Justin Berfield
Justin Berfield (born February 25, 1986) is an American actor, writer, and producer. He is known for his portrayal of Malcolm's dimwitted older brother, Reese, on the family sitcom Malcolm in the Middle. He also played Ross Malloy on The WB sitcom Unhappily Ever After. As of 2010, Berfield is Chief Creative Officer of Virgin Produced, a film and television development, packaging, and production company announced in 2010 by the Virgin Group.
Justin Berfield | |
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Berfield in 2005 | |
Born | Justin Tyler Berfield February 25, 1986 Agoura Hills, California, U.S. |
Occupation | Actor, producer, writer |
Years active | 1991–2012 |
Children | 1 |
Personal life
Berfield was born in Agoura Hills, California, to Gail Berfield (née Stark) and Eric "Rick" Berfield. He is the younger brother of actor Lorne Berfield. Berfield is Jewish.[1] He is married to his wife, Liza Berfield, and the couple has one daughter born on April 12, 2020.
Acting career
Berfield's first screen appearance was in a Folgers coffee commercial at age five. He went on to appear in 20 other nationally broadcast American commercials as a young child. His TV debut came in the short-lived series The Good Life (1994) in which he co-starred with Drew Carey. More TV appearances followed in Hardball, The Boys Are Back, and The Mommies (1994–1995).
Berfield's first long-running TV role was as Ross Malloy in Unhappily Ever After (1995–1999), in which he notched up 100 episode appearances. He gained international prominence with his role on January 9, 2000, when Linwood Boomer cast him to play Malcolm's trouble-making older brother Reese on the Fox sitcom Malcolm in the Middle. He appeared in all 151 episodes of that series, and with the recording of the 100th episode became the youngest actor in screen history to have appeared in 100 episodes of two different TV series. After Malcolm in the Middle ended on May 14, 2006, Berfield concentrated on production work, although he made a one-off appearance in the series Sons of Tucson in 2010.[2]
Charity work
In 2001, Berfield was asked to serve as a National Youth Ambassador for Ronald McDonald House Charities, in which he participated for three years until turning 18. He has been active with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and most recently Virgin Unite, the charitable arm of Virgin Group.[3]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2001 | Max Keeble's Big Move | Caption Writer | |
2006 | Romance and Cigarettes | Producer | |
2007 | Blonde Ambition | Producer | |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1994 | The Good Life | Bob Bowman | 13 episodes |
Hardball | Kid | 2 episodes | |
The Boys Are Back | Timmy Flint | 4 episodes | |
1996 | Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man | Episode: "Exile in Guyville" | |
1995–1999 | Unhappily Ever After | Ross Malloy | Lead role; 100 episodes |
1999 | The Kid with X-Ray Eyes | Bobby | |
2000–2006 | Malcolm in the Middle | Reese Wilkerson | Lead role; 151 episodes |
2001 | Max Keeble's Big Move | Caption writer | |
The Nightmare Room | Josh Ryan | Episode: "Tangled Web" | |
2002–2004 | Kim Possible | Gill (voice) | 2 episodes |
2003 | Who's Your Daddy? | Danny Hughes | Direct-to-video movie |
2004 | The Fairly OddParents | Ving | 1 episode; voice |
2005 | Filthy Rich: Cattle Drive | Producer, screenplay | |
2007 | The Pet Detective | TV movie, producer, director | |
2010 | Sons of Tucson | Barry | 1 episode; also producer |
2012 | Virgin Produced: Comedy Vault | TV movie, producer |
Awards
Awards | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Result | Award | Category | Nominated work |
1998 | Nominated | Young Artist Awards | Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series: Supporting Young Actor | Unhappily Ever After |
1999 | Nominated | |||
Nominated | YoungStar Awards | Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Comedy TV Series | ||
2000 | Won | Best Young Ensemble Cast: Television | Malcolm in the Middle | |
2001 | Nominated | Young Artist Awards | Best Ensemble in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) | |
2002 | Nominated | Best Performance in a Feature Film: Supporting Young Actor | Max Keeble's Big Move | |
Nominated | Best Ensemble in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) | Malcolm in the Middle | ||
2003 | Won | |||
Nominated | Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama): Supporting Young Actor |
References
- Naomi Pfefferman (August 23, 2001). "From Middle to the Top – Arts". Jewish Journal. Archived from the original on April 1, 2009.
- Justin Berfield biography, imdb.com; accessed September 20, 2016.
- Justin Berfield – I Support, officialjustinberfield.com; accessed September 20, 2016.