Justin Theroux

 ( 1971 Births ) 

Justin Paul Theroux ( ; born August 10, 1971) is an American actor and filmmaker. He gained recognition for his work with director David Lynch in the mystery film Mulholland Drive (2001) and the thriller film Inland Empire (2006). He also appeared in films such as Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997), American Psycho (2000), (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), and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024).

Theroux was a screenwriter for films such as the action comedy Tropic Thunder (2008), the superhero film Iron Man 2 (2010), and the musical comedy drama Rock of Ages (2012). He made his directorial debut with the romantic comedy film Dedication (2007).

Theroux starred as Kevin Garvey in the HBO mystery drama series The Leftovers (2014–2017), for which he received widespread praise and was nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series. He also starred as Dr. James Mantleray in the Netflix comedy drama miniseries Maniac (2018). From 2021 to 2023, he portrayed Allie Fox in the Apple TV+ adaptation of The Mosquito Coast, based on the novel by his uncle Paul Theroux. In 2023, he also starred in the HBO satirical political miniseries White House Plumbers.

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Early life Theroux was born on August 10, 1971, in Washington, D.C. His mother, Phyllis Grissim Theroux, is an essayist and author, and his father, Eugene Albert Theroux (b. 1938), is a lawyer at Baker & McKenzie in Washington. Theroux is the nephew of the travel writer and novelist Paul Theroux, novelist and poet Alexander Theroux, author Peter Theroux, and novelist and educator Joseph Theroux; he is the cousin of British journalists and documentary filmmakers Louis Theroux and Marcel Theroux. His father is of half French-Canadian and half Italian descent. Through his mother, Theroux is a great-great-grandson of financier, banker and railroad magnate H. B. Hollins,

(2025). 9781414461069, Gale Research. . ISBN 9781414461069

and of music critic and author Gustav Kobbé.

Theroux attended Lafayette Elementary School, Annunciation School, and the Field School. He first started acting while in high school at the Buxton School, in Williamstown, Massachusetts. He graduated from Bennington College in 1993 with a B.A. in visual arts and drama.

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Career Theroux made his film debut in 1996 in Mary Harron's I Shot Andy Warhol. Since then he has performed both on Broadway, starring in Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme; in numerous Off Broadway productions; and in comedy films such as , The Baxter, Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion, Broken Hearts Club, and Zoolander. Theroux has also performed in more serious films such as American Psycho. He appeared in the film versions of the Cult following television shows Strangers With Candy and Michael Mann's Miami Vice. He starred in David Lynch's films Mulholland Drive and Inland Empire.

In 2003, Theroux was featured in a music video for the British band Muse for their song "Hysteria". Theroux also has appeared on television, having starred in The District and appeared on episodes of shows such as Alias, Ally McBeal, Sex and the City (in which he guest starred in two episodes as different characters), and Six 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 the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. A fan of the band Deerhoof, Theroux chose them to score Dedication. Theroux also had roles in two other films at the festival, Broken English and The Ten, in which he played Jesus Christ alongside Gretchen Mol. Theroux co-wrote the Ben Stiller film Tropic Thunder, and also appeared in the behind-the-scenes mockumentary Tropic Thunder: Rain of Madness.

In 2008, Theroux played John Hancock in the HBO miniseries John Adams. In 2009, Theroux made up part of the voice cast for . He also played Justin in Parks and Recreation. Theroux wrote the screenplay for the 2010 film Iron Man 2. Following Theroux's work on Tropic Thunder, actor Robert Downey Jr. recommended Theroux as a screenwriter to the film's director, Jon Favreau.

Theroux returned to acting in the film Your Highness (2011), as Leezar, an evil wizard who kidnaps a princess. He starred in the 2012 comedy Wanderlust, playing the leader of a hippie commune. By August 2012, Theroux was hired to direct and rewrite the script for the comedy film Swear to God.

In June 2013, Theroux was cast as the lead character in HBO's TV pilot The Leftovers, which HBO ordered as a 10-episode season in September 2013. The series, which premiered June 29, 2014, is based on a book of the same name by Tom 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.

Theroux co-wrote the sequel Zoolander 2 (2016), and reprised his role, Evil DJ, in the film.

Theroux also voiced the character The Evil Lord Garmadon in the 2017 film The Lego Ninjago Movie.

In 2018, Theroux played savant neurochemist James Mantleray in the 2018 Netflix comedy drama miniseries Maniac opposite Emma Stone and Jonah Hill.

In 2019, Theroux produced the ABC television event Live in Front of a Studio Audience alongside Norman Lear, Jimmy Kimmel and Will Ferrell. Theroux received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Live) for producing the event. He also voiced Tramp in the Disney+ live-action film Lady and the Tramp, a remake of the 1955 film with the same name.

In 2021, Theroux portrayed brilliant inventor and stubborn idealist Allie Fox in the Apple TV+ television series The Mosquito Coast, a television adaptation from the 1981 novel of the same name written by Paul Theroux, Justin Theroux's uncle. Theroux also served as executive producer for the series.

In 2024, Theroux co-stars in the Beetlejuice (1988) sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

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Personal life Theroux was in a relationship with stylist and costume designer Heidi Bivens from 1997 until 2011. Theroux began dating actress Jennifer Aniston in 2011 after working with her on the film Wanderlust. They became engaged in August 2012, and had a non-legally binding wedding ceremony on August 5, 2015, at their estate. On February 15, 2018, Theroux and Aniston announced they had separated at the end of 2017. In August 2024, Theroux became engaged to actress Nicole Brydon Bloom. The couple married in March 2025.

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Filmography

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Film

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		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
		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

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Television

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	25 episodes
2016			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	Guest
	Running Point	Cam Gordon	6 episodes

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Audio

2023	White House Plumbers Podcast	Himself	4 episodes

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Awards and nominations

List of awards and nominations received by Theroux.

	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series	Six Feet Under
2016	Critics' Choice Television Awards	Best Actor in a Drama Series	The Leftovers
	Dorian Awards	Dorian Awards
2017	IGN	IGN
	Online Film & Television Association Awards	Best Actor in a Drama Series
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Variety Special (Live)	Live in Front of a Studio Audience
	Critics' Choice Television Awards	Best Supporting Actor in a Movie/Miniseries	White House Plumbers

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External links

Categories: 1971 Births, Living People, 20th-century American Male Actors, 20th-century American Male Writers, 20th-century American Screenwriters, 21st-century American Male Actors, 21st-century American Male Writers, 21st-century American Screenwriters, American Male Film Actors, American Male Screenwriters, American Male Stage Actors, American Male Television Actors, American Male Voice Actors, American People Of French-canadian Descent, American People Of German Descent, American People Of Italian Descent, Bennington College Alumni, Buxton School Alumni, Film Directors From Massachusetts, Film Directors From Washington, D.c., Film Directors From Washington, Film Producers From Massachusetts, Film Producers From Washington, Male Actors From Massachusetts, Male Actors From Washington, D.c., Male Actors From Washington, People From Williamstown, Massachusetts, Primetime Emmy Award Winners, Screenwriters From Massachusetts, Screenwriters From Washington, D.c., Screenwriters From Washington, The Field School Alumni, Justin, Waldorf School Alumni, Writers From Massachusetts

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