Justin Paul facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Justin Paul
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Paul in 2009
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Justin Noble Paul |
| Born | January 3, 1985 St. Louis, Missouri, United States |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, lyricist, singer |
Justin Paul is a super talented American composer and lyricist. He's famous for writing amazing songs for movies like La La Land (2016) and The Greatest Showman (2017), and the Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen. He creates these songs with his songwriting partner, Benj Pasek. Together, they are part of a very special group of people who have won an EGOT – that means they've won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony Award!
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Early Life and School
Justin Paul was born in Missouri but grew up in Connecticut. He went to the Music Theatre of Connecticut School of Performing Arts. He also attended Coleytown Middle School and Staples High School in Westport, Connecticut. While in school, Justin was very active in his middle and high school theater programs. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 2006. He earned a special degree in Musical Theatre.
Amazing Career in Music
Justin Paul works with his partner, Benj Pasek. They have created many wonderful musicals and songs together.
Early Projects
One of their first projects was a collection of songs called Edges. They also wrote songs for the Disney Channel show Johnny and the Sprites. In 2007, Pasek and Paul won the Jonathan Larson Award. This award helps new musical theater writers.
They also wrote the music and lyrics for the musical Dogfight. This show opened in New York City in 2012. Another musical they composed was James and the Giant Peach.
Dear Evan Hansen
Pasek and Paul created the music and lyrics for the stage musical Dear Evan Hansen. This show first opened in Washington, D.C., in 2015. It then moved to Broadway in New York City in December 2016. The musical is known for its deep story and great songs. It was nominated for many awards, including Best Musical, at the 71st Tony Awards. It won the Tony Award for Best Original Score in 2017.
Hit Movies and TV Shows
Pasek and Paul also wrote the lyrics for the movie musical La La Land (2016). This film starred Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. They won a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for "City of Stars" in 2017. They also received two Oscar nominations for songs from La La Land. They won the Oscar for "City of Stars."
The next year, they earned another Oscar nomination. This was for the song "This Is Me" from the movie The Greatest Showman (2017).
They also wrote a song called "Runnin' Home to You." This song was performed by Grant Gustin for a special musical episode of the TV show The Flash. This episode also featured characters from Supergirl.
In 2022, Pasek and Paul won a Tony Award for Best Musical. They won this as producers for the Broadway show A Strange Loop. This musical had already won a special award called the Pulitzer Prize.
Personal Life
Justin Paul is married to a writer named Asher Fogle Paul. They have three children. Their first child, a daughter, was born in 2016. Their son was born in 2018, and their third child was born in 2020. The Paul family are practicing Christians.
Major Awards and Honors
Justin Paul has won many important awards for his work.
- EGOT Winner: He is one of the few people to win an EGOT. This means he has won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony Award.
- Academy Awards (Oscars): He won an Oscar for Best Original Song for "City of Stars" from La La Land in 2017.
- Golden Globe Awards: He won Golden Globes for Best Original Song for "City of Stars" (La La Land, 2017) and "This Is Me" (The Greatest Showman, 2018).
- Tony Awards: He won the Tony Award for Best Original Score for Dear Evan Hansen in 2017. He also won the Tony Award for Best Musical as a producer for A Strange Loop in 2022.
- Grammy Awards: He won a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album for Dear Evan Hansen in 2018.
- Emmy Awards: He won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics in 2024 for a song from Only Murders in the Building. He also won a Children's and Family Emmy Award in 2025 for a song from Sesame Street.
See also
