Ansel Elgort facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ansel Elgort
Elgort in 2019
Born	(1994-03-14) March 14, 1994 (age 31) New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Actor singer
Years active	2012–present
Parents	Arthur Elgort (father) Grethe Holby (mother)
Relatives	Sam Morril (cousin)
Musical career
Also known as	Ansølo
Genres	Hip hop R&B soul electronic
Instruments	Vocals turntables
Labels	Island Universal (2015–present)

Ansel Elgort (born March 14, 1994) is an American actor and singer. He started his acting journey with a role in the horror film Carrie (2013). He became widely known for playing a teenage cancer patient in the romantic drama The Fault in Our Stars (2014). He also had a supporting role in The Divergent Series (2014–2016).

In 2017, Elgort starred in Edgar Wright's action thriller Baby Driver. For this role, he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor. After appearing in Steven Spielberg's musical film West Side Story (2021), he played Jake Adelstein in the crime series Tokyo Vice from 2022 to 2024.

Early Life and Family Background

Ansel Elgort was born in New York City on March 14, 1994. His father, Arthur Elgort, is a famous fashion photographer who worked for Vogue magazine. His mother, Grethe Barrett Holby, is an opera director. Ansel's father named him after the well-known nature photographer Ansel Adams.

Ansel has a mixed family background. His father's family is of Russian Jewish descent. His mother's family has Norwegian roots. His Norwegian grandmother was part of the Norwegian resistance during World War II. She helped save Norwegian Jewish children by moving them to neutral Sweden.

Ansel has two older siblings. His sister, Sophie Elgort, is a fashion photographer. His brother, Warren Elgort, is a cinematographer. He is also a cousin of comedian Sam Morril.

When he was nine years old, Ansel auditioned for the School of American Ballet. He studied ballet there for five years.

School and Early Performances

Ansel Elgort went to several schools, including Trinity School and Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School. He also attended the Stagedoor Manor summer camp. He started taking acting classes when he was 12.

At LaGuardia High School, he performed in a play called Hairspray. He also starred in the school's production of Guys and Dolls. In 2009, while still in high school, he appeared in Teen Vogue magazine. His father took the photos for this article.

Ansel Elgort's Acting Career

Ansel Elgort's first professional acting role was in an Off-Broadway play called Regrets in March 2012. This was just before he graduated high school. His first movie was the 2013 remake of Carrie. He played the main character's prom date.

Breakthrough Roles

His first widely recognized role was in Divergent (2014). He played Caleb Prior, the brother of the main character. Right after filming Divergent, Ansel was cast as Augustus Waters in The Fault in Our Stars. This movie was based on John Green's popular novel. He starred alongside Shailene Woodley, who played Hazel Grace Lancaster.

The film tells the story of Hazel, a teenage cancer patient. She meets and falls in love with Augustus Waters, a former basketball player, at a support group. The movie was directed by Josh Boone and came out on June 6, 2014. Elgort also appeared in the drama film Men, Women & Children (2014). His high school classmate Timothée Chalamet also starred in this movie.

Elgort at the premiere of Divergent, 2014

In 2014, Ansel Elgort was recognized as one of the best young actors. He reunited with his Carrie co-star Chloë Grace Moretz to present an award at the 2015 Oscars. He also played Caleb Prior again in The Divergent Series: Insurgent (2015) and The Divergent Series: Allegiant (2016).

Later Film Roles

In 2017, Elgort took on the main role in the action film Baby Driver. Edgar Wright directed the movie, which also starred Lily James and Kevin Spacey. For his audition in 2014, Ansel had to lip sync and dance to a song. The film received good reviews and did well at the box office. Ansel was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his performance. That same year, he played Addison Schacht in the drama thriller November Criminals, again with Chloë Grace Moretz.

Elgort also starred in Billionaire Boys Club (2018). He played the lead role in the 2019 film The Goldfinch, based on Donna Tartt's novel.

In 2021, Elgort played Tony in West Side Story. This movie was an adaptation of the 1957 stage musical and was directed by Steven Spielberg. The film was highly praised and received seven nominations at the 94th Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

Ansel's most recent major role was in Tokyo Vice. This TV series, which aired from 2022 to 2024, was based on journalist Jake Adelstein's true story. Elgort played Jake Adelstein and was also one of the show's executive producers. The series was well-received.

Ansel Elgort's Music Career

Elgort in 2014

Ansel Elgort also makes music under the name Ansølo. He started a SoundCloud account to share his electronic dance music. He has remixed songs by artists like Lana Del Rey. In 2014, he announced he had signed a record deal with Tom Staar's new label, Staar Traxx, and Steve Angello's label, Size Records.

His first record, Unite, was released in April 2014. His second record, Totem, came out in July 2014. In September 2015, he released a song called "To Life," which had a Bar Mitzvah theme and klezmer music influences.

Ansel has performed at big music festivals. He played on the main stage at the Electric Zoo Festival in 2014 and the Ultra Music Festival in March 2015. He also opened shows for groups like The Chainsmokers. In 2015, he signed a record deal with Island/Universal Records. He released his first single with them, "Home Alone," in July 2016.

On February 3, 2017, he released a single called "Thief" under his own name, Ansel Elgort. The music video for "Thief" featured his then-girlfriend, Violetta Komyshan, who is a ballet dancer. ..... In January 2018, he released another single called "Supernova." He also sang on Don Diablo’s 2018 single "Believe."

Filmography

Film Roles

Television Roles

Discography

Singles

Remixes

As featured artist

Music Videos

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Ansel Elgort para niños