What is Justin Bartha’s Net Worth and Salary?
Justin Bartha, known for his roles in “National Treasure” and “Hangover” films, has a net worth of $25 million. He has also acted in TV shows such as “The New Normal” and “The Good Fight.” Bartha has appeared in movies like “The Rebound,” “Holy Rollers,” and “Dark Horse,” and has performed in stage productions like “Lend Me a Tenor” and “Asuncion.”
Early Life and Career
Justin Bartha was born on July 21, 1978 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Betty, a school teacher, and Stephen, a real estate developer. He grew up in a Reform Jewish family and moved to West Bloomfield, Michigan when he was eight. Bartha attended West Bloomfield High School and went on to study filmmaking and theatre at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in New York City.
Bartha began his film career as a production assistant on “Analyze This” before making his acting debut in the drama film “54.” He played an uncredited role as a club-goer at Studio 54 in New York City and also appeared in the short film “Tag.”
Justin Bartha’s Acting Career
Justin Bartha played the role of Brian in the 2003 comedy “Gigli” and another character named Brian in the short film “Carnival Sun.” He also wrote and directed a short film titled “Highs and Lows.” Bartha’s notable role came in 2004 when he played Riley Poole in the film “National Treasure” alongside Nicolas Cage. He reprised his role in the sequel “National Treasure: Book of Secrets” in 2007. Bartha’s other credits include “Trust the Man,” “Failure to Launch,” “New York, I Love You,” and “The Hangover” trilogy. He played Yosef Zimmerman in “Holy Rollers” in 2010 and had roles in “Dark Horse,” “CBGB,” “White Girl,” “Sticky Notes,” “Driven,” “Sorry for Your Loss,” “Against the Clock,” and “Sweet Girl.”
The Hangover: How Relative Unknowns Became Comedy Superstars
The four primary actors in “The Hangover” – Ed Helms, Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis and Justin – were relative unknowns before the movie was officially green-lit. The studio behind the project was so concerned about the lack of star power that it came very close to killing the movie altogether.
Thankfully (for comedy fans), the movie’s director Todd Phillips was so confident in his chosen actors that he went to the studio and offered to give back $6.5 million in salary in exchange for back-end points. He also reminded the studio that those four actors were set to earn less than $1 million, collectively.
The studio relented and the first Hangover went on to make $470 million at the box office and $75 million off DVD sales. It was the highest grossest R-rated comedy up to that point.
Amazingly, the studio never thought the lock in the four actors or Phillips for potential sequels. The group was therefore able to negotiate generous salaries and backend shares. When the sequel earned nearly $600 million at the box office, Todd Phillips earned another $70 million and the four actors each earned $30 million.
In total Phillips earned $150 million from the three Hangover movies and the four primary actors earned $40 million.
Television Career
Bartha’s television career began in 2004 with the HBO film “Strip Search.” He later appeared in the NBC sitcom “Teachers” and lent his voice to the History Channel miniseries “WWII in HD.” In 2012, Bartha had his breakthrough role on the NBC sitcom “The New Normal,” playing one half of a gay couple using a surrogate mother to have a child. He also starred in the short-lived Fox sitcom “Cooper Barrett’s Guide to Surviving Life” and had a main role on the legal series “The Good Fight” from 2017 to 2018. Bartha’s other television credits include “Drunk History” and “Godfather of Harlem.”
Theatrical Career
Bartha made his theatrical debut in 2010, playing Max in the Broadway revival of “Lend Me a Tenor” alongside Tony Shalhoub and Jan Maxwell. He went on to star in Zach Braff’s play “All New People” and Jesse Eisenberg’s off-Broadway play “Asuncion.” Bartha also directed a production of “Are You Passing?” at the Matrix Theatre Company and appeared in various other productions, including “The Sunshine Boys” and “Permission.”
Marriage and Children
Justin Bartha married Pilates instructor Lia Smith in Hawaii in January of 2014. The couple welcomed their first child, daughter Asa Charlotte, shortly after. In 2016, they had another daughter named Ruby.
