Photo: isabelle VERONESE from ELBEUF, France / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Damien Chazelle is credited as a screenwriter, cinematographer and film producer. Damien Chazelle was born in Providence, Rhode Island, United States on January 19, 1985. The age as of 2026 is 41. Schooling on record includes Princeton High School and Harvard University. Awards on record include Sundance Film Festival U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize Award (2014), Academy Award for Best Director (2017) and BAFTA Award for Best Direction (2017).
My Take
What draws me to Damien Chazelle is not the precocity of winning Best Director in his early thirties, but his obsession with the cost of greatness. Whiplash and La La Land are two sides of the same coin: the brutality of chasing perfection and the ache of dreams that slip away. A Harvard-educated kid from Providence who still films jazz like it is a matter of life and death, he refuses to let ambition come cheap. I trust filmmakers who make beauty hurt, and Chazelle does it better than almost anyone working today. I keep waiting to see what wounds me next.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Damien Chazelle
- Name (Japanese)
- デミアン・チャゼル
- Reading
- でみあん・ちゃぜる
- Born
- January 19, 1985 (age 41)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Capricorn / Ox
- Origin
- Providence, Rhode Island, United States
- Occupation
- screenwriter / cinematographer / film producer / film or television director / director
2. Background
- High school
- Princeton High School
- University
- Harvard University
Awards & achievements
- 2014 Sundance Film Festival U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize Award
- 2017 Academy Award for Best Director
- 2017 BAFTA Award for Best Direction
3. Links
4. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-17
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Damien Chazelle born?
Born January 19, 1985 (age 41).
Where is Damien Chazelle from?
Damien Chazelle is from Providence, Rhode Island, United States.
What does Damien Chazelle do?
Damien Chazelle works as screenwriter, cinematographer, film producer, film or television director, director.
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