Justin Bartha
| Justin Bartha | |
|---|---|
 Bartha in 2011 | |
| Born |
Justin Lee Bartha July 21, 1978 Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States |
| Alma mater | Tisch School of Arts |
| Occupation | Actor, writer, producer |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Spouse(s) | Lia Smith (m. 2014) |
| Children | 1 |
Justin Lee Bartha (born July 21, 1978) is an American actor, writer, and producer, 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.
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 real estate developer, 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] 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.[5]
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 with Darrell M. Smith as co-producer, which was shown at the South by Southwest Film Festival in 2003.[6] Additionally, he wrote, produced, and starred in an MTV pilot called The Dustin and Justin Show.[6]
Bartha had major roles in the critically bashed Gigli and Carnival Sun in 2003 before his co-starring role in National Treasure (2004) as Riley Poole, which launched him into the mainstream.[7]
In 2006, Bartha had roles in Failure to Launch and NBC's Teachers which only aired six episodes.
In November 2007, Bartha was cast in an indie comic-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.[8] Bartha re-teamed with Eisenberg for Eisenberg's critically acclaimed play, Asuncion.[9] 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 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. 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.[10] In February 2012, Bartha signed on to co-star on the NBC comedy pilot The New Normal.[11] On May 7, 2012, NBC ordered the project to series.[12] 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,[13] but was officially cancelled the next year on May 10, 2013.[14]
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.”[15][16]
Personal life
Bartha married fitness instructor Lia Smith in Oahu, Hawaii, on January 4, 2014.[17] On April 13, 2014, Smith gave birth to their daughter, Asa Charlotte.[18] 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.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 54 | Clubgoer | Uncredited |
| 1999 | Tag | Kip Woffard | Short film |
| 2003 | Gigli | Brian | |
| 2002 | Carnival Sun | Brian | Short film |
| 2004 | Strip Search | N/A | Television film |
| 2004 | National Treasure | Riley Poole | |
| 2005 | Trust the Man | Jasper Bernard | |
| 2006 | Failure to Launch | Ace | |
| 2007 | National Treasure: Book of Secrets | Riley Poole | |
| 2008 | New York, I Love You | Justin | Segment: "Randy Balsmeyer" |
| 2009 | Hangover, TheThe Hangover | Doug Billings | |
| 2009 | Jusqu'à toi | Jack | Also executive producer |
| 2009 | Rebound, TheThe Rebound | Aram Finklestein | |
| 2010 | Holy Rollers | Yosef Zimmerman | |
| 2011 | Hangover Part II, TheThe Hangover Part II | Doug Billings | |
| 2011 | Dark Horse | Richard | |
| 2013 | Hangover Part III, TheThe Hangover Part III | Doug Billings | |
| 2013 | CBGB | Stiv Bators | |
| 2016 | Sticky Notes | Bryan | Post-production |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Teachers | Jeff Cahill | Main cast; 6 episodes |
| 2009 | WWII in HD | Jack Werner (voice) | Miniseries; 5 episodes |
| 2012–2013 | New Normal, TheThe New Normal | David Sawyer | Main cast; 22 episodes |
| 2016 | Cooper Barrett's Guide to Surviving Life | Josh Barrett | Main cast |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | The 64th Annual Tony Awards | Performing Artist | |
| 2010 | Lend Me a Tenor | Max | Broadway Revival |
| 2011 | All New People | Charlie | Second Stage Theatre |
| 2011 | Asuncion | Vinny | Off-Broadway |
| 2013 | The Sunshine Boys | Ben | Ahmanson Theatre |
| 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.
- ↑ "EXCLUSIVE: Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Bartha Take Flight in Holy Rollers". MovieWeb. May 21, 2010. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
- ↑ "Justin Bartha Interview for Holy Rollers". The Cinema Source. May 20, 2010. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
- ↑ Mester, Ilan (June 10, 2010). "Justin Bartha Talks Holy Rollers, Hangover 2". Shalom Life. 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.
- 1 2 "Justin Bartha Biography". Retrieved September 16, 2006.
- ↑ "Justin Bartha Interview, National Treasure 2". MoviesOnline. Retrieved July 4, 2009.
- ↑ Goldstein, Gregg (November 18, 2007). "Drug-dealing Jews inspire comic drama". Reuters. Retrieved November 5, 2007.
- ↑ "The New Yorker Digital Edition : May 25, 2015". archives.newyorker.com. Retrieved 2016-01-06.
- ↑ "Justin Bartha, Anna Camp Sign On for Zach Braff's Off-Broadway Play". Broadway.me. 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". The Huffington Post. May 7, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
- ↑ Goldman, Eric (June 14, 2012). "NBC Sets Fall Premiere Dates: Community, The Office and More". IGN.com. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
- ↑ Heredia, Gustavo (May 13, 2013). "'The New Normal' Star Justin Bartha Talks About The Show's Cancelation". huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
- ↑ Mogol, Allen (2015-02-23). "Broadway Direct". broadwaydirect.com. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
- ↑ PlayingOnAir (2015-09-14). "New Podcast! A LITTLE PART OF ALL OF US by Jesse Eisenberg". Playing On Air. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
- ↑ "Report: Justin Bartha Marries Lia Smith". People. January 5, 2014.
- ↑ Monde, Chiderah (April 21, 2014). "Justin Bartha, wife Lia Smith welcome first child together: report". NEW YORK DAILY NEWS. Retrieved June 4, 2014.