# Justin Theroux

Justin Paul Theroux (/θəˈroʊ/; 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), 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), 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.

## 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 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, 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.

## 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 Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, 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 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 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. 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.

## 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 got married on August 5, 2015. 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.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1996 | I Shot Andy Warhol | Mark | |
| 1997 | Romy and Michele's High School Reunion | Clarence | |
| 1997 | Below Utopia | Daniel Beckett | |
| 1997 | Dream House | Mark Brooks | |
| 1998 | Frogs for Snakes | Flav Santana | |
| 1998 | Dead Broke | James | |
| 2000 | American Psycho | Timothy Bryce | |
| 2000 | The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy | Marshall | |
| 2001 | The Sleepy Time Gal | Rebecca's Boyfriend | |
| 2001 | Mulholland Drive | Adam Kesher | |
| 2001 | Zoolander | Evil DJ | |
| 2002 | Peel | Narrator | Voice, short film |
| 2003 | Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle | Seamus O'Grady | |
| 2003 | Duplex | Coop | |
| 2003 | Happy End | Jack | |
| 2005 | Strangers with Candy | Carlo Honklin | |
| 2005 | The Baxter | Bradley Lake | |
| 2005 | The Legend of Lucy Keyes | Guy Cooley | |
| 2006 | Return to Rajapur | Jeremy Reardon | |
| 2006 | Miami Vice | Detective Larry Zito | |
| 2006 | Inland Empire | Devon Berk / Billy Side | |
| 2007 | Broken English | Nick Gable | |
| 2007 | The Ten | Jesus H. Christ | |
| 2007 | 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 |
| 2010 | Iron Man 2 | — | Writer |
| 2010 | Ultimate Iron Man: The Making of 'Iron Man 2' | Himself | Documentary |
| 2011 | Your Highness | Leezar | |
| 2012 | Wanderlust | Seth | |
| 2012 | Rock of Ages | — | Writer |
| 2016 | Zoolander 2 | Evil DJ | Also writer |
| 2016 | The Girl on the Train | Tom Watson | |
| 2016 | The Master | Narrator | Voice, short film |
| 2017 | The Lego Ninjago Movie | Lord Garmadon | Voice |
| 2017 | Star Wars: The Last Jedi | Master Codebreaker | Cameo appearance |
| 2018 | Mute | Duck Teddington | |
| 2018 | The Spy Who Dumped Me | Drew Thayer | |
| 2018 | On the Basis of Sex | Mel Wulf | |
| 2018 | Bumblebee | Dropkick | Voice |
| 2019 | Joker | Ethan Chase | Uncredited cameo |
| 2019 | Lady and the Tramp | Tramp | Voice |
| 2021 | Violet | The Voice | Voice |
| 2021 | False Positive | Adrian Martin | |
| 2024 | Beetlejuice Beetlejuice | Rory | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1995 | C.P.W. | Gary Andrews | Episode: "Stephanie and the Wolves" |
| 1998 | New York Undercover | Frankie Stone | 3 episodes |
| 1998 | Ally McBeal | Raymond Brown | Episode: "Just Looking" |
| 1998 | Spin City | Pete | Episode: "Local Hero" |
| 1998 | 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 | 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 |
| 2019 | 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 | Main role; also executive producer |
| 2025 | No Taste Like Home with Antoni Porowski | Himself | Guest |
| 2025 | Running Point | Cam Gordon | 6 episodes |

### Audio

| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
| 2023 | White House Plumbers Podcast | Himself | 4 Episodes | |

## Awards and nominations

List of awards and nominations received by Theroux.
| Year | Association | Category | Work | Result |
| 2005 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Six Feet Under | Nominated |
| 2016 | Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Actor in a Drama Series | The Leftovers | Nominated |
| 2016 | Dorian Awards | TV Performance of the Year – actor | The Leftovers | Nominated |
| 2017 | IGN Summer Movie Awards | Best Dramatic TV Performance | The Leftovers | Nominated |
| 2017 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Actor in a Drama Series | The Leftovers | Won |
| 2019 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Variety Special (Live) | Live in Front of a Studio Audience | Won |
| 2020 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Variety Special (Live) | Live in Front of a Studio Audience | Won |
| 2022 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Variety Special (Live) | Live in Front of a Studio Audience | Nominated |
| 2024 | Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a Movie/Miniseries | White House Plumbers | Nominated |