Justin Hurwitz

Justin Hurwitz (born January 22, 1985) is an American film composer and television writer, best known for his long-standing collaboration with director Damien Chazelle on acclaimed films including Whiplash (2014), La La Land (2016), First Man (2018), and Babylon (2022). His work often features jazz influences, intricate orchestration, and emotional depth, earning him multiple Academy Awards, Golden Globes, and Grammy Awards.

Hurwitz was born in Los Angeles, California, to a family with creative roots; his father a writer and his mother a former professional ballet dancer and registered nurse. He began playing the piano at age six and composed his first pieces by age ten, developing an early passion for music. His family moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during his middle school years, a relocation he has described as shaping his identity as a Milwaukee native. Hurwitz later attended Harvard University, where he majored in music composition and orchestration, graduating in 2008.

During his time at Harvard, Hurwitz met Damien Chazelle, with whom he formed a close creative partnership; they roomed together starting sophomore year, played in a pop band called Chester Lockheart, and collaborated on Chazelle's senior thesis film. After graduation, Hurwitz initially pursued television writing in Los Angeles, contributing as a writer and supervising producer on shows such as The League, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Simpsons, and Perfect Couples. His entry into film scoring began with Chazelle's debut feature Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench (2009), for which he composed the original music.

Hurwitz's breakthrough came with the score for Whiplash (2014), a tense jazz-infused soundtrack that captured the film's intensity and earned widespread praise. This was followed by La La Land (2016), a modern musical whose score blended jazz, classical, and pop elements; for it, Hurwitz won two Academy Awards (Best Original Score and Best Original Song for "City of Stars"), a Golden Globe for Best Original Score, and two Grammys. He continued the partnership with the historical drama First Man (2018), scoring the moon landing with minimalist, ambient sounds, securing another Golden Globe. Their most recent joint project, Babylon (2022), featured an exuberant, era-spanning score that won Hurwitz a third Golden Globe and an Academy Award nomination. Beyond films, Hurwitz has conducted live orchestral performances of his scores in concert halls worldwide and composed original music for events like the Gucci Continuum FW 2025 fashion show.