity of the Shakespeare connection to employ a vielle and a viola da gamba in combination with dark orchestral colors, his first of many uses of early music instruments in his scores. By the time O was released in theaters, Danna was at work again with Tim Blake Nelson on his World War II Holocaust drama The Grey Zone. Nelson's desire for an onerous death camp atmosphere meant that there would be no score in the film until the final credits, where Danna composed a dissonant and powerful dirge, merging a small chamber group with Klezmer soloists, using an approach akin to modes of limited transposition to evoke both a terrible beauty and desolation.
2001 brought forth the first of many collaborations with acclaimed filmmaker Brett Morgen on The Kid Stays in the Picture, a celebrated retelling of producer Robert Evans' book of the same title.
In 2003, Danna was in London working with The London Philharmonia on the large-scale score for The Gospel of John, a medley of which the Philharmonia performed in their summer concert at Royal Festival Hall.
Resident Evil: Apocalypse followed in 2004, earning Danna four SOCAN Awards for International Film Music, and then a reunion with brother Mychael on Terry Gilliam’s Tideland, their first time working together since their Celtic albums, seven years prior.
2006 and 2007 found Danna in Toronto, scoring the movie adaptation of the hit video game franchise Silent Hill for director Christophe Gans. Danna followed that with another Brett Morgen collaboration on Chicago 10, then legendary director Lord Richard Attenborough's final film, Closing The Ring, and another collaboration with Mychael for Fracture, the psychological legal crime thriller starring Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling.
The following year, the brothers went on to score Sony's crime thriller Lakeview Terrace, starring Samuel Jackson. The duo then collaborated with Terry Gilliam again for The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, which was nominated for Best Original Score for a Fantasy Film by the International Film Music Critics Awards. Danna's ongoing work with Brett Morgen brought forth Nimrod Nation, a 30-for-30 episode, and the acclaimed documentary Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck.
In 2014, Jeff and Mychael wrote the original music for the FX series Tyrant, earning them both a Hollywood Music in Media Award for the Main Title, as well as Emmy nominations for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score) and Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music, the same category for which they were previously Emmy-nominated for their work on Camelot in 2011.
In 2015, the brothers composed the score for Disney and Pixar's The Good Dinosaur, which received a BMI Film and TV Award for Film Music, three SOCAN Awards, a nomination for Best Original Score for an Animated Film by the International Film Music Critics Award, and an Annie nomination for Outstanding Achievement for Music in an Animated Feature Production. More sibling collaborations followed, notably the original score for Warner Brothers' animated film Storks which won a BMI Film and TV Award for Film Music, and Ang Lee's Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk.
In 2017, Jeff and Mychael undertook scoring Nora Twomey's The Breadwinner, which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. The Breadwinner was nominated for an Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement for Music in an Animated Feature Production, won the Best Original Music Award from the Annecy International Animated Film Festival in France and won the Canadian Screen Award for Film Score of the Year. The brothers followed up that effort with Alias Grace for Netflix, for which they were Emmy nominated in 2018 and garnered a nomination for a Canadian Screen Award.
Returning to animation in 2018, Danna wrote the music for Guillermo del Toro's animated science-fantasy series Tales of Arcadia, which includes the titles 3Below, Wizards, and Rise of the Titans for Netflix and produced by DreamWorks Animation.
Jeff and Mychael then worked together to score the animated feature The Addams Family, released in 2019, which earned a BMI Film & TV Award for Film Music, and Disney & Pixar's Oscar-nominated animated film Onward, which opened in theaters on March 6, 2020, for which they received an Annie nomination for Best Music for a Feature, a BMI Film & TV Award for Film Music, and an International Film Music Critics Award nomination for Best Original Score for an Animated Film. Following that, he and Mychael wrote the original score for the MGM feature The Addams Family 2, earning them a Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best Original Score for an Animated Film and a BMI Film & TV Award for Film Music.
2021 and 2022 saw Danna working for HBO Max on the acclaimed series Julia, based on the life of iconic chef Julia Child, and he reteamed with Mychael and Cartoon Saloon co-founder Nora Twomey for My Father’s Dragon. A reunion with Guillermo del Toro followed as Danna composed the music for the episode The Graveyard Rats in Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities.

## Filmography
### Film
#### 1980s-1990s

| Year | Title | Director | Studio(s) | Notes |
| 1989 | Cold Comfort | Vic Sarin | — | Co-composed with Mychael Danna |
| 1998 | At Sachem Farm | John Huddles | — | — |
| 1999 | The Boondock Saints | Troy Duffy | Franchise Pictures Indican Pictures Brood Syndicate Fried Films Lloyd Segan Company Chris Brinker Productions | — |
| 1999 | New Blood | Michael Hurst | Lionsgate Films Screenland Pictures Scanbox International Applecreek Communications Spice Factory Ltd. | — |

#### 2000s

| Year | Title | Director | Studio(s) | Notes |
| 2001 | Green Dragon | Timothy Lin Bui | Franchise Pictures Classics Columbia Pictures | Co-composed with Mychael Danna |
| 2001 | O | Tim Blake Nelson | Daniel Fried Productions Chickie the Cop Lionsgate Entertainment | — |
| 2001 | Monsters, Inc. | Pete Docter | Pixar Animation Studios Walt Disney Pictures | Additional music Score composed by Randy Newman |
| 2001 | The Grey Zone | Tim Blake Nelson | Millennium Films The Goatsingers Killer Films Lionsgate Films Roadside Attractions | — |
| 2002 | The Kid Stays in the Picture | Nanette Burstein Brett Morgen | USA Films (United States) StudioCanal (International) | — |
| 2002 | Easter | Richard Caliban | Anima Sola Productions, Inc. | — |
| 2003 | Kart Racer | Stuart Gillard | Knightscove Entertainment Apollo Media Alliance Atlantis | — |
| 2003 | Spinning Boris | Roger Spottiswoode | — | — |
| 2004 | Resident Evil: Apocalypse | Alexander Witt | Constantin Film Davis Films Impact Pictures Screen Gems | — |
| 2005 | Ripley Under Ground | Roger Spottiswoode | Fox Searchlight Pictures | — |
| 2005 | Tideland | Terry Gilliam | Recorded Picture Company Telefilm Canada The Movie Network Astral Media HanWay Films Revolver Entertainment (United Kingdom) Capri Films (Canada) | Co-composed with Mychael Danna |
| 2006 | Silent Hill | Christophe Gans | Silent Hill DCP Inc. Davis Films Konami Alliance Atlantis (Canada) Metropolitan Filmexport (France) | — |
| 2007 | Chicago 10 | Brett Morgen | Roadside Attractions Consolidated Documentaries Participant Productions River Road Entertainment Curious Pictures | — |
| 2007 | Fracture | Gregory Hoblit | New Line Cinema (United States) Warner Bros. Pictures (Germany) Castle Rock Entertainment Weinstock Entertainment M7 Filmproduktion | Co-composed with Mychael Danna |
| 2007 | Closing the Ring | Richard Attenborough | The Works Distribution | — |
| 2008 | Lakeview Terrace | Neil LaBute | Screen Gems Overbrook Entertainment | Co-composed with Mychael Danna |
| 2008 | Finn on the Fly | Mark Jean | Amaze Film + Television E1 Entertainment Finn Prairie Productions Stephen Onda Productions | — |
| 2009 | The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day | Troy Duffy | Stage 6 Films Apparition | — |
| 2009 | The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus | Terry Gilliam | Infinity Features Poo Poo Pictures Davis Films Telefilm Canada Lionsgate (United Kingdom) Metropolitan Filmexport (France) E1 Entertainment (Canada) | Co-composed with Mychael Danna |
| 2009 | Formosa Betrayed | Adam Kane | Living Films | — |
| 2009 | The Cry of the Owl | Jamie Thraves | BBC Films Myriad Pictures | — |
| 2009 | Leaves of Grass | Tim Blake Nelson | Millennium Films First Look Studios | — |

#### 2010s

| Year | Title | Director | Studio(s) | Notes |
| 2010 | The Last Rites of Ransom Pride | Tiller Russell | Screen Media Films | — |
| 2010 | Repeaters | Carl Bessai | Alliance Films Rampart Films Raven West Films Resonance Films | — |
| 2011 | Thin Ice | Jill Sprecher | Werc Werk Works ATO Pictures | — |
| 2012 | Silent Hill: Revelation | M. J. Bassett | Silent Hill 2 DCP Inc. Konami Alliance Films (Canada) Metropolitan Filmexport (France) | — |
| 2012 | Erased | Philipp Stölzl | RaDiUS-TWC E-Motion Informant Films Europe uMedia | — |
| 2015 | Cobain: Montage of Heck | Brett Morgen | HBO Documentary Films Universal Pictures Public Road Productions The End of Music | — |
| 2015 | The Good Dinosaur | Peter Sohn | Pixar Animation Studios Walt Disney Pictures | Co-composed with Mychael Danna |
| 2015 | Sanjay's Super Team | Sanjay Patel | Pixar Animation Studios Walt Disney Pictures | Short film, co-composed with Mychael Danna |
| 2015 | Anesthesia | Tim Blake Nelson | Nicholson International Pictures Hello Please Grand Schema Red Barn Films IFC Films | — |
| 2016 | Newtown | Kim A. Snyder | Abramorama | Additional music |
| 2016 | Storks | Nicholas Stoller Doug Sweetland | Warner Bros. Pictures Warner Animation Group RatPac-Dune Entertainment Stoller Global Solutions | Co-composed with Mychael Danna |
| 2016 | Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk | Ang Lee | TriStar Pictures Studio 8 LStar Capital Film4 Bona Film Group The Ink Factory Marc Platt Productions | Co-composed with Mychael Danna |
| 2017 | The Breadwinner | Nora Twomey | Cartoon Saloon Aircraft Pictures Guru Studio Jolie Pas Melusine Productions Elevation Pictures (Canada) StudioCanal (Ireland) | Co-composed with Mychael Danna |
| 2019 | The Power of I | Steve Hickner Gary Trousdale | Amazon Studios | Short film, co-composed with Mychael Danna |
| 2019 | The Addams Family | Conrad Vernon Greg Tiernan | Bron Creative Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer The Jackal Group Cinesite Studios Nitrogen Studios United Artists Releasing (USA/Canada) Universal Pictures (International) | Co-composed with Mychael Danna |

#### 2020s

| Year | Title | Director | Studio(s) | Notes |
| 2020 | Onward | Dan Scanlon | Walt Disney Pictures Pixar Animation Studios | Co-composed with Mychael Danna |
| 2021 | Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans | Johane Matte Francisco Ruiz Velasco Andrew Schmidt | Netflix NBCUniversal Syndication Studios Double Dare You Productions DreamWorks Animation Television | — |
| 2021 | The Addams Family 2 | Conrad Vernon Greg Tiernan | Bron Creative Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Cinesite Studios Nitrogen Studios The Jackal Group Glickmania United Artists Releasing (USA) Universal Pictures (International) | Co-composed with Mychael Danna |
| 2022 | My Father's Dragon | Nora Twomey | Netflix Netflix Animation Mockingbird Pictures Cartoon Saloon | Co-composed with Mychael Danna |

### Television
#### Television films

| Year | Title | Director | Studio(s) | Notes |
| 1992 | Kung Fu: The Legend Continues | Jud Taylor | Warner Bros. Television | — |
| 1998 | My Own Country | Mira Nair | Sullivan Entertainment | — |
| 2000 | Baby | Robert Allan Ackerman | Sarabande Productions TNT | — |
| 2002 | The Matthew Shepard Story | Roger Spottiswoode | NBC | Co-composed with Mychael Danna |
| 2003 | Mafia Doctor | Alex Chapple | CBS Carlton America Michele Brustin Productions | — |
| 2003 | Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Kids | Mike Fallows | Nelvana | — |
| 2007 | Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams | David Block | Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment DisneyToon Studios | — |

#### Television series

| Year | Title | Creator(s) | Studio(s) | Notes |
| 1993-1996 | Kung Fu: The Legend Continues | Ed Spielman | Warner Bros. Television | — |
| 1991-1993 | Tropical Heat | Sam Egan | CBS | — |
| 1996-1997 | Beverly Hills, 90210 | Darren Star | Propaganda Films (seasons 1-2) Spelling Television Torand Productions | — |
| 2001 | So Weird | Tom J. Astle | Sugar Entertainment, Ltd. (seasons 1–2) No Equal Entertainment, Inc. (season 3) Fair Dinkum Productions | 1 episode, "Thinkin' About Tomorrow" |
| 2003 | Kid Notorious | Brett Morgen Robert Evans Alan R. Cohen Alan Freedland | Alan & Alan Productions Six Point Harness | Theme by |
| 2004-2006 | Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends | David Kirk | Callaway Arts & Entertainment AbsoluteDigital Pictures Nelvana | — |
| 2005 | The Zula Patrol | Deb M. Manchester | Gotham Entertainment (season 1) Kambooteron Productions (season 1) The Hatchery Zula USA UNC-TV Marvista Entertainment (season 2-3; uncredited) | — |
| 2007 | Nimrod Nation | Matthew Akers Jeff Fisher Erica Forstadt Christo Garcia Todd Lubin Benjamin Wolf | SundanceTV | — |
| 2008 | Independent Lens | Brett Morgen | Independent Television Service | Episode: "Chicago 10" (Season 10, Episode 1) |
| 2010 | 30 for 30 | Bill Simmons Connor Schell | ESPN Films | — |
| 2010-2011 | Babar and the Adventures of Badou | Michael Stokes | Nelvana Limited TeamTO LuxAnimation (seasons 1 & 2 only) The Clifford Ross Company | — |
| 2011 | Camelot | Michael Hirst Chris Chibnall | KA Television Productions Take 5 Productions Octagon Films Ecosse Films GK-TV Starz Entertainment | Co-composed with Mychael Danna |
| 2012-2014 | Continuum | Simon Barry | Reunion Pictures Thunderbird Reunion Pictures Boy Meets Girl Film Company Shaw Media GK-tv | — |
| 2014-2016 | Tyrant | Gideon Raff | 20th Television Teakwood Lane Productions Keshet Broadcasting FX Productions (2014–15) | Co-composed with Mychael Danna |
| 2017 | Alias Grace | Mary Harron Sarah Polley Margaret Atwood (based on the novel by) | — | Co-composed with Mychael Danna |
| 2019 | 3Below: Tales of Arcadia | Guillermo Del Toro | Double Dare You Productions DreamWorks Animation Television | — |
| 2020 | Wizards: Tales of Arcadia | Guillermo Del Toro Marc Guggenheim Aaron Waltke Chad Quandt | Double Dare You Productions DreamWorks Animation Television | — |
| 2022 | Julia | Daniel Goldfarb | 3 Arts Entertainment Modern O Productions, INC. Mad Ben Productions Lionsgate Television | — |

### Video games

* Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia (2020)

## Awards and nominations

| Association | Year | Work | Category | Result | Notes |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2018 | Alias Grace: Part 1 | Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited Series, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score) | Nominated | Shared with Mychael Danna |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2015 | Tyrant | Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score) | Nominated | Shared with Mychael Danna |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2015 | Tyrant | Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music | Nominated | Shared with Mychael Danna |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2011 | Camelot | Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music | Nominated | Shared with Mychael Danna |
| Annecy International Animated Film Festival | 2018 | The Breadwinner | Best Original Music for a Feature Film | Won | Shared with Mychael Danna |
| Annie Awards | 2021 | Onward | Outstanding Achievement for Music in an Animated Feature | Nominated | Shared with Mychael Danna |
| Annie Awards | 2018 | The Breadwinner | Outstanding Achievement for Music in an Animated Feature | Nominated | Shared with Mychael Danna |
| Annie Awards | 2016 | The Good Dinosaur | Outstanding Achievement for Music in an Animated Feature | Nominated | Shared with Mychael Danna |
| BMI Film & TV Awards | 2022 | The Addams Family 2 | Film Music | Won | Shared with Mychael Danna |
| BMI Film & TV Awards | 2020 | Onward | Film Music | Won | Shared with Mychael Danna |
| BMI Film & TV Awards | 2020 | The Addams Family | Film Music | Won | Shared with Mychael Danna |
| BMI Film & TV Awards | 2017 | Storks | Film Music | Won | Shared with Mychael Danna |
| BMI Film & TV Awards | 2016 | The Good Dinosaur | Film Music | Won | Shared with Mychael Danna |
| Canadian Screen Awards | 2018 | The Breadwinner | Achievement in Music - Original Score | Won | Shared with Mychael Danna |
| Canadian Screen Awards | 2018 | Alias Grace | Best Original Music, Fiction | Nominated | Shared with Mychael Danna |
| Canadian Screen Awards | 2013 | Continuum | Best Original Music Score for a Series | Nominated | For the episode, "A Stitch in Time" |
| Fright Meter Awards | 2012 | Silent Hill: Revelation | Best Score | Nominated | Shared with Akira Yamaoka |
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards (HMMA) | 2021 | The Addams Family 2 | Best Original Score - Animated Film | Won | Shared with Mychael Danna |
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards (HMMA) | 2014 | Tyrant | Main Title - TV Show / Digital Series | Won | Shared with Mychael Danna |
| International Film Music Critics Award (IFMCA) | 2021 | Onward | Best Original Score for an Animated Film | Nominated | Shared with Mychael Danna |
| International Film Music Critics Award (IFMCA) | 2018 | Alias Grace | Best Original Score for Television | Nominated | Shared with Mychael Danna |
| International Film Music Critics Award (IFMCA) | 2016 | The Good Dinosaur | Best Original Score for an Animated Film | Nominated | Shared with Mychael Danna |
| International Film Music Critics Award (IFMCA) | 2010 | The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus | Best Original Score for a Fantasy/Science Fiction Film | Nominated | Shared with Mychael Danna |
| SOCAN Awards | 2018 | Storks | International Film Music Award | Won | Shared with Mychael Danna |
| SOCAN Awards | 2018 | Storks | Achievement in Feature Film Music | Won | Shared with Mychael Danna |
| SOCAN Awards | 2018 | The Good Dinosaur | International Film Music Award | Won | Shared with Mychael Danna |
| SOCAN Awards | 2016 | The Good Dinosaur | Achievement in Feature Film Music | Won | Shared with Mychael Danna |
| SOCAN Awards | 2016 | The Good Dinosaur | Domestic Feature Film Award | Won | Shared with Mychael Danna |
| SOCAN Awards | 2015 | Erased | Domestic Feature Film Award | Won | — |
| SOCAN Awards | 2011 | The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus | International Film Music Award | Won | Shared with Mychael Danna |
| SOCAN Awards | 2009 | Resident Evil: Apocalypse | International Film Music Award | Won | — |
| SOCAN Awards | 2008 | Resident Evil: Apocalypse | International Film Music Award | Won | — |
| SOCAN Awards | 2008 | Fracture | Domestic Feature Film Award | Won | Shared with Mychael Danna |
| SOCAN Awards | 2007 | Resident Evil: Apocalypse | International Film Music Award | Won | — |
| SOCAN Awards | 2006 | Resident Evil: Apocalypse | International Film Music Award | Won | — |