Justin Jacob Long (born June 2, 1978) is an American actor, comedian, director and screenwriter. Long is known for his film roles, notably appearing in '' Jeepers Creepers'' (2001), ''Dodgeball'' (2004), '' Accepted'' (2006), ''

Idiocracy ''Idiocracy'' is a 2006 American science fiction comedy film directed by Mike Judge and co-written by Judge and Etan Cohen. Starring Luke Wilson, Maya Rudolph, Dax Shepard, and Terry Crews, the film tells the story of Corporal Joe Bauers (W ...

'' (2006), '' Dreamland'' (2006), '' Live Free or Die Hard'' (2007), '' Zack and Miri Make a Porno'' (2008), '' Drag Me to Hell'' (2009), '' Tusk'' (2014), '' The Wave'' (2019), and ''

Barbarian A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by some to be less ...

'' (2022) as well as voicing Alvin Seville in the live-action ''

Alvin and the Chipmunks Alvin and the Chipmunks, originally David Seville and the Chipmunks or simply The Chipmunks, are an American animated virtual band and media franchise first created by Ross Bagdasarian for novelty records in 1958. The group consists of three ...

'' film series. He is also known for his television appearances in '' Ed'' (2000-2004) and '' F is for Family'' (2015–2021). He appeared alongside John Hodgman in TV commercials for Apple's " Get a Mac" campaign, and as himself in

Intel Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It is the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, and is one of the developers of the x86 ser ...

's "Go PC" campaign.

Early life

Long was born the middle of three boys in

Fairfield, Connecticut Fairfield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It borders the city of Bridgeport and towns of Trumbull, Easton, Weston, and Westport along the Gold Coast of Connecticut. Located within the New York metropolitan ar ...

, to father R. James Long, a

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. ...

and

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

professor at

Fairfield University Fairfield University is a private Jesuit university in Fairfield, Connecticut. It was founded by the Jesuits in 1942. In 2017, the university had about 4,100 full-time undergraduate students and 1,100 graduate students, including full-time a ...

, and mother Wendy Lesniak, a former actress who has mostly appeared on stage. His grandmother was of Italian descent. Long had a "kind of conservative"

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

upbringing. His older brother, Damian, is a local stage actor and teacher at Weston High School. Long attended

Fairfield College Preparatory School Fairfield College Preparatory School (Fairfield Prep) is a Jesuit preparatory school located on the campus of Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut. It is an all-male school of about 700 students, founded by the Society of Jesus in 1942 ...

, a

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

institution, and

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely foll ...

, where he was a member of the

sketch comedy Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. The form developed and became popular in vaudeville, and ...

group Laughingstock and starred in several plays, including '' Butterflies Are Free''.

Career

Long's film credits include ''

'', '' Waiting...'', '' Jeepers Creepers'', '' DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story'', '' The Break-Up'', ''

Crossroads Crossroads, crossroad, cross road or similar may refer to: * Crossroads (junction), where four roads meet Film and television Films * ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa * ''Cross Roads'' (film), a 1930 Brit ...

'', ''

Galaxy Quest ''Galaxy Quest'' is a 1999 American science fiction comedy film directed by Dean Parisot and written by David Howard and Robert Gordon. A parody of and homage to science-fiction films and series, especially ''Star Trek'' and its fandom, the f ...

'', '' Dreamland'' and '' Live Free or Die Hard''. He was also a regular on the NBC TV series '' Ed'' (2000–04), playing socially awkward Warren P. Cheswick. He was offered the opportunity to replace Steve Burns on ''

Blue's Clues ''Blue's Clues'' is an American live-action/animated children's television series, created by Angela C. Santomero, Todd Kessler, and Traci Paige Johnson, that premiered on Nickelodeon as part of its Nick Jr. block on September 8, 1996, and ...

'' after he left the show, but ultimately declined. He was the voice of the character Alvin in ''

'', '' Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel'', '' Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked'', and '' Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip''. He also played the main character in the comedy film '' Accepted'' (2006). Long made a guest appearance in the documentary, '' Wild West Comedy Show'' (2006). In 2007, he co-starred with Bruce Willis as a white-hat hacker in '' Live Free or Die Hard'' and had a role in the comedy '' The Sasquatch Gang''. Long is known for his depiction of a Mac in Apple's " Get a Mac" campaign. The campaign featured commercials in which Long as a Mac and John Hodgman as a PC engaged in playful banter about "the strengths of the Mac platform and weaknesses of the PC platform." Long also had a small role in the comedy film '' Zack and Miri Make a Porno'' (2008), where he plays Brandon St. Randy, a gay porn star. In 2009, he starred in ''

He's Just Not That Into You ''He's Just Not That Into You'' is a self-improvement book written by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo that was published in 2004 and later adapted into a film by the same name in 2009. It was a New York Times bestseller and was featured on ''Th ...

'' along with co-star

Ginnifer Goodwin Jennifer Michelle "Ginnifer" Goodwin (born May 22, 1978) is an American actress. She is known for her starring role as Margene Heffman in the HBO drama series '' Big Love'' (2006–2011) and Snow White / Mary Margaret Blanchard in the ABC fa ...

and ''

After.Life ''After.Life'' is a 2009 American psychological horror- thriller film directed by Agnieszka Wójtowicz-Vosloo from her original screenplay. It stars Liam Neeson, Christina Ricci, and Justin Long. Plot Eliot Deacon (Liam Neeson) owns a funeral h ...

'' opposite

Liam Neeson William John Neeson (born 7 June 1952) is an actor from Northern Ireland. He has received several accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and two Tony Awards. In 2020, he was placed 7th on '' Th ...

and

Christina Ricci Christina Ricci ( ; born February 12, 1980) is an American actress. Known for playing unusual characters with a dark edge, Ricci predominantly works in independent productions, but has also appeared in numerous box office hits. She has receive ...

. He also provided the voice of Humphrey in ''

Alpha and Omega Alpha (Α or α) and omega (Ω or ω) are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, and a title of Christ and God in the Book of Revelation. This pair of letters is used as a Christian symbol, and is often combined with the Cross, Chi-r ...

'' (2010), starring with Hayden Panettiere. Also in 2010, Long starred in the comedy film '' Going the Distance'' with Drew Barrymore. He was cast as a one-armed Civil War veteran in Robert Redford's '' The Conspirator''. Long read the audiobook version of Judy Blume's '' Then Again, Maybe I Won't'' and

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...

's ''

Everything's Eventual ''Everything's Eventual'' is a collection of 11 short stories and 3 novellas by American writer Stephen King, published in 2002. Stories "The Little Sisters of Eluria" is part of '' The Dark Tower'' series. Story order In the introduction t ...

''. From July 7–18, 2010, he appeared in a production of ''Samuel J. and K.'' at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. On August 16, 2010, he co-hosted ''

WWE Raw ''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that currently airs live every Monday at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network in the United States. The show f ...

'' with ''Going the Distance'' co-stars Charlie Day and

Jason Sudeikis Daniel Jason Sudeikis ( ; born September 18, 1975) is an American actor, comedian, producer, and writer. In the 1990s, he began his career in improv comedy and performed with ComedySportz, iO Chicago (Improv Olympic), and The Second City. In 200 ...

at the

Staples Center Crypto.com Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. The arena opened on October 17, 1999; it w ...

in Los Angeles. In 2014 he starred in the independent love drama ''

Comet A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that, when passing close to the Sun, warms and begins to release gases, a process that is called outgassing. This produces a visible atmosphere or coma, and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena ...

'', which he and his co-star

Emmy Rossum Emmanuelle Grey Rossum (born September 12, 1986) is an American actress, director, and singer. She is known for her portrayal of Fiona Gallagher in the television series '' Shameless'' (2011–2019). Since the mid-2010s, she has also directed ...

also produced. He also was in a few skits on the show ‘Inside Amy Schumer’. In April 2019, Long started the podcast, ''Life Is Short with Justin Long,'' with its introductory episode airing through Wondery on April 29, 2019. His first guest was actor

Dax Shepard Dax Randall Shepard (born January 2, 1975) is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker and podcast host. Since 2018, he has hosted ''Armchair Expert'', a podcast that interviews celebrities, journalists, and academics about their lives. Shepard ha ...

. On June 24, 2019, Long, along with an ensemble cast, presented '' The Investigation: A Search for the Truth in Ten Acts'', a dramatic reading of Special Counsel

Robert S. Mueller III Robert Swan Mueller III (; born August 7, 1944) is an American lawyer and government official who served as the sixth director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from 2001 to 2013. A graduate of Princeton University and New York U ...

's Report on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election. Long portrayed former Director of the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice ...

James Comey. In 2020, he appeared in the reality television series '' Celebrity Watch Party'' alongside his younger brother Christian Long. He appeared in commercials for Intel's "Go PC" campaign.

Personal life

Long had a relationship with Drew Barrymore that was on and off between 2007 and 2010. He also dated Amanda Seyfried from mid-2013, breaking up in September 2015. During an episode of the

podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosin ...

Armchair Expert with

, Long revealed that he was the victim of a drugging and

abduction Abduction may refer to: Media Film and television * "Abduction" (''The Outer Limits''), a 2001 television episode * " Abduction" (''Death Note'') a Japanese animation television series * " Abductions" (''Totally Spies!''), a 2002 episode of an ...

during the filming of '' Youth In Revolt'' while in

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...

. According to Long, after an evening of drinking he left with several local individuals who offered him

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various t ...

but, he believes that it was actually Phencyclidine, more commonly known as PCP. After getting him severely intoxicated, these individuals took him to various locations against his will and avoided taking him to his hotel as he repeatedly requested. According to Long, the individuals made reference to filming him while high on hard drugs and selling the footage to TMZ or another website dedicated to

celebrity gossip A gossip magazine, also referred to as a tabloid magazine, is a magazine that features scandalous stories about the personal lives of celebrities and other well-known individuals. In North America, this genre of magazine flourished in the 1950s an ...

. Long was so concerned that he eventually leapt from the moving vehicle in order to escape the ordeal. Long commented that he has faced lingering nerve damage in his leg due to the injuries he sustained in escaping from their car. Long is a political liberal. He supported

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

during the

2012 U.S. presidential election The 2012 United States presidential election was the 57th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. Incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, incumbent Vice President Joe Biden, were re-el ...

and was an outspoken critic of the Republican nominee

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since January 2019, succeeding Orrin Hatch. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusetts ...

, describing him as a "modern-day

Gordon Gekko Gordon Gekko is a composite character in the 1987 film '' Wall Street'' and its 2010 sequel '' Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps'', both directed by Oliver Stone. Gekko was portrayed by actor Michael Douglas, whose performance in the first fil ...

". Long endorsed Senator

Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 20 ...

for

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. He endorsed Sanders again in the

2020 Democratic primary Presidential primaries and caucuses were organized by the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party to select the 3,979 pledged delegates to the 2020 Democratic National Convention held on August 17–20 to determine the party's nomin ...

, has been seen at Sanders rallies, and has appeared on the campaign trail as a surrogate. As of January 2022, Long is in a relationship with actress Kate Bosworth.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

*
Video interview with Justin Long
at the premiere of '' The Break-Up'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Long, Justin 1978 births American writers of Italian descent 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male film actors American male television actors American male voice actors American male screenwriters Sacred Heart University faculty Vassar College alumni Living people Actors from Fairfield, Connecticut Male actors from Connecticut Fairfield College Preparatory School alumni