Love! Valour! Compassion!

Background:

"I could never settle on just one aspect of acting." Justin Kirk.

A stage actor who made his Broadway debut in the drama "Any Given Day" in 1993, Justin Kirk got his breakthrough stage role as Bobby Brahms, the blind, twenty-something lover of much older choreographer Gregory in Terrence McNally's romantic comedy play, “Love! Valour! Compassion!,” and later reprised his role in its film adaptation helmed by Joe Mantello in 1997. He gradually transitioned into television, playing the moderately intelligent Bartholomew 'Barto' Zane (1999-2001) on The WB’s dramedy series starring with Amanda Peet and Ivan Sergei, "Jack & Jill."

Following his brilliant turn as Prior Walter, the AIDS victim abandoned by his tormented lover Louis (played by Ben Shenkman) in Mike Nichols’ miniseries adaptation of Tony Kushner's Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Angels in America” (2003), Kirk went on to play the Golden Globe-nominated role of Andy Botwin (2005-2006), the brother-in-law of Mary-Louise Parker's character and family's black sheep, on Showtime dark comedy series "Weeds." In films, the 6' 1" tall actor could be seen in The Eden Myth (1999), Outpatient (2002) and Ask the Dust (2006).


Freaky Kid

Childhood and Family:

"I was a freaky little kid, not the kind they handed out commercials to." Justin Kirk.

On May 28, 1969, Justin Kirk was born in Salem, Oregon, and grew up on an Indian reservation. He attended the Children's Theatre School in Minnesota, and later Circle in the Square Professional Theater School, New York, New York.


Angels in America

Career:

First finding job as a hotel bellboy at the Royalton Hotel while struggling to be an actor, Justin Kirk, who made his acting debut in a production of Bertolt Brecht's "The Caucasian Chalk Circle" at age seven, made his Broadway debut in the drama "Any Given Day" in 1993. In 1995, he got his breakthrough stage role as Bobby Brahms, the blind, twenty-something lover of much older choreographer Gregory in Terrence McNally's romantic comedy play about eight gay men, “Love! Valour! Compassion!” The award-winning play was later adapted into the big screen in 1997 by director Joe Mantello in which Kirk reprised his role alongside Jason Alexander, Randy Becker, Stephen Bogardus, John Glover and John Benjamin Hickey.

Meanwhile, Kirk resumed his on-stage work, co-starring in the acclaimed stage play "Old Wicked Songs" (1997) in New York City and reprised his role in Los Angeles staging. He also helped to establish the Drama Department theater company.

Kirk gradually transitioned into television and film. In 1999, he starred as a young man forced by his father (played by Gil Rogers) to marry a woman he has never met in Mark Edlitz'sgothic straight-to-video independent film The Eden Myth, a thriller melodrama thriller about a uniquely dysfunctional family. That same year, he also co-starred with Dylan Walsh and Penelope Ann Miller in writer-director Aaron Mendelsohn's barely released comedy Chapter Zero.

From 1999 to 2001 TV viewers could catch him playing the regular role of Bartholomew 'Barto' Zane, the moderately intelligent man who was always hanging around the slightly less-intelligent Mikey (played by Simon Rex) on The WB’s dramedy series starring Amanda Peet and Ivan Sergei, "Jack & Jill." He was also spotted as a guest in an October 2001 episode of NBC cop drama "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."

After "Jack & Jill," Kirk returned to the New York City stage in 2001 co-starring with Donald Sutherland and Julianna Margulies in "Ten Unknowns." The subsequent year, he had a pivotal role in writer-director Harry Shearer's comedy movie The Teddy Bears' Picnic (starring Howard Hesseman, Michael McKean and John Michael Higgins), which was based on the Bohemian Grove conspiracy. He also nabbed his first leading role in film, as Morris Monk, a suicidal mental patient in writer-director Alec Carlin's psychological drama/thriller, Outpatient.

Kirk garnered much more exposure in the following years after he played the main character Prior Walter, the AIDS victim who is abandoned by his tormented lover Louis Ironson (played by Ben Shenkman) in Mike Nichols-directed six-hour television miniseries adaptation of Tony Kushner's Pulitzer Prize-winning, political epic play about the AIDS crisis during the mid-eighties, “Angels in America.” Also starring Al Pacino, Meryl Streep and Jeffrey Wright, the miniseries that first aired on HBO in December of 2003 later earned Kirk nominations at the SAG and Emmy Awards for Best Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries. He also won a Satellite award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries.

“It seems to be less of a hot button topic in the America media, but it's become much more of a threat to the human race around the world." Justin Kirk (on AIDS).

From 2005 to 2006, Kirk co-starred with Mary-Louise Parker on Showtime dark comedy series "Weeds," playing Andy Botwin, the brother-in-law of Parker's character and family's black sheep. The role brought him nominations at the Golden Globes for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series and at the Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.

2006 proved to a busy year for Kirk. He was cast opposite Colin Farrell in Robert Towne's film version of Italian-American author John Fante's novel set under the brutally sunny skies of Depression-Era California, Ask the Dust (also with Salma Hayek, Donald Sutherland and Eileen Atkins) and co-starred with Julianne Nicholson as a couple falling in and out of love in writer-director Jeff Lipsky's romantic drama movie Flannel Pajamas. He also co-starred as an up-and-coming actor in writer-director Henry Jaglom's romantic drama comedy Hollywood Dreams (alongside Tanna Frederick) and played the male lead role opposite Elizabeth Reaser, Gretchen Mol and Julianne Nicholson in writer-director Maria Maggenti's romantic comedy Puccini for Beginners.

Awards:

- Obie: Distinguished Performance in the Ensemble, “Love! Valour! Compassion!”
- Back Stage West Garland: Outstanding Performance, “Old Wicked Songs”
- Satellite: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries, “Angels in America,” 2004