1. Early life and background
Ansel Elgort was born in New York City on March 14, 1994. He was named by his father after the prominent nature photographer Ansel Adams.
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. Career
Ansel Elgort's career spans both the acting and music industries, where he has achieved significant recognition.
2.1. Acting career
Elgort's acting career began on stage before transitioning to film and television, where he quickly rose to prominence.
2.1.1. Early career and recognition
Elgort made his professional acting debut in March 2012, just days after his 18th birthday, when he premiered a lead role in an Off-Broadway production of Regrets. His film debut came in 2013 with the remake of Carrie, where he played the key secondary role of Tommy Ross, the lead character's prom date, co-starring with Chloë Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore.
His first highly publicized role was as Caleb Prior, the brother of the lead character Beatrice Prior (played by Shailene Woodley), in the 2014 film Divergent. Immediately after filming Divergent, Elgort was cast as Augustus Waters in the film adaptation of John Green's novel The Fault in Our Stars, again opposite Shailene Woodley, who played Hazel Grace Lancaster. The film, directed by Josh Boone and released on June 6, 2014, tells the story of Hazel, a teenage cancer patient who meets and falls in love with Waters, a former basketball player, at a support group.
Elgort next co-starred in the dramatic film Men, Women & Children, directed by Jason Reitman and released in October 2014. This film notably featured his LaGuardia classmate Timothée Chalamet. In 2014, Elgort was recognized as one of the best actors under 20 years of age. He reunited with his Carrie co-star Chloë Grace Moretz to present the award for Best Visual Effects at the 2015 Oscars. He reprised his role as Caleb Prior in the sequels The Divergent Series: Insurgent (released March 20, 2015) and The Divergent Series: Allegiant (released March 18, 2016). In 2016, Elgort was on a shortlist of actors considered for the role of Han Solo in Solo: A Star Wars Story. After Alden Ehrenreich was cast, Elgort expressed some relief, stating that if he had been chosen, he would have had to change his DJ name, Ansølo.
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.
2.1.3. Television appearances
Elgort's television work includes his starring role in Tokyo Vice, a television adaptation of journalist Jake Adelstein's non-fiction memoir for HBO Max. He played the lead role of Adelstein and also served as one of the series' executive producers. Episodes of the series were directed by Michael Mann and Destin Daniel Cretton, with the script written by J.T. Rogers. Although production on the series was temporarily halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it later resumed. The series debuted on HBO Max in 2022 to positive reviews and ran until 2024.
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.
2.2.2. Singles and album releases
In 2015, Elgort signed a record deal with Island/Universal Records. His first single released under this label was "Home Alone" on July 8, 2016. On February 3, 2017, he released the single "Thief" under his own name, Ansel Elgort. The music video for "Thief" featured his then-girlfriend, ballet dancer Violetta Komyshan. He was also featured on rapper Logic's third studio album, Everybody, on the song "Killing Spree," released on May 5, 2017.
On January 11, 2018, he released another single titled "Supernova." He also provided vocals and was featured on Don Diablo's 2018 single "Believe." In 2018, he released an extended play (EP) titled Super Nova. In 2021, he released "Balcony Scene (Tonight)" with Rachel Zegler, which was part of the West Side Story: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. He was also featured on several other songs from the West Side Story soundtrack, including "Something's Coming," "Maria," "One Hand, One Heart," "Cool," and "Tonight (Quintet)."
3. Personal life
As of 2017, Elgort resided in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. On his 21st birthday, Elgort encouraged his friends, family, and fans to donate to the Thirst Project, a non-profit organization that builds freshwater wells in developing communities. In April 2020, he posted a nude photograph of himself on social media as part of a fundraising effort to provide food for those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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. Filmography
4.1. Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Carrie | Tommy Ross | |
| 2014 | Divergent | Caleb Prior | |
| The Fault in Our Stars | Augustus Waters | ||
| Men, Women & Children | Tim Mooney | ||
| 2015 | The Divergent Series: Insurgent | Caleb Prior | |
| Paper Towns | Mason | Cameo | |
| 2016 | The Divergent Series: Allegiant | Caleb Prior | |
| 2017 | Baby Driver | Baby / Miles | |
| November Criminals | Addison Schacht | ||
| 2018 | Jonathan | Jonathan / John | |
| Billionaire Boys Club | Joe Hunt | ||
| 2019 | The Goldfinch | Theodore "Theo" Decker | |
| 2021 | West Side Story | Tony |
4.2. Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-2024 | Tokyo Vice | Jake Adelstein | Also executive producer |
5. Discography
5.1. Extended Plays
| Title | Year |
|---|---|
| Super Nova | 2018 |
5.2. Singles
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| colspan="3" | ||
| Credited as Ansølo | ||
| "Unite" (with Special Features) | 2014 | rowspan="5" Non-album singles |
| "Totem" (with Tom Staar) | ||
| "The Right Stuff" (with Jerm) | 2015 | |
| "To Life" (with Too Many Zooz) | ||
| "Yin Yang" (with Maxum) | 2016 | |
| colspan="3" | ||
| Credited as Ansel Elgort | ||
| "Home Alone" | 2016 | rowspan="5" Non-album singles |
| "Thief" | 2017 | |
| "You Can Count on Me" (feat. Logic) | ||
| "All I Think About Is You" | ||
| "Supernova" | 2018 | Super Nova |
| "Balcony Scene (Tonight)" (with Rachel Zegler) | 2021 | West Side Story: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack |
5.3. Remixes
| Title | Original artists | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Clarity" (Ansolo Remix) | Zedd featuring Foxes | 2013 | rowspan="3" Non-album singles |
| "Runaway" (Ansolo Remix) | Pierce Fulton | 2014 | |
| "Strong" (Ansolo Remix) | Arno Cost & Norman Doray | ||
| "Runaway (U & I)" (Ansolo Remix) | Galantis | 2015 | Runaway (U & I) [Remixes] - Single |
| "I Wanna Know" (Ansolo Remix) | Alesso featuring Nico & Vinz | 2016 | I Wanna Know (feat. Nico & Vinz) [The Remixes] - Single |
5.4. As featured artist
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| colspan="3" | ||
| Credited as Ansel Elgort | ||
| "Killing Spree" (Logic feat. Ansel Elgort) | 2017 | Everybody |
| "Believe" (Don Diablo feat. Ansel Elgort) | 2018 | Future |
| "Something's Coming", "Maria", "Balcony Scene (Tonight)", "One Hand, One Heart", "Cool", "Tonight (Quintet)" | 2021 | West Side Story: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack |
5.5. Music videos
| Artist | Title | Year | Director(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dua Lipa | "Be the One" | 2016 | Daniel Kaufman | Guest appearance |
| Ansel Elgort | "Thief" | 2017 | Warren Elgort | |
| Ansel Elgort | "Supernova" | 2018 | Colin Tilley | |
| J.I.D | "Off da Zoinkys" | 2019 | Scott Lazer |
6. Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Choice Movie: Liplock (shared with Shailene Woodley) | The Fault in Our Stars | Won |
| Choice Movie: Chemistry (shared with Shailene Woodley and Nat Wolff) | Won | ||
| Fan Favorite Actor - Male | The Fault in Our Stars / Divergent | Won | |
| Breakthrough Actor | Won | ||
| Best On-Screen Couple (shared with Shailene Woodley) | The Fault in Our Stars | Won | |
| Best New Film Actor | Won | ||
| 2015 | Favorite Movie Duo (shared with Shailene Woodley) | Won | |
| Best Young Actor/Actress | Nominated | ||
| Best Male Performance | Won | ||
| Breakthrough Performance | Won | ||
| Best Shirtless Performance | Nominated | ||
| Best Kiss (shared with Shailene Woodley) | Won | ||
| Best Duo (shared with Shailene Woodley) | Won | ||
| Choice Movie Actor: Action | The Divergent Series: Insurgent | Nominated | |
| 2017 | Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy | Baby Driver | Nominated |
| 2018 | Empire Award for Best Male Newcomer | Nominated | |
| MTV Movie Award for Best Performance in a Movie | Nominated |