Justin Kirk
Encyclopedia
Justin Kirk is an American
stage and film actor
. He is known for playing Prior Walter in Mike Nichols
's screen adaptation of Angels in America
(for which he received an Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Mini-Series) and for his portrayal of Andy Botwin in Showtime's Weeds
.
, Oregon
, son of a Russian-Jewish mother and a Danish-English
father. He grew up in Union, Washington
, where he attended a grade school on a Native American reservation
. He moved to Minneapolis when he was 12 years old, and then to New York City
after graduating from high school. Kirk played guitar in several New York bands in the early '90s, most notably The Dimestore Darlings. He also completed a two-year conservatory acting program at Circle in the Square.
was a play called Any Given Day, which was performed at the Longacre Theatre
. He also appeared in Love! Valour! Compassion!
both on-screen and on stage, for which he received an Obie Award
for Distinguished Performance in the Ensemble. In addition he won a Back Stage
West Garland Award for Outstanding Performance on his role of a piano prodigy in Old Wicked Songs
, staged at New York's Promenade Theater and Los Angeles' Geffen Playhouse.
Kirk's other films include Chapter Zero, The Eden Myth, Puccini for Beginners, Flannel Pajamas,
and Call o' the Glen. He made his television series debut in Jack & Jill
.
Kirk currently stars as Andy Botwin on the Showtime television series Weeds
alongside Elizabeth Perkins
and Mary-Louise Parker
. This marks the second time that Kirk has worked with Mary-Louise Parker, who was also featured in Angels in America. He was nominated for a Golden Globe in 2007.
He currently lives part-time in New York City
, and part-time in Los Angeles
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
stage and film actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He is known for playing Prior Walter in Mike Nichols
Mike Nichols
Mike Nichols is a German-born American television, stage and film director, writer, producer and comedian. He began his career in the 1950s as one half of the comedy duo Nichols and May, along with Elaine May. In 1968 he won the Academy Award for Best Director for the film The Graduate...
's screen adaptation of Angels in America
Angels in America (miniseries)
Angels in America is a 2003 HBO miniseries adapted from the Pulitzer Prize winning play of the same name by Tony Kushner. Kushner adapted his original text for the screen, and Mike Nichols directed...
(for which he received an Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Mini-Series) and for his portrayal of Andy Botwin in Showtime's Weeds
Weeds (TV series)
Weeds is an American television comedy created by Jenji Kohan and produced by Tilted Productions in association with Lionsgate Television. The central character is Nancy Botwin , a widowed mother of two boys who begins selling marijuana to support her family after her husband dies suddenly of a...
.
Early life and education
Kirk was born in SalemSalem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, son of a Russian-Jewish mother and a Danish-English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
father. He grew up in Union, Washington
Union, Washington
Union is a small unincorporated community in Mason County, Washington, United States. The town lies along the southern shore of Hood Canal, at an area known as "the Great Bend". There is no U.S. Census data for the location...
, where he attended a grade school on a Native American reservation
Indian reservation
An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
. He moved to Minneapolis when he was 12 years old, and then to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
after graduating from high school. Kirk played guitar in several New York bands in the early '90s, most notably The Dimestore Darlings. He also completed a two-year conservatory acting program at Circle in the Square.
Acting career
His first role on BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
was a play called Any Given Day, which was performed at the Longacre Theatre
Longacre Theatre
The Longacre Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 220 West 48th Street in midtown Manhattan.-Theatre History:Designed by architect Henry Beaumont Herts in 1912, it was named for Longacre Square, the original name for Times Square...
. He also appeared in Love! Valour! Compassion!
Love! Valour! Compassion!
Love! Valour! Compassion! is a play by Terrence McNally. Its off-Broadway premiere took place at the Manhattan Theatre Club on October 11, 1994, in a staging by Joe Mantello that ran for 72 performances...
both on-screen and on stage, for which he received an Obie Award
Obie Award
The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given by The Village Voice newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City...
for Distinguished Performance in the Ensemble. In addition he won a Back Stage
Back Stage
Back Stage is an entertainment-industry brand aimed at people working in film and the performing arts, with a special focus on casting, job opportunities, and career advice.Back Stage publishes a weekly tabloid-sized trade magazine in the U.S...
West Garland Award for Outstanding Performance on his role of a piano prodigy in Old Wicked Songs
Old Wicked Songs
Old Wicked Songs is a two character play written by Jon Marans whose work received a nomination for the 1996 Pulitzer Prize in Drama. Other works by Marans include A Strange and Separate People, Jumping for Joy, Legacy of the Dragonslayers and the musical Irrationals, .Old Wicked Songs was first...
, staged at New York's Promenade Theater and Los Angeles' Geffen Playhouse.
Kirk's other films include Chapter Zero, The Eden Myth, Puccini for Beginners, Flannel Pajamas,
Flannel Pajamas (film)
Flannel Pajamas is a 2006 film directed by Jeff Lipsky, starring Julianne Nicholson and Justin Kirk. It charts the course of a short-lived marriage, from its passionate beginning through the daily erosion of feeling and romance to separation...
and Call o' the Glen. He made his television series debut in Jack & Jill
Jack & Jill (TV series)
Jack & Jill is an American television series comedy-drama starring Ivan Sergei, Amanda Peet, Jaime Pressly, Justin Kirk, Simon Rex and Sarah Paulson which ran from September 1999 to April 2001 on the WB Network. It was created and executive produced by Randi Mayem Singer.The show's theme song was...
.
Kirk currently stars as Andy Botwin on the Showtime television series Weeds
Weeds (TV series)
Weeds is an American television comedy created by Jenji Kohan and produced by Tilted Productions in association with Lionsgate Television. The central character is Nancy Botwin , a widowed mother of two boys who begins selling marijuana to support her family after her husband dies suddenly of a...
alongside Elizabeth Perkins
Elizabeth Perkins
Elizabeth Ann Perkins is an American actress. Her film roles have included Big, The Flintstones, Miracle on 34th Street, About Last Night..., and Avalon...
and Mary-Louise Parker
Mary-Louise Parker
Mary-Louise Parker is an American actress, known for her current lead role on Showtime's television series Weeds portraying Nancy Botwin, for which she has received several nominations and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in 2006...
. This marks the second time that Kirk has worked with Mary-Louise Parker, who was also featured in Angels in America. He was nominated for a Golden Globe in 2007.
He currently lives part-time in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and part-time in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
.
Television
- New York NewsNew York NewsNew York News was a newspaper drama which was broadcast in the United States by CBS as part of its 1995 fall lineup.-Premise:New York News was the story of the fictional New York Reporter, a struggling tabloid in the nation's largest, most competitive newspaper market, New York City...
(1 episode, 1995) - The PretenderThe Pretender (TV series)The Pretender is an American television series that aired on NBC from 1996 to 2000. The series starred Michael T. Weiss as Jarod, a genius and former child prodigy with "the ability to become anyone he wants to be," i.e., to flawlessly impersonate anyone in virtually any line of work...
(1 episode, 1998) - Jack & JillJack & Jill (TV series)Jack & Jill is an American television series comedy-drama starring Ivan Sergei, Amanda Peet, Jaime Pressly, Justin Kirk, Simon Rex and Sarah Paulson which ran from September 1999 to April 2001 on the WB Network. It was created and executive produced by Randi Mayem Singer.The show's theme song was...
(32 episodes, 1999–2001) - Law & Order: Special Victims UnitLaw & Order: Special Victims UnitLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...
(1 episode, 2001) - Angels in AmericaAngels in America (miniseries)Angels in America is a 2003 HBO miniseries adapted from the Pulitzer Prize winning play of the same name by Tony Kushner. Kushner adapted his original text for the screen, and Mike Nichols directed...
(6 episodes, 2003) - CSI: Crime Scene InvestigationCSI: Crime Scene InvestigationCSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
(1 episode, 2005) - Jack & BobbyJack & BobbyJack & Bobby is an American television series that aired on The WB network. It featured two brothers, one of whom would become President of the United States, serving from 2041 to 2049...
(1 episode, 2005) - Without a TraceWithout a TraceWithout a Trace is an American television drama which originally ran on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009. The series was set in New York City and concerned a fictitious FBI Missing Persons Unit.-Premise:...
(1 episode, 2005) - EverwoodEverwoodEverwood is an American drama television series that initially aired in the United States on The WB. The series is set in the fictional small town of Everwood, Colorado, and was filmed in Ogden, South Salt Lake, and Draper, Utah, except the series pilot which was filmed in Canmore, Alberta,...
(1 episode, 2006) - WeedsWeeds (TV series)Weeds is an American television comedy created by Jenji Kohan and produced by Tilted Productions in association with Lionsgate Television. The central character is Nancy Botwin , a widowed mother of two boys who begins selling marijuana to support her family after her husband dies suddenly of a...
(2005–present) - Modern FamilyModern FamilyModern Family is an American television comedy series created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan, which debuted on ABC on September 23, 2009. Lloyd and Levitan serve as showrunner and executive producers, under their Levitan-Lloyd Productions label...
(3 episodes, 2010-present)
Films
- Love! Valour! Compassion!Love! Valour! Compassion! (film)Love! Valour! Compassion! is a 1997 film adaptation by Terrence McNally of his play of the same name, revolving around eight gay men who gather for three summer weekends...
(1997) - 99 Threadwaxing (1998)
- The Eden Myth (1999)
- Chapter Zero (1999)
- Half Baked Half BakedHalf Baked is a 1998 stoner comedy film starring Dave Chappelle, Jim Breuer, Harland Williams and Guillermo Díaz. The movie was directed by Tamra Davis, and co-written by star Dave Chappelle and Neal Brennan...
(1999) - Teddy Bears' PicnicTeddy Bears' Picnic (film)Teddy Bears' Picnic is a 2002 film directed and written by Harry Shearer. It was released in May, 2002 to limited audiences. Shearer has a small role.-Plot:...
(2002) - Outpatient (2002)
- Flannel PajamasFlannel Pajamas (film)Flannel Pajamas is a 2006 film directed by Jeff Lipsky, starring Julianne Nicholson and Justin Kirk. It charts the course of a short-lived marriage, from its passionate beginning through the daily erosion of feeling and romance to separation...
(2006) - Ask the DustAsk the Dust (film)Ask the Dust is a 2006 film based on the book Ask the Dust by John Fante. The movie was written and directed by Robert Towne. Tom Cruise served as one of the film's producers. The film was released on a limited basis on March 17, 2006...
(2006) - Hollywood DreamsHollywood DreamsHollywood Dreams is an American film starring Tanna Frederick, Justin Kirk, David Proval, Karen Black, Eric Roberts, Seymour Cassel and written and directed by Henry Jaglom.-Plot:...
(2006) - Puccini for BeginnersPuccini for BeginnersPuccini for Beginners is a 2006 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Maria Maggenti. The film debuted at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival...
(2006) - Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime ExperienceOperation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime ExperienceOperation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience is a 2007 American documentary film directed by Richard E. Robbins, which portrays the lives and experiences of American combat soldiers who have been to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.-Production:...
(2007) (voice) - Against the Current (2009)
- Four Boxes (2009)
- The PresenceThe Presence (film)The Presence is a 2010 horror thriller film written and directed by Tom Provost. This film is the directorial debut for Tom Provost.-Cast:* Tony Curran as The Man In Black* Justin Kirk as The Man* Deobia Oparei as Woodsman* Mira Sorvino as The Woman...
(2009) - See You in September (2010)
- Elektra LuxxElektra LuxxElektra Luxx is a 2010 comedy film directed and written by Sebastian Gutierrez featuring Carla Gugino. The film is a sequel to the ensemble comedy, Women in Trouble. The film premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival 2010, and was released to the rest of the country on March 11, 2011...
(2010) - VampsVamps (film)Vamps is an upcoming horror-comedy film that reunites Clueless director Amy Heckerling with actors Alicia Silverstone and Wallace Shawn set to be released in 2011.-Plot:...
(2011)