Damien Chazelle Family Tree: The Story Behind La La Land's Director

Damien Sayre Chazelle, born 19 January 1985 in Providence, Rhode Island, USA, became the youngest-ever winner of the Academy Award for Best Director at age 32 for La La Land (2016). Also director of Whiplash (2014), First Man (2018), and Babylon (2022).

The Family's Roots: A French-American Academic Family

The Chazelle family is French-American. Father is French; mother is American.

His Parents

Father: Bernard Chazelle, born 1955 — distinguished computer scientist; Eugene Higgins Professor of Computer Science at Princeton University; French.

Mother: Celia Chazelle — American medievalist historian; professor at The College of New Jersey.

His Sister

Anna Chazelle, born 1989 — Damien's younger sister; actress and aerialist.

His First Wife

Damien was married to actress Jasmine McGlade from 2010 to 2014; they met at Harvard.

His Wife: Olivia Hamilton

Olivia Hamilton — American actress; Damien's second wife from 2018.

Their Daughter

Esmé Bea Chazelle, born 2020 — daughter.

The Chazelle Family Tree at a Glance

Family Origins: French-American academic family.

Father: Bernard Chazelle — Princeton CS professor.

Mother: Celia Chazelle — historian; TCNJ professor.

Sister: Anna Chazelle (b. 1989) — actress and aerialist.

First Wife: Jasmine McGlade (m. 2010, div. 2014).

Wife: Olivia Hamilton (married 2018).

Daughter: Esmé Bea Chazelle (b. 2020).

Damien Chazelle:

  • Born 19 January 1985, Providence
  • Princeton High School; high-school jazz drummer (the formative experience for Whiplash)
  • Harvard University (Visual and Environmental Studies, 2007)
  • Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench (2009); Whiplash (2014) — Best Picture nominee; La La Land (2016) — Oscar Best Director; First Man (2018); Babylon (2022)
  • Youngest-ever Oscar Best Director winner: age 32 (broke the record set by Norman Taurog in 1931)
  • Multiple Golden Globes, BAFTAs

What the Chazelle Family Story Teaches Us

A French Princeton-computer-science-professor father. An American medievalist-historian mother. A sister who is an actress and aerialist. A first marriage that ended after Harvard. A second marriage to an actress. A daughter. A career that produced the youngest Oscar Best Director winner in history.

For every family — large or small, famous or otherwise — the Chazelle story carries the same lesson. Academic households often produce careers in adjacent creative fields. The Princeton and TCNJ professors' son became Hollywood's youngest Best Director. Write down what each parent professionally did. The intellectual environment often does the early shaping.

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