# Joey Kern

Joseph Daniel Kern (born September 5, 1976) is an American actor and director. He is most widely known for his roles in the 2003 films Cabin Fever and Grind.

## Early life

Kern was born in Kentucky and was raised in northern Kentucky in the towns of Florence and Independence. In 1995, he graduated from St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati, and subsequently studied at New York University, earning his Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in drama. While at NYU he studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. He started acting on stage with various companies such as Atlantic Theater Company, New Group Theater and Theatre for a New Audience, where he played the title role of Troilus in Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida directed by Sir Peter Hall.

## Career

His feature film debut came in 1999 with the film Die Jungfrau (The Virgin), an Austrian film shot in Austria, Greece and Egypt that cast Kern out of New York City. He had a guest appearance on the HBO series Sex and the City followed by a role in the Broken Lizards 2001 movie Super Troopers as one of the stoners. He had a few more roles in some indie films but his career picked up a little in 2002 with the movie Cabin Fever and then in 2003 when Grind was released. At one point, he had 5 movies in post-production, including The Sasquatch Gang (released in 2007), All the Days Before Tomorrow, and Just Add Water (2008).
In 2007, Kern co-hosted a week of Attack of the Show on G4. In 2010, he appeared in the TV movie, Playing with Guns, alongside Danny Masterson.
In 2016, Kern was cast in a recurring role on TNT's new drama series Good Behavior, starring Michelle Dockery, which ran two seasons. In 2017, Kern wrote, directed, and starred in Big Bear, which is based on his broken engagement to actress Ginnifer Goodwin.

## Personal life

He began dating Ginnifer Goodwin in April 2009. The couple announced their engagement December 24, 2010. They announced their break-up on May 20, 2011.
His brother is Broadway actor Kevin Kern.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2001 | Super Troopers | College boy 2 | |
| 2002 | Cabin Fever | Jeff | |
| 2003 | Grind | Sweet Lou | |
| 2006 | The Sasquatch Gang | Shirts | |
| 2007 | Beneath-Abstieg in die Finsternis | Randy | |
| 2007 | The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard | Ricky Big Ups! | |
| 2012 | Alter Egos | "C-Thru" | |
| 2015 | Bloodsucking Bastards | Tim | |
| 2017 | Big Bear | Joe | Also director, writer and producer |
| 2020 | Useless Humans | Zachary | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2000 | Sex & The City | Garth | 1 episode, Boy, Girl, Boy, Girl |
| 2006 | Totally Awesome | Kipp Vanderhoff | Television movie |
| 2008 | The Middleman | Cecil Rogers | Episode: "The Cursed Tuba Contingency" |
| 2008 | Gaytown | Lance | Episode: "Small & Bald" |
| 2008 | Numb3rs | Kevin Warshaw | Episode: "Charlie Don't Surf" |
| 2009 | Celebrities Anonymous | Jake Williams | Television movie |
| 2009 | Ghosts/Aliens | Trey Hamburger | Television movie |
| 2010 | Party Down | Gem | Episode: "Party Down Company Picnic" |
| 2012 | Electric City | Frank Deetleman (voice) | Web series |
| 2014 | Workaholics | Todd | Episode: "Timechair" |
| 2015 | Bloodsucking Bastards | Tim | |
| 2016–17 | Good Behavior | Rob McDaniels | Series regular |

## Stage

| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1997 | Mojo by Jez Butterworth | Silver Johnny | Atlantic Theater Company dir. Neil Pepe with Clark Gregg and Matt Ross |
| 1998 | The Fastest Clock in the Universe by Philip Ridley | Foxtrot Darling | The New Group dir. Jo Bonney |
| 2001 | Saved by Edward Bond | Mike | TFANA dir. Robert Woodruff with Amy Ryan and Norbert Leo Butz |
| 2001 | Troilus and Cressida by William Shakespeare | Troilus | TFANA dir. Sir Peter Hall with Idris Elba |
| 2002 | Spanish Girl by Hunt Holman | Bucky | Second Stage Theater dir. Erica Schmidt with Ari Graynor |