Justin Bartha is an American actor known for playing Riley Poole in National Treasure and Doug Billings in The Hangover. His career also includes television dramas, comedies, independent films, and stage productions. In 2026, he remains active, with another major television role on the way.
Quick answer: Justin Bartha is an American film, television, and stage actor born July 21, 1978. U.S. audiences know him primarily as Riley Poole in the National Treasure franchise and Doug Billings in The Hangover trilogy. His later work includes The Good Fight, Atlanta, Godfather of Harlem, and Netflix’s Unaccustomed Earth.
| Quick fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Full name | Justin Lee Bartha |
| Born | July 21, 1978 |
| Birthplace | Fort Lauderdale, Florida |
| Raised in | West Bloomfield, Michigan |
| Profession | Actor, producer |
| Education | New York University |
| Breakthrough role | Riley Poole in National Treasure |
| Major comedy role | Doug Billings in The Hangover trilogy |
| Notable TV work | The New Normal, The Good Fight, Godfather of Harlem, Atlanta |
| 2026 project | Unaccustomed Earth |
| Unaccustomed Earth release | December 17, 2026 |
Who Is Justin Bartha?
Justin Lee Bartha was born on July 21, 1978, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. His family later moved to West Bloomfield, Michigan, where he grew up. After high school, he moved to New York and pursued film and acting studies at New York University.
His path into entertainment included experience behind the camera before his better-known acting work. He worked as a production assistant on Analyze This, gaining early exposure to professional filmmaking. That experience helped build a foundation for a career spanning movies, television, and theater.
Bartha eventually became familiar to mainstream audiences through supporting characters with strong comic timing. Rather than being limited to one franchise, he continued moving between comedy and drama. Readers interested in other public figures with careers beyond their best-known associations can explore WatchingHub’s Juanita Vanoy profile.
How National Treasure Changed His Career
The 2004 adventure movie National Treasure became a defining project in Bartha’s career. He played Riley Poole, a technology expert working alongside Nicolas Cage’s Benjamin Franklin Gates. Riley provides technical knowledge and humor while helping the group follow clues tied to American history.
The role gave the actor significant exposure to mainstream U.S. movie audiences. He returned for National Treasure: Book of Secrets in 2007. The sequel reunited several central cast members while expanding the treasure-hunting story internationally.
Riley remained closely associated with the franchise long after the second movie. Bartha later reprised the character in the Disney+ series National Treasure: Edge of History. His return connected the newer television story with the original movies.
Interest in the franchise has continued into 2026. The original movie is also receiving a 4K Ultra HD SteelBook release in November 2026. The release includes commentary featuring Bartha and director Jon Turteltaub.
Why Doug in The Hangover Became Another Signature Role
Bartha reached another large audience when he played Doug Billings in 2009’s The Hangover. Doug is the groom whose disappearance after a Las Vegas bachelor party drives the movie’s central mystery. Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis play the friends trying to find him.
The unusual part of the role is how much Doug matters while spending significant time away from the main action. His disappearance creates the reason for the other characters’ increasingly chaotic search. That structure made Doug essential without requiring him to dominate every scene.
He returned for The Hangover Part II in 2011 and The Hangover Part III in 2013. Together, the films gave him another recognizable franchise alongside National Treasure. They also established his connection to one of the most prominent American comedy series of that period.
Justin Bartha Movies Beyond His Biggest Franchises
His movie career extends beyond Riley Poole and Doug Billings. Earlier credits include Gigli, while later projects allowed him to work across romantic comedy, independent drama, crime stories, and ensemble films. This variety makes his filmography broader than his two blockbuster franchises suggest.
In Failure to Launch, he appeared alongside Matthew McConaughey and Sarah Jessica Parker. He later took a leading role opposite Catherine Zeta-Jones in The Rebound. The film placed more emphasis on romance and character relationships than his franchise work.
He also appeared in Holy Rollers, a crime drama inspired by real events. Other credits include CBGB, White Girl, Sweet Girl, and Dear Zoe. These projects gave him opportunities to work outside large studio comedy and adventure movies.
More recently, he starred in the ensemble comedy Nuked. The film premiered at the 2024 Tribeca Festival and featured Bartha alongside Anna Camp and Natasha Leggero. He also served as an executive producer on the project.
His Television Career Has Become Increasingly Important
Television has formed a substantial part of Bartha’s career, especially after his early movie success. One of his most prominent leading television roles came in NBC’s The New Normal. He played David Sawyer in the comedy series, which aired during the 2012–2013 television season.
He later joined The Good Fight as Colin Morello. The legal drama allowed him to work in a more serious format than audiences knew from The Hangover. His role placed him inside a series built around law, politics, professional relationships, and personal conflicts.
Additional television appearances expanded that range. His credits include Godfather of Harlem and an appearance in FX’s Atlanta. These projects illustrate how his later career has moved between supporting and recurring roles across different genres.
For viewers discovering him through streaming, television now provides another route into his work. Someone familiar with his blockbuster movies may find a different performance style in these dramatic projects. WatchingHub readers interested in another long entertainment career can also read about Sue Barker’s life and career.
Justin Bartha’s Theater Work
Film and television are only part of his acting background. Bartha has also worked professionally on stage, including Broadway. His theater credits show an interest in live performance alongside screen acting.
In 2010, he appeared in the Broadway revival of Lend Me a Tenor. The comedy was directed by Stanley Tucci and added an important stage credit during a period when Bartha was already widely recognized for movies. Performing live required a different rhythm from his screen roles.
He later appeared in Zach Braff’s play All New People. That production further connected his career with New York theater. His stage work helps explain why his résumé does not follow a simple blockbuster-to-blockbuster path.
What Is Justin Bartha Doing in 2026?
One of his most notable upcoming projects is Netflix’s Unaccustomed Earth. The drama is inspired by Jhumpa Lahiri’s acclaimed short-story collection. Netflix has scheduled the eight-episode series to premiere on December 17, 2026.
The story centers on an interconnected Indian American community in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Freida Pinto leads the cast as Parul Chaudhury, while Siddharth plays Amit Mukherjee. Bartha plays Adam Mukherjee-Weiss.
The cast also includes Sarayu Blue, Indraneil Sengupta, Parveen Kaur, Adi Roy, and Iyla Sundarsingh McKaig. Madhuri Shekar adapted the material for television. Ritesh Batra directs the first two episodes and also serves as an executive producer.
The project gives Bartha another dramatic television credit after The Good Fight and Godfather of Harlem. It also puts him in a literary adaptation built around family and community relationships. For U.S. viewers wondering about his current career, this is the key confirmed project to watch.
The Roles That Define His Screen Career
Three parts provide a useful starting point for viewers unfamiliar with his work. Riley Poole shows his comic timing inside a large adventure franchise. Doug Billings demonstrates how he can make a supporting character central to a comedy’s entire plot.
His television roles reveal another side of his career. The Good Fight, in particular, places him in a character-driven dramatic setting. The upcoming Unaccustomed Earth continues that movement toward ensemble television drama.
That range is important because his career cannot be reduced to a single movie. He has moved between studio franchises, romantic comedies, independent productions, television, and live theater. For another example of a public career spanning several professional chapters, see WatchingHub’s Sue Barker career profile.
Where to Start Watching
For an adventure movie, start with National Treasure. Riley Poole is one of Bartha’s most recognizable characters, and the movie establishes his place in the franchise. National Treasure: Book of Secrets then continues the character’s story.
For comedy, The Hangover is the obvious starting point. Viewers interested in his dramatic work can move to The Good Fight. Those wanting a more recent film can also look for Nuked.
His next major television option arrives in December 2026 with Unaccustomed Earth. The Netflix series offers a current project rather than another trip through his earlier catalog. It may also introduce his work to viewers who primarily follow contemporary streaming dramas.
Frequently Asked Questions About Justin Bartha
How old is Justin Bartha?
He was born on July 21, 1978. He turned 48 in July 2026. His career now spans work from the late 1990s through current television projects.
What is Justin Bartha best known for?
He is best known for playing Riley Poole in the National Treasure movies and Doug Billings in The Hangover trilogy. Both franchises reached large mainstream audiences in the United States. His later television credits include The Good Fight and Godfather of Harlem.
Was he in all three Hangover movies?
Yes, Bartha appears as Doug Billings across the three-film series. The first movie revolves around his friends searching Las Vegas after discovering he has disappeared. He returned when the franchise continued with two sequels.
Does he return as Riley Poole?
He reprised Riley Poole in National Treasure: Edge of History. The appearance connected the Disney+ series with the earlier movies. Riley remains the role most directly associated with his adventure-film career.
What is his newest TV project?
His major confirmed 2026 television project is Unaccustomed Earth. Netflix says the series premieres December 17, 2026. He plays Adam Mukherjee-Weiss in the eight-episode drama.
A Career Built Beyond Two Famous Franchises
Bartha’s two signature characters remain Riley Poole and Doug Billings. Those performances connected him with two successful movie franchises and made his face familiar to millions of viewers. They represent only part of his professional work.
His broader résumé includes romantic comedy, independent film, legal drama, television comedy, theater, and streaming productions. That range has allowed his career to continue without depending entirely on another franchise sequel. His upcoming Netflix role shows that his screen work remains active in 2026.
For entertainment readers revisiting familiar actors, his career offers more to explore than National Treasure and The Hangover. Start with the famous roles, then follow his dramatic television work and stage credits. His upcoming projects provide another reason to follow his career beyond the characters that first made him widely recognizable.