Justin Hurwitz is an American film composer and television writer, best known for his film score La La Land (2016) starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, for which he won 2 Academy Awards for Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures and “Best Original Song” for City of Stars song he composed for the soundtrack. He also won 2 Golden Globe Awards for the same performance in 2017, along with a BAFTA Award for Best Original Score.

Justin’s other notable composers include Whiplash (2014), Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench (2009) and First Man (2018), a story by astronaut Neil Armstrong, for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score in 2019 As a television writer, he wrote comedy for The League sitcom in 2011 and 1 episode of The Simpsons that same year. In 2017, Justin wrote and produced 10 episodes of Curb Your Excitement , a comedy TV series aired by HBO.

Born name

Justin Gabriel Hurwitz

nickname

Justin

Sun sign

Aquarius

Place of birth

Los Angeles, California, United States

Residence

Los Angeles, California, United States

nationality

training

Justin attended Nicolet High School in Glendale, Wisconsin, USA.

He then enrolled and later graduated from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, specializing in music theory, composition, counterpoint and orchestration.

occupation

Film composer, screenwriter

family

• Father – Ken Hurwitz (writer)
• Mother – Gail née Halabe Hurwitz (ballet dancer, nurse)
• Siblings – unknown
• Others – Herman (grandfather) (jazz saxophonist)

Manager

Justin Hurwitz is represented by –

• William Morris Endeavor (WME) Entertainment in Beverly Hills, California, USA
• Make good content in Los Angeles, California, USA
• Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush & Kaller (Legal Representative), Beverly Hills, California, USA

Genre

Stage & Screen, Jazz

instruments

Piano

labels

To build

Slim

Height

5 feet 11 inches or 181 cm

weight

71 kg or 156.5 lbs

girlfriend/spouse

Justin prefers to keep his dating life private.

race/ethnicity

Multiracial (White and Middle Eastern)

Justin has Polish, Russian, Lebanese, and Syrian ancestry.

hair colour

Schwarz

eye color

dark brown

sexual orientation

unknown

distinguishing features

• Undercut haircut
• Slim physique

brand promotion

He hasn’t endorsed any brands yet.

Religion

Judaism

Known for

• As film composer for La La Land (2016) and Whiplash (2014), First Man (2018)
• Win 2 Academy Awards and 2 Golden Globe Awards for La La Land (2016) in 2017
• As a screenwriter for TV series such as The League and The Simpsons in 2011
• A. Won Golden Globe Award for “Best Original Score” for First Man (2018) in 2019

As a music composer

The first film he composed music for was a black and white romantic musical called Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench , released in 2009.

First TV show

His first television credit as a screenwriter was in an episode of The Simpsons TV series in 2011 entitled The Falcon and the D’ohman .

Justin Hurwitz favorite things

• Movies – The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964), The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967), West Side Story (1961)
• Soundtrack – Chinatown (1974)
• Melody Writer – John Williams

Justin Hurwitz Fakten

1. While there, he met and dated Damien Chazelle at Harvard University. This led to him directing 3 of Damien’s films – Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench (2009), Whiplash (2014) and La La Land (2016) for which Damien won the Oscar for Best Achievement in Directing in 2017 and was the youngest director to achieve this.
2. He began playing the piano at the age of 6 and composing when he was 10. Then he stopped for a while. After completing his high school education, he returned and began studying music in college.
3. While at college, he was a member of the Harvard Lampoon , an undergraduate humor publication, and an original member of Chester French , an indie pop band that also included Damien Chazelle.
4. The piano Justin grew up with was a 1920’s Steinway M and it is still in his apartment as of 2019.
5. Ryan Gosling had the lead role in another film Justin composed, First Man (2018) alongside Claire Foy, Christopher Abbott and Kyle Chandler. The film tells the story of the legendary mission that made Neil Armstrong the first man to walk on the moon in 1969.
6. Well-known actors such as Miles Teller, Austin Stowell and Melissa Benoist starred in the film he composed. Whiplash (2014).
7. He said that the hardest part about composing is the early stage where he has to find the right melodies. He did hundreds of piano demos to find the right themes for the films he was the film composer for and only a tiny fraction of them did the editing.
8. Justin said that his inspiration for the score in La La Land (2016) were well-known Holywood musicals such as Singing in the Rain (1952), Top Hat (1935), Swing Time (1936) and The Music Wagon (1953).
9. The song from the soundtrack, Herman’s Habit was named after his grandfather, who was a jazz saxophonist named Herman. The word “habit” just sounded great to Justin, it had no special meaning.
10. Follow his work on Spotify.