Justice Smith
Quick Facts
Biography
Justice Smith (born August 9, 1995) is an American actor best known for his role as Franklin Webb in the 2018 science fiction film Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Smith also stars in the films Detective Pikachu as Tim Goodman and All the Bright Places alongside Elle Fanning.
Early life
Smith was born in Anaheim, California. His father is African-American and his mother is of European descent. He is the fifth of nine siblings. Smith graduated from the Orange County School of the Arts in 2013, and has performed in shows around Orange County. He came out as queer on June 6, 2020.
Career
In 2014, Smith appeared in Nickelodeon's superhero comedy series The Thundermans, playing Angus in two episodes. He also appeared in the HBO's documentary series Masterclass and some VlogBrothers videos. In 2015, Smith had a supporting role as Marcus "Radar" Lincoln, in Paper Towns. The film was directed by Jake Schreier and released on July 24, 2015 by 20th Century Fox. In 2016, Smith broke out in the lead role of Ezekiel Figuero in Netflix's musical drama series The Get Down, during which Smith employed the method technique of acting by taking up residence in a dilapidated Bronx apartment. The Get Down premiered in August 2016 and concluded in April 2017, being cancelled shortly thereafter.
In 2017, Smith was on Forbes 30 under 30 List. Smith also appeared in New York, opposite Lucas Hedges, in the Off-Broadway stage production of Yen by playwright, Anna Jordan. The production ran at the Lucille Lortel Theater starting January 2017 and closed on March 4, 2017. In February 2018, Smith co-starred in Every Day as Justin, boyfriend of lead character Rhiannon. A few months later, in June 2018, he had a major role in the science fiction blockbuster sequel Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.
Smith starred in the 2019 blockbuster Pokémon Detective Pikachu, a live action film based on the video game of the same name. He starred alongside Elle Fanning in All the Bright Places, directed by Brett Haley from a screenplay by Liz Hannah and Jennifer Niven. The latter authored the novel upon which the film is based. Filming commenced in the fall of 2018.
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Yen | Nominated | |
Lucille Lortel Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Nominated | |||
2019 | Golden Raspberry Awards | Worst Supporting Actor | Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom | Nominated |