Justin Bartha
Justin Lee Bartha (born July 21, 1978) is an American actor, known for his roles as Riley Poole in the National Treasure film series, Doug Billings in The Hangover trilogy, and David Sawyer in the NBC comedy series The New Normal. He starred as Colin Morrello in the CBS All Access legal and political drama The Good Fight. In 2022, Bartha starred as Marshall Johnson in the critically acclaimed Atlanta standalone episode, Big Payback.
Justin Bartha | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 21, 1978 Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Tisch School of Arts |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Spouse | Lia Smith (m. 2014) |
| Children | 2 |
Early life
Bartha was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and moved to West Bloomfield, Michigan when he was eight.[1] His father, Stephen, is a commercial real estate agent while his mother, Betty, is a school teacher. He has one older brother, Jeffrey. Bartha was raised in a Reform Jewish family.[2][3][4][5][6] After he graduated from West Bloomfield High School in 1996, he moved to New York City and studied filmmaking and theatre at New York University's Tisch School of Arts.[7]
Career
Bartha began his film career behind the camera as a production assistant on the film Analyze This. His acting debut came with his first film, 54, as a clubgoer. He wrote and directed a short film, Highs and Lows, which was shown at the South by Southwest Film Festival in 2003.[8] Additionally, he wrote, produced, and starred in an MTV pilot called The Dustin and Justin Show.[8]
Bartha co-starred opposite Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, Christopher Walken and Al Pacino in the critically bashed Gigli in 2003, before his co-starring role in the National Treasure franchise (2004; 2007) as Riley Poole.[9] He reprised the role in the series continuation for Disney+.[10]
In 2006, Bartha co-starred in the film Failure to Launch[11] and NBC's sitcom Teachers which only aired six episodes.[12]
In November 2007, Bartha was cast in an indie drama, Holy Rollers. His character lures a young Hasidic Jew (Jesse Eisenberg) into becoming an ecstasy dealer. Filming began in New York in the spring of 2008, and the film was released in 2010.[13] Bartha re-teamed with Eisenberg for Eisenberg's critically acclaimed play, Asuncion.[14] Bartha also starred alongside Catherine Zeta-Jones in the Bart Freundlich film, The Rebound which is about a 25-year-old man who starts a romance with his older single mother neighbor, the film began shooting in April 2008 in New York and finished in June. In The Hangover comedy film series, he played Doug Billings, one of the "Wolfpack" members who goes on weekend trips with the trio. After a wild nights of partying, he goes missing and his friends frantically search everywhere for him.
Bartha starred as Max in the Broadway revival of the play Lend Me a Tenor by Ken Ludwig. He performed alongside Tony Shalhoub, Anthony LaPaglia, Brooke Adams, and Jan Maxwell. A farcical comedy, it was directed by Stanley Tucci and started previews at the Music Box Theatre on March 11, 2010, with the official opening date on April 4, 2010. It was nominated for a Tony award for best revival of a play. In 2011, Bartha signed on to star in the premiere of Zach Braff's play All New People at Second Stage Theatre. All New People began June 28 and ran through mid-August. Anna Camp, David Wilson Barnes and Krysten Ritter co-starred in this production under the direction of Peter DuBois.[15] In February 2012, Bartha signed on to co-star on the NBC comedy pilot The New Normal.[16] On May 7, 2012, NBC ordered the project to series.[17] The show was centered around a gay couple (played by Bartha and Andrew Rannells) and the surrogate mother (Georgia King) they selected to bear their child. It premiered on September 11, 2012,[18] but was officially cancelled the next year on May 10, 2013.[19]
In 2014, Bartha starred in another of Jesse Eisenberg's plays, A Little Part of All Of Us, alongside Eisenberg, for Playing On Air, a non-profit organization that "records short plays [for public radio and podcast] written by top playwrights and performed by outstanding actors."[20][21]
Bartha has worked with the Matrix Theatre Company, guest directing their Teen Company in Are You Passing?, a play on the state of education in Detroit.
In 2018, Bartha co-starred as Colin Morrello in the first two seasons of the critically acclaimed CBS all-access drama, The Good Fight. In 2021, Bartha signed on to play Robert Morgenthau in the second season of the critically acclaimed EPIX hit drama, Godfather Of Harlem and co-starred opposite Jason Momoa in the Netflix movie Sweet Girl. In 2022, Bartha starred in the controversial and critically acclaimed standalone episode in the third season of Atlanta called, The Big Payback. Bartha plays a man named Marshall Johnson who finds out he must pay slavery reparations.
Personal life
Bartha married Pilates instructor and creator of B The Method[22] [23] Lia Smith in Oahu, Hawaii, on January 4, 2014.[24] On April 13, 2014, she gave birth to their daughter.[25] On April 16, 2016, she gave birth to their second daughter.[26]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 54 | Clubgoer | Uncredited |
| 1999 | Tag | Kip Woffard | Short film |
| 2003 | Gigli | Brian | |
| 2003 | Carnival Sun | Brian | Short film |
| 2004 | National Treasure | Riley Poole | |
| 2005 | Trust the Man | Jasper Bernard | |
| 2006 | Failure to Launch | Philip "Ace" | |
| 2007 | National Treasure: Book of Secrets | Riley Poole | |
| 2008 | New York, I Love You | Justin | Segment: "Randy Balsmeyer" |
| 2009 | The Hangover | Doug Billings | |
| 2009 | Jusqu'à toi | Jack | Also executive producer |
| 2009 | The Rebound | Aram Finkelstein | |
| 2010 | Holy Rollers | Yosef Zimmerman | |
| 2011 | The Hangover Part II | Doug Billings | |
| 2011 | Dark Horse | Richard | |
| 2013 | The Hangover Part III | Doug Billings | |
| 2013 | CBGB | Stiv Bators | |
| 2016 | White Girl | Kelly | |
| 2016 | Sticky Notes | Bryan | |
| 2018 | Driven | Howard Weitzman | |
| 2018 | Sorry for Your Loss | Ken | |
| 2019 | Against the Clock | Peter Hobbs | |
| 2021 | Sweet Girl | Simon Keeley |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Strip Search | — | Television film |
| 2006 | Teachers | Jeff Cahill | Main cast; 6 episodes |
| 2009 | WWII in HD | Jack Werner (voice) | Miniseries; 5 episodes |
| 2012–2013 | The New Normal | David Sawyer | Main cast; 22 episodes |
| 2016 | Cooper Barrett's Guide to Surviving Life | Josh Barrett | Main cast; 13 episodes |
| 2017–2018 | The Good Fight | Colin Morrello | Main cast; 17 episodes |
| 2019 | Drunk History | Thomas H. Ince | Episode: "Drunk Mystery II" |
| 2021 | Godfather of Harlem | Robert Morgenthau | |
| 2022 | Atlanta | Marshall Johnson | Episode: "The Big Payback" |
| 2022 | National Treasure: Edge of History | Riley Poole | Guest star; Filming |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 64th Tony Awards | Performing Artist | |
| 2010 | Lend Me a Tenor | Max | Broadway revival Music Box Theatre |
| 2011 | All New People | Charlie | Second Stage Theatre |
| 2011 | Asuncion | Vinny | Off-Broadway Rattlestick Playwrights Theater |
| 2013 | The Sunshine Boys | Ben | Ahmanson Theatre Center Theatre Group |
| 2015 | Permission | Eric | MCC Theatre |
References
- ^ "Double Take". Retrieved July 4, 2009.
Bartha, 27, whose family belonged to Temple Israel, where he had his bar mitzvah.
- ^ Applebaum, Stephen (July 22, 2010). "Interview: Justin Bartha". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
- ^ "Jews Making News: Bartha and Segel". Atlanta Jewish Times. September 11, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
- ^ "Exclusive: Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Bartha Take Flight in Holy Rollers". MovieWeb. May 21, 2010. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ . The Cinema Source. May 20, 2010. Archived from the original on September 15, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
- ^ Mester, Ilan (June 10, 2010). . Shalom Life. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved June 26, 2010.
To prepare for the part, Bartha – who is Jewish – ...
- ^ Wigney, James (March 13, 2010). "The Rebound Ace". Sunday Herald Sun. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b . Archived from the original on December 22, 2005. Retrieved September 16, 2006.
- ^ . MoviesOnline. Archived from the original on December 26, 2008. Retrieved July 4, 2009.
- ^ Porter, Rick (April 11, 2022). "Justin Bartha to Reprise 'National Treasure' Role in Disney+ Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
- ^ Dey, Tom (March 10, 2006), Failure to Launch (Comedy, Romance), Paramount Pictures, Scott Rudin Productions, Failure to Launch Productions, retrieved September 11, 2022
- ^ Teachers. (TV Series 2006) - IMDb, retrieved September 11, 2022
- ^ Goldstein, Gregg (November 18, 2007). "Drug-dealing Jews inspire comic drama". Reuters. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ Hetrick, Adam (October 12, 2011). "Asuncion, With Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Bartha, Begins Off-Broadway Run Oct. 12". Playbill. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ . Broadway.me. Archived from the original on October 12, 2011. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
- ^ Ausiello, Michael (February 22, 2012). "Scoop: Hangover's Justin Bartha Joins Ryan Murphy's NBC Comedy Pilot The New Normal". TV Line. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
- ^ "'The New Normal': NBC Orders Ryan Murphy Comedy And J.J. Abrams Drama To Series". HuffPost. May 7, 2012. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ Goldman, Eric (June 14, 2012). "NBC Sets Fall Premiere Dates: Community, The Office and More". IGN. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
- ^ Heredia, Gustavo (May 13, 2013). "'The New Normal' Star Justin Bartha Talks About The Show's Cancellation". HuffPost. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ Mogol, Allen (February 23, 2015). "Broadway Direct". broadwaydirect.com. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
- ^ . Playing On Air. September 14, 2015. Archived from the original on June 17, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
- ^ Krueger, Alyson (December 17, 2021). "She Became a Fitness Guru During the Pandemic". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
- ^ Barbuti, Angela (January 5, 2014). "Justin Bartha's New Wife, Lia Smith: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
- ^ "Justin Bartha Marries Lia Smith". People. January 5, 2014. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ Monde, Chiderah (April 21, 2014). "Justin Bartha, wife Lia Smith welcome first child together: report". NEW YORK DAILY NEWS. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
- ^ "Lia Bartha в Instagram: "It's my second born spunky nuggets 3rd birthday today! We have two kids with almost identical birthdays. This hunky dudes birthday is 7/21.…"". April 16, 2019. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021.
- ^ Rowles, Dustin (November 21, 2014). "'Imagine' Gets the Star-Studded 'We Are The World' Treatment for UNICEF". Pajiba. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved May 24, 2021.