Justin Bartha


Justin Lee Bartha is an American actor, 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. He starred as Colin Morrello in the CBS All Access legal and political drama The Good Fight.

Early life

Bartha was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and moved to West Bloomfield, Michigan when he was eight. 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. 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.

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. Additionally, he wrote, produced, and starred in an MTV pilot called The Dustin and Justin Show.
Bartha had major roles in the critically bashed Gigli and Carnival Sun in 2003, before his co-starring role in National Treasure as Riley Poole.
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 into becoming an ecstasy dealer. Filming began in New York in the spring of 2008, and the film was released in 2010. Bartha re-teamed with Eisenberg for Eisenberg's critically acclaimed play, Asuncion. 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 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. In February 2012, Bartha signed on to co-star on the NBC comedy pilot The New Normal. On May 7, 2012, NBC ordered the project to series. The show was centered around a gay couple and the surrogate mother they selected to bear their child. It premiered on September 11, 2012, but was officially cancelled the next year on May 10, 2013.
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 written by top playwrights and performed by outstanding actors."
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.

Personal life

Bartha married Pilates instructor Lia Smith in Oahu, Hawaii, on January 4, 2014. She is the founder of the B The Method form of Pilates. On April 13, 2014, she gave birth to their daughter, Asa Charlotte. On April 16, 2016, she gave birth to their second daughter, Ruby.

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
199854ClubgoerUncredited
1999TagKip WoffardShort film
2003GigliBrian
2002Carnival SunBrianShort film
2004National TreasureRiley Poole
2005Trust the ManJasper Bernard
2006Failure to LaunchAce
2007'Riley Poole
2008New York, I Love YouJustinSegment: "Randy Balsmeyer"
2009'Doug Billings
2009Jusqu'à toiJackAlso executive producer
2009'Aram Finkelstein
2010Holy RollersYosef Zimmerman
2011'Doug Billings
2011Dark HorseRichard
2013'Doug Billings
2013CBGBStiv Bators
2016White GirlKelly
2016Sticky NotesBryan
2018DrivenHoward Weitzman
2018Sorry For Your LossKen
2019Against the ClockPeter Hobbs
TBASweet GirlPost-production

YearTitleRoleNotes
2004Strip SearchTelevision film
2006TeachersJeff CahillMain cast; 6 episodes
2009WWII in HDJack Werner Miniseries; 5 episodes
2012–2013'David SawyerMain cast; 22 episodes
2016Cooper Barrett's Guide to Surviving LifeJosh BarrettMain cast; 13 episodes
2017–2018The Good FightColin MorrelloMain cast; 17 episodes
2019Drunk HistoryThomas H. InceEpisode: "Drunk Mystery II"

YearTitleRoleNotes
2010The 64th Annual Tony AwardsPerforming Artist
2010Lend Me a TenorMaxBroadway revival
Music Box Theatre
2011All New PeopleCharlieSecond Stage Theatre
2011AsuncionVinnyOff-Broadway
Rattlestick Playwrights Theater
2013The Sunshine BoysBenAhmanson Theatre
Center Theatre Group
2015PermissionEricMCC Theatre