Due to his angelic blue eyes and sensitive aura, Kirk was initially cast as vulnerable, often wounded characters. In his 1993 Broadway debut,
Any Given Day, he was in a wheelchair. Then a pair of gay roles jump-started his career: a sweet blind man in
Love! Valour! Compassion! (a part he played off-Broadway, on Broadway and in the 1997 film adaptation) and an abandoned, AIDS-stricken lover in the lauded 2003 miniseries
Angels in America, a searing performance that earned him an Emmy nod and national recognition. Although Kirk subsequently appeared in a number of low-profile indies (
Flannel Pajamas,
Puccini for Beginners), it was cable TV that offered him the delicious part that shattered his well-established good-guy image. Kirk joked in numerous interviews that in real life, he was much more like his character on
Weeds, an immoral layabout who moves in with his pot-dealing sister-in-law. Whether or not that was the truth, he was hilarious in the role and was rewarded with a Golden Globe nod.
Justin Kirk Fast Facts:
- Attended elementary school on an American Indian reservation.
- Won an Obie Award for his performance in the 1994 off-Broadway production of Love! Valour! Compassion! (the show moved to Broadway the next year). In 1997, he made his feature-film debut in the big-screen adaptation of the play.
- Justin Kirk Awards:
- 2004 Emmy: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie - Nominee
- 2007 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television - Nominee
- College:
- Circle in the Square Theatre School, New York, NY
