Ansel Elgort

1.1. Family and ancestry

Elgort's father, Arthur Elgort, is a renowned fashion photographer who has worked extensively for Vogue magazine. His mother, Grethe Barrett Holby, is an opera director, choreographer, dramaturg, and producer. He has two older siblings: his sister, Sophie Elgort, is a fashion photographer, and his brother, Warren Elgort, is a cinematographer and film editor. Comedian Sam Morril is his paternal cousin.

Elgort's ancestry is diverse; he is of Russian Jewish descent on his father's side, and of Norwegian, English, and German ancestry on his mother's side. His Norwegian maternal grandmother, Aase-Grethe, was a member of the Norwegian resistance movement during World War II. She played a crucial role in saving Norwegian Jewish children by helping them relocate to neutral Sweden. Due to these activities, she was imprisoned in a concentration camp.

1.2. Education

At the age of nine, Elgort auditioned for the School of American Ballet and studied there for five years, demonstrating an early aptitude for the performing arts. He attended several prestigious institutions, including Trinity School, The Professional Performing Arts School, Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, and the Stagedoor Manor summer camp.

He began taking acting classes at age 12. During his time at LaGuardia High School, he performed in a rendition of Hairspray alongside schoolmate Kyle Jean-Baptiste and also starred in the school's productions of Guys and Dolls. In 2009, while still in high school, he appeared in Teen Vogue in an editorial photographed by his father, alongside Polish model Jac Jagaciak.

2.1. Acting career

Elgort's acting career began on stage before transitioning to film and television, where he quickly rose to prominence.

2.1.2. Major film appearances

In 2017, Elgort played the title role of Baby / Miles in the action film Baby Driver, directed by Edgar Wright, co-starring Lily James and Kevin Spacey. His audition for the role in 2014 required him to lip sync and dance to a song of his choice. The film garnered positive reviews and performed well at the box office, leading to Elgort's nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his performance. Also in 2017, he played Addison Schacht in the drama thriller November Criminals, an adaptation of the novel of the same name, again starring with Chloë Grace Moretz.

Elgort starred in the 2018 film Billionaire Boys Club, opposite Kevin Spacey, Cary Elwes, Emma Roberts, and Taron Egerton, and directed by James Cox. Due to allegations of sexual misconduct against Spacey, the film's release was initially uncertain. It was eventually released through video on demand on July 17, 2018, followed by a limited release in theaters on August 17, 2018. Elgort took on the lead role of Theodore "Theo" Decker in the 2019 adaptation of Donna Tartt's novel, The Goldfinch. The film was critically panned and became a box office bomb.

In 2021, Elgort played the lead role of Tony in West Side Story, an adaptation of the 1957 stage musical of the same name directed by Steven Spielberg. The film received critical acclaim upon its release and earned seven nominations at the 94th Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

2.2. Music career

Ansel Elgort has cultivated a parallel career in music, primarily as a DJ and a recording artist.

2.2.1. DJ activities and early projects

Under the alias "Ansølo" (sometimes spelled "Ansolo"), Elgort established a SoundCloud account to release his electronic dance music tracks. He has also produced remixes of popular songs, including "Born to Die" by Lana Del Rey. In February 2014, he announced that he had secured record deals with Tom Staar's new label, Staar Traxx, and Steve Angello's label, Size Records.

His debut record, "Unite" (with Special Features), was released on April 21, 2014, on Beatport, and on May 5, 2014, on iTunes. This was followed by his second record, "Totem" (with Tom Staar), released on July 21, 2014, on both Beatport and iTunes. In September 2015, he released the single "To Life" (with Too Many Zooz), a Bar Mitzvah-themed song featuring klezmer music influences.

Elgort has performed at several major music festivals and events. He played on the main stage of the Electric Zoo Festival in 2014 and the Ultra Music Festival main stage in March 2015. He also performed at a red-light dance music event in Amsterdam in 2014 and opened shows for artists such as The Chainsmokers and Nervo, as well as performing with friends like Nicky Romero and Martin Garrix. His first headline show took place on his 21st birthday at Pacha NYC.

3.1. Relationships

Elgort was in a long-term relationship with ballet dancer Violetta Komyshan, whom he had dated since high school in 2012. They briefly separated in August 2014, primarily due to his burgeoning career and demanding schedule, but reconciled five months later. In 2022, after a decade together, Elgort and Komyshan officially split.

3.2. Controversies and allegations

In June 2020, a woman identified as Gabby on Twitter publicly accused Elgort of sexually assaulting her in 2014, when she was 17 and he was 20. Following this initial accusation, three other women came forward, alleging that he had solicited them via DM when they were between the ages of 14 and 16. Additionally, a post by a French-speaking user, made in April 2020, circulated with alleged screenshots showing him soliciting her when she was 15 and he was 21.

Elgort denied Gabby's allegation in an Instagram post, stating that he and the woman had a "brief, legal and entirely consensual relationship." His Instagram account was temporarily suspended in September 2023 but was restored in January 2024.

4.1. Film

4.2. Television

5.1. Extended Plays

5.2. Singles

5.3. Remixes

5.4. As featured artist

5.5. Music videos