Justin Theroux | |
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.jpg) Theroux in 2024 | |
| Born | Justin Paul Theroux (1971-08-10)August 10, 1971 (age 54) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Alma mater | Bennington College |
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| Years active | 1995–present |
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Justin Paul Theroux (/θəˈroʊ/thə-ROH;[1] born August 10, 1971)[2] is an American actor and filmmaker. He gained recognition for his partnership withDavid Lynch on the surrealist art filmsMulholland Drive (2001) andInland Empire (2006). He also appeared in films such asRomy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997),American Psycho (2000),Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003),Strangers with Candy (2005),Miami Vice (2006),Wanderlust (2012),The Girl on the Train (2016),The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018),On the Basis of Sex (2018),Bumblebee (2018),Lady and the Tramp (2019), andBeetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024).
Theroux was a screenwriter for films such as the action comedyTropic Thunder (2008), the superhero filmIron Man 2 (2010), and the musical comedy dramaRock of Ages (2012). He made his directorial debut with the romantic comedy filmDedication (2007).
Theroux starred as Kevin Garvey in theHBO mystery drama seriesThe Leftovers (2014–2017), for which he received widespread praise and was nominated for theCritics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series. He also starred as Dr. James Mantleray in theNetflix comedy drama miniseriesManiac (2018). From 2021 to 2023, he portrayed Allie Fox in theApple TV+ adaptation ofThe Mosquito Coast, based on the novel by his unclePaul Theroux. In 2023, he also starred in theHBO satirical political miniseriesWhite House Plumbers.
Theroux was born on August 10, 1971, inWashington, D.C. His mother, Phyllis Grissim Theroux, is an essayist and author, and his father, Eugene Albert Theroux (b. 1938), is a lawyer atBaker & McKenzie in Washington.[3][4] Theroux is the nephew of the travel writer and novelistPaul Theroux,[5][6] novelist and poetAlexander Theroux, authorPeter Theroux, and novelist and educator Joseph Theroux; he is the cousin of British journalists and documentary filmmakersLouis andMarcel Theroux. His father is of halfFrench-Canadian and half Italian descent. Through his mother, Theroux is a great-great-grandson of financier, banker and railroad magnateH. B. Hollins,[7][8] and of music critic and authorGustav Kobbé.[9][10][11]
Theroux attended Lafayette Elementary School, Annunciation School, andthe Field School.[12] He first started acting while in high school at theBuxton School, inWilliamstown, Massachusetts.He graduated fromBennington College in 1993 with a B.A. in visual arts and drama.[13]
Theroux made his film debut in 1996 inMary Harron'sI Shot Andy Warhol. Since then he has performed both on Broadway, starring inObserve the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme; in numerousoff-Broadway productions; and in comedy films such asCharlie's Angels: Full Throttle,The Baxter,Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion,Broken Hearts Club, andZoolander.
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Theroux has also performed in more serious films such asAmerican Psycho. He appeared in the film versions of thecult television showsStrangers With Candy andMichael Mann'sMiami Vice. He starred inDavid Lynch's filmsMulholland Drive andInland Empire.
In 2003, Theroux was featured in a music video for the British bandMuse for their song "Hysteria". Theroux also has appeared on television, having starred inThe District and appeared on episodes of shows such asAlias,Ally McBeal,Sex and the City (in which he guest starred in two episodes as different characters), andSix Feet Under (in which he played a recurring character in the third and fourth seasons).
In 2006, Theroux directed his first film,Dedication, which premiered at the2007 Sundance Film Festival. A fan of the bandDeerhoof, Theroux chose them to scoreDedication.[14] Theroux also had roles in two other films at the festival,Broken English andThe Ten, in which he playedJesus Christ alongsideGretchen Mol. Theroux co-wrote theBen Stiller filmTropic Thunder, and also appeared in the behind-the-scenes mockumentaryTropic Thunder: Rain of Madness.
In 2008, Theroux playedJohn Hancock in the HBO miniseriesJohn Adams. In 2009, Theroux made up part of the voice cast forCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. He also played Justin inParks and Recreation. Theroux wrote the screenplay for the 2010 filmIron Man 2. Following Theroux's work onTropic Thunder, actorRobert Downey Jr. recommended Theroux as a screenwriter to the film's director,Jon Favreau.
Theroux returned to acting in the filmYour Highness (2011), as Leezar, an evil wizard who kidnaps a princess. He starred in the 2012 comedyWanderlust, playing the leader of a hippie commune. By August 2012, Theroux was hired to direct and rewrite the script for the comedy filmSwear to God.[15]
In June 2013, Theroux was cast as the lead character inHBO's TV pilotThe Leftovers,[16] which HBO ordered as a 10-episode season in September 2013.[17] The series, which premiered June 29, 2014, is based on a book of the same name byTom Perrotta, which follows a group of people left behind in the suburban community of Mapleton after mysterious disappearances worldwide. Theroux received widespread critical acclaim for his performance throughout the three seasons.[18]
Theroux co-wrote the sequelZoolander 2 (2016), and reprised his role, Evil DJ, in the film.[19]
Theroux also voiced the character The Evil Lord Garmadon in the 2017 filmThe Lego Ninjago Movie.
In 2018, Theroux played savant neurochemist James Mantleray in the 2018Netflixcomedy drama miniseriesManiac oppositeEmma Stone andJonah Hill.
In 2019, Theroux produced theABC television eventLive in Front of a Studio Audience alongsideNorman Lear,Jimmy Kimmel andWill Ferrell. Theroux received aPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Live) for producing the event. He also voiced Tramp in theDisney+ live-action filmLady and the Tramp, a remake of the1955 film with the same name.
In 2021, Theroux portrayed brilliant inventor and stubborn idealist Allie Fox in theApple TV+ television seriesThe Mosquito Coast, a television adaptation from the 1981 novel of the same name written byPaul Theroux, Justin Theroux's uncle. Theroux also served as executive producer for the series.[20]
In 2024, Theroux co-starred in theBeetlejuice (1988) sequel,Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.[21]
Theroux was in a relationship with stylist and costume designer Heidi Bivens from 1997 until 2011.[22] Theroux began dating actressJennifer Aniston in 2011 after working with her on the filmWanderlust.[23] They became engaged in August 2012,[23] and had a non-legally binding wedding ceremony on August 5, 2015, at their estate.[24] On February 15, 2018, Theroux and Aniston announced they had separated at the end of 2017.[25] In August 2024, Theroux became engaged to actressNicole Brydon Bloom.[26][27][28] The couple married in March 2025.[29]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | I Shot Andy Warhol | Mark | |
| 1997 | Romy and Michele's High School Reunion | Clarence | |
| Below Utopia | Daniel Beckett | ||
| Dream House | Mark Brooks | ||
| 1998 | Frogs for Snakes | Flav Santana | |
| Dead Broke | James | ||
| 2000 | American Psycho | Timothy Bryce | |
| The Broken Hearts Club | Marshall | ||
| 2001 | The Sleepy Time Gal | Rebecca's Boyfriend | |
| Mulholland Drive | Adam Kesher | ||
| Zoolander | Evil DJ | ||
| 2002 | Peel | Narrator | Voice; short film |
| 2003 | Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle | Seamus O'Grady | |
| Duplex | Coop | ||
| Happy End | Jack | ||
| 2005 | Strangers with Candy | Carlo Honklin | |
| The Baxter | Bradley Lake | ||
| 2006 | The Legend of Lucy Keyes | Guy Cooley | |
| Return to Rajapur | Jeremy Reardon | ||
| Miami Vice | Detective Larry Zito | ||
| Inland Empire | Devon Berk / Billy Side | ||
| 2007 | Broken English | Nick Gable | |
| The Ten | Jesus H. Christ | ||
| Dedication | — | Director and executive producer | |
| 2008 | Tropic Thunder | UH-1 Huey gunner, Evil DJ (deleted scene) | Cameo; also writer and executive producer |
| 2010 | Megamind | Megamind's Father | Voice; also creative consultant |
| Iron Man 2 | — | Writer | |
| Ultimate Iron Man: The Making of 'Iron Man 2' | Himself | Documentary | |
| 2011 | Your Highness | Leezar | |
| 2012 | Wanderlust | Seth | |
| Rock of Ages | — | Writer | |
| 2016 | Zoolander 2 | Evil DJ | Also writer |
| The Girl on the Train | Tom Watson | ||
| The Master | Narrator | Voice; short film | |
| 2017 | The Lego Ninjago Movie | Lord Garmadon | Voice |
| Star Wars: The Last Jedi | Master Codebreaker | Cameo | |
| 2018 | Mute | Duck Teddington | |
| The Spy Who Dumped Me | Drew Thayer | ||
| On the Basis of Sex | Melvin Wulf | ||
| Bumblebee | Dropkick | Voice | |
| 2019 | Joker | Ethan Chase | Uncredited cameo |
| Lady and the Tramp | Tramp | Voice | |
| 2021 | Violet | The Voice | |
| False Positive | Adrian Martin | ||
| 2024 | Beetlejuice Beetlejuice | Rory | |
| 2026 | The Devil Wears Prada 2† | Post-production | |
| TBA | Billion Dollar Spy† | Post-production |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Central Park West | Gary Andrews | Episode: "Stephanie and the Wolves" |
| 1998 | New York Undercover | Frankie Stone | 3 episodes |
| Ally McBeal | Raymond Brown | Episode: "Just Looking" | |
| Spin City | Pete | Episode: "Local Hero" | |
| Bronx County | Unknown | Pilot | |
| 1998–1999 | Sex and the City | Jared / Vaughn Wysel | 2 episodes |
| 1999 | Sirens | Officer David Bontempo | Television film |
| 2000–2001 | The District | Nick Pierce | 27 episodes |
| 2003 | Alias | Simon Walker | 2 episodes |
| 2003–2004 | Six Feet Under | Joe | 8 episodes |
| 2005 | Confessions of a Dog | Unknown | Pilot |
| 2008 | John Adams | John Hancock | 2 episodes |
| 2010 | Parks and Recreation | Justin Anderson | 4 episodes |
| 2011 | Documental | Jan Jurgen | Pilot; also director and writer |
| 2014–2017 | The Leftovers | Kevin Garvey | Main role, 25 episodes |
| 2016 | Zoolander: Super Model | — | Television film; executive producer |
| 2017–2020 | At Home with Amy Sedaris | Various characters | 3 episodes |
| 2018 | Maniac | Dr. James K. Mantleray | 9 episodes |
| 2019 | Live in Front of a Studio Audience | — | Television specials; executive producer |
| Rick and Morty | Miles Knightly | Voice; episode: "One Crew over the Crewcoo's Morty" | |
| 2021–2023 | The Mosquito Coast | Allie Fox | Main role; also executive producer |
| 2023 | White House Plumbers | G. Gordon Liddy | |
| 2025 | No Taste Like Home with Antoni Porowski | Himself | Episode: "Justin Theroux's Italian Quest" |
| Running Point | Cam Gordon | 6 episodes | |
| Poker Face | "The Iguana" | 2 episodes | |
| Fallout | Robert Edwin House | Season 2 |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | White House Plumbers Podcast | Himself | 4 episodes |
List of awards and nominations received by Theroux.[30]
| Year | Association | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2005 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Six Feet Under | Nominated | [31] |
| 2016 | Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Actor in a Drama Series | The Leftovers | Nominated | [32] |
| Dorian Awards | TV Performance of the Year – actor | Nominated | [33] | ||
| 2017 | IGN Summer Movie Awards | Best Dramatic TV Performance | Nominated | [34] | |
| Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Actor in a Drama Series | Won | [35] | ||
2019 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Variety Special (Live) | Live in Front of a Studio Audience | Won | [36] |
2020 | Won | [37] | |||
2022 | Nominated | [38] | |||
2024 | Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a Movie/Miniseries | White House Plumbers | Nominated | [39] |
