
Photo by Jim Smeal/BEI/Shutterstock
At the tender age of 33, Damien Chazelle is one of the most sought after and exciting (and relatively new) talents working in Tinseltown. His short but substantial body of work has kept critics and audiences alike invested, evidenced both by box-office figures and review ratings – and not to mention his Academy Award for Best Director for La La Land, making Chazelle the youngest ever winner in the category.
Born in Providence, Rhode Island, to professor parent, Chazelle also had family ties to the film industry; his maternal grandfather, John Martin, was the son of stage actress Eileen Earle and Chazelle’s sister, Anna, is an actress. Although film-making was his first and true passion, Chazelle had aspirations to become a musician, in particular a jazz drummer and pursue this goal during his time at Princeton High School. However, he knew that he did not have the innate or instinctual talent to become a great musician so turned his attention back to film-making once again. He combined his two major interests in his directorial debut feature Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench (2009), a black-and-white jazz musical film. It premiered at Tribeca Film Festival before being picked up for limited release and opening to acclaim.
Ryan Gosling and Damian Chazelle on the set of La La Land. Getty Images

Ryan Gosling and Damian Chazelle on the set of La La Land. Getty Images
- Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench (2009)
- Whiplash (2014)
- La La Land (2016)