Justin Lazard (born November 30, 1967) is an American retired actor, producer, director, and model.

Justin Lazard
Born (1967-11-30) November 30, 1967 (age 56)
New York
Occupationactor
Years active1988‒2000

Early life

edit

Lazard was born in New York, but raised in Connecticut. His father, Sidney Lazard, is a former foreign correspondent, and his mother, Julie (née Thayer), is a photographer. In 1974, the family relocated to Paris where his father was stationed by ABC News. After his parents' divorce when he was a freshman in high school, Lazard marked time in boarding schools and at Emory University. Transferring to NYU to study acting, he was "discovered" in a bar by a talent agent and was soon appearing in TV commercials.

Acting career

edit

After a small role in Spike of Bensonhurst in 1988, Lazard landed the recurring role of a punk-rock undercover cop on NBC's Miami Vice, appearing in three episodes. To pay for acting classes, he began a brief career as a model. Small parts in features (i.e., Born to Ride in 1991) and regular roles in unsuccessful series (e.g., Second Chances; CBS 1993–94) followed.

In 1995, Lazard landed the role of a charming stockbroker on the primetime CBS soap Central Park West, but the series floundered and despite some retooling and a title change to "CPW", the show was cancelled after its second season. He starred in Extreme (1995) as part of a Rocky Mountain rescue team but the series was cut short after 7 episodes. He had a role in the direct-to-video release The Big Fall (1997).

Working in partnership with his brother Marc through Lazard Productions, he began to create material for himself. His most notable role was in Species II (1998) as an astronaut who mutates into an alien bent on having sex with human women and impregnating them, creating a race of alien children. He went on to produce the thriller Dark Harbor (1998), which he co-scripted with director Adam Coleman Howard. Lazard also served as executive producer on Stanley's Gig in 2000, written and directed by his brother, Marc. This would be his last acting role before retiring from the industry.

Lazard is married to Olivia Maxwell.

On the evening of July 4, 2006 in Lakeport, California, Lazard was arrested and charged with indecent exposure and resisting arrest, having been "exposing himself near one of the piers" of the local park.[1] During the arrest, he was tasered by one of the officers.[1] In May 2009, he failed to appear in court and a bench warrant was subsequently issued for his arrest.[2]

In January 2011, Lazard reached a plea agreement with Lake County prosecutors regarding the charges of 2006.[3] He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of "lewd conduct", with the other charges being dismissed, and agreed to pay $7,500 to a named family resource center. His psychiatrist attested that his behavior was due to a transitory “severe psychotic breakdown” and that "treatment had worked well" in his case.[4]

His most recent film activity was as co-producer of The Americans Are Coming, the Americans Are Coming! in 2003.

Filmography

edit
Film
Year Film Role Notes
1988 Spike of Bensonhurst Justin AKA Throw Back!
1991 A Smile in the Dark AKA A Day in L.A.
AKA California 405
AKA Destination Unknown
AKA Jungle of Love
Born to Ride Brooks
1992 Final Embrace Pierce
1994 Marilyn, My Love Brian
Dead Center Joe AKA Crazy Joe
1996 Dead Girl Young Actor
The Big Fall Bill Dickson
1997 Love Walked In Lenny AKA Ni el tiro del final (Argentinian Spanish)
1998 Species II Patrick Ross
1999 Universal Soldier: The Return Captain Blackburn AKA Universal Soldier IV
2000 The Giving Tree T.J. AKA Brutal Truth
AKA Shaded Places
AKA The Brutal Truth
Stanley's Gig Joshua
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1988–89 Miami Vice Joey Chandler/Keith 3 episodes
1992 In the Heat of the Night Brian Moseley 1 episode
Freshman Dorm Joe Ellis 4 episodes
1993–94 Second Chances Kevin Cook 5 episodes
1995 Extreme Lance Monroe 7 episodes
1995–96 Central Park West Gil Chase 21 episodes
1998 Welcome to Paradox Leo Lawson 1 episode
1999 Partners Brendan 1 episode

References

edit
  1. ^ a b News Release, cityoflakeport.com, July 5, 2006.
  2. ^ News Release: Public Notice of Wanted Subject - Lakeport Police Department, March 10, 2010.
  3. ^ Larson, Elizabeth (January 29, 2011). "Actor-model gets plea deal for 2006 public lewdness case". Lake County News. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  4. ^ Larson, Elizabeth (February 11, 2011). "Judge rules model/actor won't have to register as sex offender". Lake County News. Archived from the original on July 23, 2011. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
edit