Tim Burton - Keeping it in the family

After enjoying Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I wanted to make a comment on a lovely fact about the director Tim Burton - he keeps employing his friends.

Firstly, he always gets Danny Elfman to write the music (and sometimes sing the songs too - in Nightmare Before Christmas and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory).
And he very frequently calls on Johnny Depp to dress up - in Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, as well as soon to be doing one of the voices for Corpse Bride.

He keeps his partners employed...
His previous girlfriend was Lisa Marie, and she always had a small role in his films.
Now his main girl is Helena Bonham Carter, and he's keeping her busy (in Planet of the Apes, Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Corpse Bride).

But it's not just a couple of people. He finds people he likes and sticks with them. I think it's highly admirable. And now I'm going to bore you with proof of what I say!
* Michael Keaton (Beetlejuice, and 2 Batman movies)
* Danny DeVito (Batman Returns, Mars Attacks!, and Big Fish)
* Jeffrey Jones (Beetlejuice, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow)
* Jack Nicholson (Batman, and Mars Attacks!)
* Christopher Lee (Sleepy Hollow, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Corpse Bride)
* Christopher Walken (Batman Returns, and Sleepy Hollow)
* Winona Ryder (Beetlejuice, and Edward Scissorhands)
* Sarah Jessica Parker (Ed Wood, and Mars Attacks!)
* Albert Finney (Big Fish, and Corpse Bride)
* Catherine O'Hara (Beetlejuice, and The Nightmare Before Christmas)
* Paul Ruebens (Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, Batman Returns, and The Nightmare Before Christmas)
* Vincent Price (one of his early short films 'Vincent', and Edward Scissorhands)

This Tim Burton guy, he likes older 'kooky and endearing' male actors, and younger 'beautiful and slightly kooky' female actresses, and keeps calling them over to his house to make movies.
Most Hollywood directors move from project to project and it's a bit of a novelty for them to work with the same actor twice. But not out Tim!