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Justin Theroux

Justin Theroux

Actor and producer, also writer and director · Born August 10, 1971 (55) · Washington, District of Columbia, USA

2 Primetime Emmys · Screen Actors Guild Award nominee · 1 other major award body

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 horror 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. Description above from the Wikipedia article Justin Theroux, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
August 10, 1971 (55)
From
Washington, District of Columbia, USA
Works as
Actor and producer, also writer and director
Titles
63 on MovieCove · 75 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 12% in 30 days

What are Justin Theroux's films like?

Across their 45 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy13 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 62nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Action7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 44th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Drama7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 51st percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Animation3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 48th percentile
: browse their Animation movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 77th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
32%
Self
29%
Morality
11%
Society
10%
Survival
9%
Power
5%
Ideas
4%
Family bonds15 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love8 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity9 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose8 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship6 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition6 titles, browse their movies with this themeLegacy4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth5 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 38 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 22 · Serious 7 · Dark 9

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 15 · Stylized 11 · Heightened 12

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 12 · Charged 16 · Intense 10

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 18 · Shifting 12 · Whiplash 8

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 13 · Some laughs 9 · Funny 16

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 13 · Even-paced 22 · Relentless 3

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 22 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 8

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 28 · Open-ended 6 · Ambiguous 4

Roles they play

25 analyzed roles

Usually the Shadow: 7 of 25 analyzed roles.

Shadow
7 of 25
Trickster
6 of 25
Shapeshifter
5 of 25
Hero
2 of 25
Mentor
2 of 25
Ally
1 of 25
Herald
1 of 25
Threshold guardian
1 of 25
Show the 25 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
20
Absurd
18
Joyful
16
Warm
13
Melancholic
12
Other
46

How their films linger

Feel-good19 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun16 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 9 with a twist

  • Happy17
  • Bittersweet18
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous6
  • Cyclical1
  • Other1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Justin Theroux's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 47 of their 63 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on HBO Max (10).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Justin Theroux's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

75 credits, 63 with a MovieCove page; 18 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Devil Wears Prada 2(2026)

    as Benji

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Seekers of Infinite Love(2026)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Fallout: The Ghoul Log (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    as Robert Edwin House (voice)

  • Running Point(2025)

    Show 16 episodes · as Cam Gordon

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all shows

  • Beetlejuice Beetlejuice(2024)

    as Rory

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Fallout(2024)

    Show 5 episodes · as Robert House

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • White House Plumbers(2023)

    Show 5 episodes · Executive Producer · as G. Gordon Liddy

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all shows

  • Poker Face(2023)

    Show 2 episodes · as Iguana / Todd

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows

  • Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'The Facts of Life' and 'Diff'rent Strokes'(2021)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Violet(2021)

    as The Voice

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • False Positive(2021)

    as Adrian Martin

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • The Mosquito Coast(2021)

    Show 17 episodes · Executive Producer · as Allie Fox

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all shows

  • Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'All in the Family' and 'Good Times'(2019)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Lady and the Tramp(2019)

    as Tramp (voice)

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Joker(2019)

    as Ethan Chase (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's 'All in the Family' and 'The Jeffersons'(2019)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • On the Basis of Sex(2018)

    as Mel Wulf

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Bumblebee(2018)

    as Dropkick (voice)

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Maniac(2018)

    Show 10 episodes · as Dr. James K. Mantleray

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows

  • The Spy Who Dumped Me(2018)

    as Drew

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Mute(2018)

    as Duck Teddington

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi(2017)

    as Master Codebreaker

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • At Home with Amy Sedaris (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Show 1 episode · as Colonel Cary Commander

  • The Lego Ninjago Movie(2017)

    as Garmadon (voice)

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • The Girl on the Train(2016)

    as Tom Watson

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • The Master: A LEGO Ninjago Short (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Zoolander 2(2016)

    Writer · as Evil DJ

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films

  • Zoolander: Super Model(2016)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • The Leftovers(2014)

    Show 28 episodes · as Kevin Garvey

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • Rick and Morty(2013)

    Show 1 episode · as Miles Knightly (voice)

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • Rock of Ages(2012)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Wanderlust(2012)

    as Seth

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Your Highness(2011)

    as Leezar

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Megamind(2010)

    Creative Consultant · Producer · Script Consultant · as Megaminds's Father (voice)

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Iron Man 2(2010)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Parks and Recreation(2009)

    Show 5 episodes · as Justin

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Tropic Thunder: Rain of Madness(2008)

    Director · Creator · Writer · as Jan Jürgen

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Tropic Thunder(2008)

    Executive Producer · Screenplay · Story · as UH-1 Huey Gunner (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • John Adams(2008)

    Show 2 episodes · as John Hancock

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • Dedication(2007)

    Director · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • More Things That Happened(2007)

    as Devon Burke

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • The Ten(2007)

    as Jesus H. Christ

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • Broken English(2007)

    as Nick Gable

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Inland Empire(2006)

    as Devon Berk / Billy Side

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Return to Rajapur(2006)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Miami Vice(2006)

    as Det. Larry Zito

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Strangers with Candy(2005)

    as Carlo Honklin

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • The Legend of Lucy Keyes(2006)

    as Guy Cooley

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • The Baxter(2005)

    as Bradley Lake

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Happy End(2003)

    as Jack

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Duplex(2003)

    as Coop

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle(2003)

    as Seamus O'Grady

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Alias(2001)

    Show 2 episodes · as Simon Walker

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • Zoolander(2001)

    as Evil DJ

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Mulholland Drive(2001)

    as Adam

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Six Feet Under(2001)

    Show 9 episodes · as Joe

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • The Sleepy Time Gal(2001)

    as Rebecca's Boyfriend

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • The District (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Show 27 episodes · as Nick Pierce

  • American Psycho(2000)

    as Timothy Bryce

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy(2000)

    as Marshall

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Sirens (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    as Officer David Bontempo

  • Frogs for Snakes(1998)

    as Flav Santana

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Sex and the City(1998)

    Show 1 episode · as Jared · as Vaughn Wysel

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows

  • Dead Broke (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    as James

  • Below Utopia(1997)

    as Daniel Beckett

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Ally McBeal(1997)

    Show 1 episode · as Raymond Brown

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all shows

  • Romy and Michele's High School Reunion(1997)

    as Cowboy

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Dream House (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    as Mark Brooks

  • Spin City (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Show 1 episode · as Pete

  • I Shot Andy Warhol(1996)

    as Mark

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Central Park West (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • New York Undercover(1994)

    Show 1 episode · as Frankie Stone

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all shows

  • Billion Dollar Spy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Van Spencer

  • Romy and Michele 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Clarence

  • Wild Things (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Show 1 episode · as Steve Wynn

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 74 titles, 71 of them dated from 1994 to 2026; peak year 2017.

Biggest box office

Iron Man 2 (2010)

$624M worldwide

Highest rated

Mulholland Drive (2001)

Midcredits 97th

Most popular right now

The Leftovers (2014)

Film career

MilestoneBreakoutNomination
19942026

Peak 2017 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 15 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting68 of 74: 62 only acting, 6 with another role · typical Midcredits score63rdDirecting2 of 74: 0 only directing, 2 with another roleWriting6 of 74: 2 only writing, 4 with another role · typical Midcredits score79thProducing7 of 74: 3 only producing, 4 with another role · typical Midcredits score84thOther crew2 of 74: 0 only other crew, 2 with another role

74 titles, 7 with more than one role — acting and producing overlap on 3 of them.

By decade

1990s12 · acting2000s25 · 24 acting · 3 crew2010s22 · 18 acting · 6 crew2020s12 · 11 acting · 3 crew

Billing

usually 4th · top billed in 3% of 35 roles
97020712

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

Awards

2 Primetime Emmys from 5 major nominations, 2005–2024.

WinNomination
  1. 2024
    • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television
  2. 2022
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Variety Special (Live)
  3. 2020
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Variety Special (Live)
  4. 2019
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Variety Special (Live)
  5. 2005
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Justin Theroux's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 59th percentile, the median of all 48; across their 38 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 55th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

55thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 38

Approval · how many liked their films

52ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 38

Reach · how many have seen their films

94thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 38

Midcredits score across 63 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up22
  • 50th to 74th20
  • 25th to 49th10
  • Below 25th11

Shape of the crowd

24 of their 63 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved9
  • Universally Panned1
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser24
  • Broadly Agreed6
  • Mixed21

Most divisive · actor

Seekers of Infinite Love (2026)

98th percentile spread · 37% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Joker (2019)

Midcredits 99th · 90% liked

Reviewers score the acting 68/100 in their films, across 35 reviewed titles; fans 78, detractors 44. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Justin Theroux's work okay for kids?

Across up to 28 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore25 titles23–85 · median 62 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity28 titles22–72 · median 50 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity26 titles22–87 · median 69 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs25 titles21–75 · median 39 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense25 titles15–83 · median 54 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Justin Theroux work with?

People who share at least 2 of Justin Theroux's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Ben Stiller shares the most, 6.

Directors

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles