Justin Hurwitz Biography: Age, Net Worth, Parents, Songs, Movies, Height, Career, Awards

Justin Hurwitz is an American film composer and television writer widely recognized for his long-running creative partnership with director Damien Chazelle and for crafting the scores and songs that helped define modern movie musicals.

He first gained major attention through the intense jazz-driven soundtrack of Whiplash before achieving global acclaim with the original music for La La Land, a collaboration that earned him two Academy Awards and cemented his reputation as one of Hollywood’s leading composers of original scores and songs.

Justin Hurwitz
Wiki Facts & About Data
Name:	Justin Hurwitz
Born:	22 January 1985 (age 41 years old)
Place of Birth:	Los Angeles, California, United States
Nationality:	American
Ethnicity:	Mixed
Religion:	Judaism
Parents:	Ken Hurwitz and Gail Hurwitz (née Halabe)
Siblings:	Hanna Hurwitz
Occupation:	Film composer, television writer
Net Worth:	$5 million–10 million

Early Life and Education

Justin Hurwitz first saw the light of day on January 22, 1985, in Los Angeles, California, to parents Ken Hurwitz, a writer, and Gail Hurwitz (née Halabe), a former professional ballet dancer who later became a registered nurse.

His family relocated to Wisconsin in 1998, where he attended Nicolet High School and studied piano at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. He has one sibling, sister Hanna Hurwitz, an accomplished classical violinist.

Hurwitz went on to Harvard University, graduating in 2008 after studying music composition and orchestration; while there he was a member of the Harvard Lampoon and an original member of the indie-pop band Chester French. He is of Russian, Polish, Syrian and Lebanese Jewish descent, and his religion is Judaism.

Career

Justin Hurwitz began his professional path after college when he and Harvard roommate Damien Chazelle moved to Los Angeles. He supported himself by writing comedy, contributing to the sitcom The League, an episode of The Simpsons, and later serving as a writer and producer on Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Their first feature collaboration, the low-budget jazz musical Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench (2009), marked Hurwitz’s debut as a film composer and laid the foundation for a sustained creative alliance. The pair’s next project, Whiplash (2014), brought wider recognition; Hurwitz’s propulsive, jazz-inflected score helped the film earn critical praise and commercial success, establishing him as a distinctive voice in contemporary film music.

The partnership reached new heights with La La Land (2016), for which Hurwitz composed the score and co-wrote original songs including “City of Stars.” The film’s music earned him two Academy Awards, multiple Golden Globes, a BAFTA, and two Grammys, while also generating popular live concert performances of the score.

He continued scoring Chazelle’s subsequent features First Man (2018) and Babylon (2022), collecting additional Golden Globe wins for original score. Alongside film work, Hurwitz has remained active in television writing and has contributed to the forthcoming stage musical adaptation of La La Land. His body of work has solidified his standing as a composer equally adept at intimate character-driven scores and large-scale cinematic musical storytelling.

Awards and Nominations

• Academy Award for Best Original Score (La La Land, 2017)
• Academy Award for Best Original Song (“City of Stars,” La La Land, 2017)
• Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score (La La Land, 2017)
• Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song (“City of Stars,” La La Land, 2017)
• Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score (First Man, 2019)
• Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score (Babylon, 2023)
• BAFTA Award for Best Film Music (La La Land, 2017)
• Two Grammy Awards for La La Land soundtrack (Best Compilation Soundtrack and Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media)
• Additional nominations including Academy Award for Best Original Score (Babylon)

Social Media

• Instagram Handle: @JustinHurwitz
• Twitter/X Handle: @JustinHurwitz

Personal Life

Justin Hurwitz, 41 years old, keeps details of his private life largely out of the public eye. No verified information is available regarding a spouse, long-term romantic partners, or children.

He maintains a low public profile focused on his professional collaborations and family background, which includes close ties to his parents and sister, the classical violinist Hanna Hurwitz.

Net Worth

Justin Hurwitz has an estimated net worth in the range of $5–10 million. His primary sources of income include film scoring fees and royalties from major studio releases, earnings from original songs and soundtrack sales, television writing and producing credits, and income from live concert performances of his scores.

Filmography

• Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench (2009)
• Whiplash (2014)
• La La Land (2016)
• First Man (2018)
• Babylon (2022)

What People Ask