Justin Tyler Berfield (born February 25, 1986) is an American actor, writer and producer. He is known for his portrayals of Reese on the family sitcom Malcolm in the Middle (2000–2006) and Ross Malloy on The WB sitcom Unhappily Ever After (1995–1999). Berfield was Chief Creative Officer of Virgin Produced, a film and television development, packaging, and production company announced in 2010 by the Virgin Group.
Early life Berfield was born on February 25, 1986, in Agoura Hills, California, to Gail Berfield () and Eric "Rick" Berfield. He has an older brother, Lorne.
He attended Brookside Elementary School in Oak Park, and Agoura High School before homeschooling at age of 15.
Acting career Berfield's first screen appearance was in a Folgers coffee commercial at age five. He went on to appear in 20 other nationally broadcast American commercials as a young child. His TV debut came in the short-lived series The Good Life (1994) in which he co-starred with Drew Carey. Berfield also made appearances in the TV shows Hardball, The Boys Are Back, and The Mommies (1994–1995).
Berfield's first long-running TV role was as Ross Malloy in Unhappily Ever After (1995–1999), in which he appeared in 100 episodes. In 1995, he (then aged 9) was one of 3000 juvenile actors who auditioned for the role of the young Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.
Berfield's big breakthrough role came in 1999 when Linwood Boomer cast him to play Reese, the trouble-making older brother of Frankie Muniz's title character on the Fox sitcom Malcolm in the Middle (in reality, Berfield is nearly three months younger than Muniz), which premiered on January 9, 2000. He appeared in all 151 episodes of that series. The original run of Malcolm in the Middle ended on May 14, 2006. Berfield moved to Colorado after the series was over as he wanted a change of scenery. He also mentions that he prioritized staying home with his child and was not in-demand for new roles.
Berfield remained active for another six years, concentrating on production work; in February 2025, he confirmed in an Instagram post that he would return for the reboot of the series. He also made a one-off appearance in the series Sons of Tucson in 2010.
Charity work In 2001, Berfield was asked to serve as a National Youth Ambassador for Ronald McDonald House Charities, in which he participated for three years until turning 18. He has been active with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and most recently Virgin Unite, the charitable arm of Virgin Group.Justin Berfield – I Support, officialjustinberfield.com; accessed September 20, 2016.
Personal life Berfield is Jewish. He has two children with his wife Liza Almeida, whom he married in 2017.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes 1998 Mom, Can I Keep Her? Timmy Blair1999 Invisible Mom 2 Eddie Brown The Kid with X-Ray Eyes Bobby Taylor 2001 Max Keeble's Big Move Caption Writer 2002 Who's Your Daddy? Danny Hughes 2006 Romance and Cigarettes Anthony Producer 2007 Blonde Ambition Lucas Blair
Television Year Title Role Notes 1994 The Good Life Bob Bowman Main role; 13 episodes Hardball Kid 2 episodes The Boys Are Back Timmy Flint 4 episodes 1995–1999 Unhappily Ever After Ross Malloy Main role; 100 episodes 1996 Duckman Bill Episode: "Exile in Guyville" 2000–2006 Malcolm in the Middle Reese Main role; 151 episodes 2001 The Nightmare Room Josh Ryan Episode: "Tangled Web" 2002–2004 Kim Possible Gill Voice, 2 episodes 2004 The Fairly OddParents Ving Voice, episode: "Crash Nebula" 2005 Filthy Rich: Cattle Drive Stan Producer, screenplay 2007 The Pet Detective Lucas Television film; producer and director 2010 Sons of Tucson Barry 1 episode; also producer 2012 Virgin Produced: Comedy Vault Virgil Television film; producer 2026 Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair Reese 4 episodes
Awards Awards Year Result Award Category Nominated work 1998 Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series: Supporting Young Actor Unhappily Ever After 1999 YoungStar Awards Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Comedy TV Series 2000 Best Young Ensemble Cast: Television Malcolm in the Middle 2001 Young Artist Awards Best Ensemble in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama)2002 Best Performance in a Feature Film: Supporting Young Actor Max Keeble's Big Move Best Ensemble in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) Malcolm in the Middle 2003 Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama): Supporting Young Actor
References
Sources
External links