Justin Berfield
 |
Justin Berfield | |
|---|---|
 Berfield in 2005 | |
| Born | Justin Tyler Berfield February 25, 1986 Agoura Hills, California, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Spouse |
Liza Almeida (m. 2017) |
| Children | 2 |
Justin Tyler Berfield (born February 25, 1986) is an American actor, writer and producer. He is known for his portrayals of Reese on the family sitcom Malcolm in the Middle (2000–2006) and Ross Malloy on The WB sitcom Unhappily Ever After (1995–1999). Berfield was Chief Creative Officer of Virgin Produced, a film and television development, packaging, and production company announced in 2010 by the Virgin Group.[1]
Early life and education
[edit]Berfield was born on February 25, 1986, in Agoura Hills, California, to Gail Berfield (née Stark) and Eric "Rick" Berfield. He had a younger brother, Lorne.
He attended Brookside Elementary School in Oak Park,[2] and Agoura High School before homeschooling at age of 15.[3][4]
Acting career
[edit]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. Berfield also made appearances in the TV shows Hardball, The Boys Are Back, and The Mommies (1994–1995).[5]
Berfield's first long-running TV role was as Ross Malloy in Unhappily Ever After (1995–1999), in which he appeared in 100 episodes. In 1995, he (then aged 9) was one of 3000 juvenile actors who auditioned for the role of the young Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.[6]
Berfield's big breakthrough role came in 1999 when Linwood Boomer cast him to play Reese, the trouble-making older brother of Frankie Muniz's title character on the Fox sitcom Malcolm in the Middle (in reality, Berfield is nearly three months younger than Muniz), which premiered on January 9, 2000. He appeared in all 151 episodes of that series. The original run of Malcolm in the Middle ended on May 14, 2006, though Berfield remained active for another six years, concentrating on production work; in February 2025, he confirmed in an Instagram post that he would return for the reboot of the series.[7] He also made a one-off appearance in the series Sons of Tucson in 2010.[citation needed]
Charity work
[edit]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.[8]
Personal life
[edit]Berfield is Jewish.[9] He had two children with his wife Liza Almeida, whom he married in 2017.[10]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Mom, Can I Keep Her? | Timmy Blair | |
| 1999 | Invisible Mom 2 | Eddie Brown | |
| The Kid with X-Ray Eyes | Bobby Taylor | ||
| 2001 | Max Keeble's Big Move | Caption Writer | |
| 2002 | Who's Your Daddy? | Danny Hughes | |
| 2006 | Romance and Cigarettes | Anthony | Producer |
| 2007 | Blonde Ambition | Lucas Blair | |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | The Good Life | Bob Bowman | Main role;13 episodes |
| Hardball | Kid | 2 episodes | |
| The Boys Are Back | Timmy Flint | 4 episodes | |
| 1996 | Duckman | Bill | Episode: "Exile in Guyville" |
| 1995–1999 | Unhappily Ever After | Ross Malloy | Main role; 100 episodes |
| 2000–2006 | Malcolm in the Middle | Reese | Main role; 151 episodes |
| 2001 | The Nightmare Room | Josh Ryan | Episode: "Tangled Web" |
| 2002–2004 | Kim Possible | Gill | Voice, 2 episodes |
| 2004 | The Fairly OddParents | Ving | Voice, episode: "Crash Nebula" |
| 2005 | Filthy Rich: Cattle Drive | Stan | Producer, screenplay |
| 2007 | The Pet Detective | Lucas | Television film; producer and director |
| 2010 | Sons of Tucson | Barry | 1 episode; also producer |
| 2012 | Virgin Produced: Comedy Vault | Virgil | Television film; producer |
| 2026 | Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair | Reese | 4 episodes |
Awards
[edit]| 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
[edit]- ↑ Morfoot, Addie (November 9, 2010). "Felts and Berfield: Virgin toppers get aggressive". Variety. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
- ↑ Staff, The Acorn (February 2, 2005). "Brookside Elementary 'Mardi Gras' will assist school". The Acorn. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
- ↑ McGrath, Stephanie (February 1, 2002). "Behind the scenes with a 'Malcolm' star". AllPop. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Behar, Deidre (March 1, 2011). "Justin Berfield: 'Malcolm in the Middle' to 'Limitless'". Agoura Hills Patch. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
- ↑ Everett, Todd (December 30, 1994). "Mommies". Variety. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
- ↑ Magazines 2024, p. 46.
- ↑ "Malcolm in the Middle star not seen in years 'confirms he'll be returning for reboot'". LADbible. February 17, 2025. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
- ↑ Justin Berfield – I Support, officialjustinberfield.com; accessed September 20, 2016.
- ↑ Naomi Pfefferman (August 23, 2001). "From Middle to the Top – Arts". Jewish Journal. Archived from the original on April 1, 2009.
- ↑ Gayle, Latoya; Blanchet, Brenton. "Malcolm in the Middle's Justin Berfield Says Daughter, 5, Is Now 'Putting It Together' He Was in the Show (Exclusive)". People. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
Sources
[edit]- Magazines, Titan (2024). Star Wars: The Phantom Menace: The 25th Anniversary Special Edition (Hardback ed.). London: Titan Magazines. ISBN 9781787745162.
External links
[edit]| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
- 1986 births
- Living people
- 20th-century American Jews
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American Jews
- 21st-century American male actors
- American male child actors
- American male film actors
- American male television actors
- American male voice actors
- Film producers from California
- Jewish American male actors
- Jewish American television writers
- American television writers
- Jews from California
- Male actors from Los Angeles County, California
- Male actors from Santa Monica, California
- People from Agoura Hills, California
- Writers from Malibu, California
- Male actors from Malibu, California
- Mass media people from Malibu, California
