Justin Pierce
Updated: 12/20/2025, 11:13:03 AM Wikipedia source
Justin Charles Pierce (March 21, 1975 – July 10, 2000) was a British-American actor and skateboarder. Born in London and raised in New York City, Pierce had a troubled childhood and pursued skateboarding. His breakthrough came with the controversial coming of age drama film Kids (1995), which won him the Independent Spirit Award for Best Breakthrough Performance. He then starred in the independent film A Brother's Kiss (1997) and the stoner comedy film Next Friday (2000). His final film, Looking for Leonard, (2002) was released posthumously. As a skateboarder, Pierce was a member of the original Zoo York and Supreme teams. He married stylist Gina Rizzo in 1999. He died by suicide on July 10, 2000.
Infobox
Born
Justin Charles Pierce(1975-03-21)March 21, 1975London, England
Died
July 10, 2000(2000-07-10) (aged 25)Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
Occupation(s)
Actor, skateboarder
Years active
1995–2000
Spouse
mw- Gina Rizzo (m. 1999)
Occupations
Actor, skateboarder
Tables
List of films and roles · Filmography › Film
1998
Wild Horses
Role(s)
Rookie
Notes
Also known as Lunch Time Special
Myth America
Role(s)
Toby
Role(s)
Pizza Guy
1999
Too Pure
Role(s)
Leo
Out in Fifty
Role(s)
Freddy
Pigeonholed
Role(s)
Devon
Role(s)
Skateboard Kid
2000
Role(s)
Roach
BlackMale
Role(s)
Luther Wright
Notes
Also known as Blackmail
2021
We Were Once Kids
Role(s)
Himself
All The Streets Are Silent: The Convergence of Hip Hop and Skateboarding
Role(s)
Himself
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1995 | Kids | Casper | |
| 1997 | A Brother's Kiss | Young Lex | |
| 1998 | Wild Horses | Rookie | Also known as Lunch Time Special |
| Myth America | Toby | ||
| Freak Weather | Pizza Guy | ||
| 1999 | Too Pure | Leo | |
| Out in Fifty | Freddy | ||
| Pigeonholed | Devon | ||
| The Big Tease | Skateboard Kid | ||
| 2000 | Next Friday | Roach | |
| King of the Jungle | Lil' Mafia | Posthumous release | |
| BlackMale | Luther Wright | Also known as Blackmail | |
| 2002 | Looking for Leonard | Chevy | Posthumous release |
| 2021 | Kid 90 | Himself | Documentary; archive footage |
| We Were Once Kids | Himself | ||
| All The Streets Are Silent: The Convergence of Hip Hop and Skateboarding | Himself |
List of television appearances and roles · Filmography › Television
1997
First Time Felon
Role(s)
Eddie
Notes
Television film
2000
This Is How the World Ends
Role(s)
Zombie
Notes
Pilot
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1997 | First Time Felon | Eddie | Television film |
| 2000 | This Is How the World Ends | Zombie | Pilot |
| Malcolm in the Middle | Justin | 2 episodes |
List of awards and nominations received by Justin Pierce · Awards and nominations
| Award | Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
| Independent Spirit Awards | 1996 | Best Debut Performance | Kids | Won |
References
- Indicates the year of ceremony. Each year is linked to the article about the awards held that year, wherever possible.
- "Justin Pierce: The Lost Boy"https://web.archive.org/web/20130729025336/http://www.papermag.com/arts_and_style/2000/10/justin-pierce-the-lost-boy.php
- Vicehttps://www.vice.com/en/article/a-real-look-at-the-crew-of-kids-growing-up-v23n5/
- Literary Hubhttps://lithub.com/are-the-kids-all-right/
- Dazedhttps://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/25649/1/the-secret-history-of-kids
- Rolling Stonehttps://www.rollingstone.com/feature/kids-the-oral-history-of-the-most-controversial-film-of-the-nineties-105069/
- Down and dirty pictures : Miramax, Sundance, and the rise of independent filmhttp://archive.org/details/downdirtypicture00bisk
- Festival de Canneshttps://www.festival-cannes.com/en/f/kids/
- The Hollywood Reporterhttps://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/kids-movie-turns-20-could-809529/
- The Washington Posthttps://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/kidsnrhowe_c02a2c.htm
- Varietyhttps://variety.com/2021/film/news/kids-new-documentary-larry-clark-harmony-korine-1234995023/
- The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/film/2000/jul/13/news
- MovieWebhttps://movieweb.com/great-acting-roles-by-skateboarders/
- Los Angeles Timeshttps://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-03-25-ca-50950-story.html
- Highsnobietyhttps://www.highsnobiety.com/p/supreme-skate-team/
- www.supremenewyork.comhttps://www.supremenewyork.com/random/shadi
- skately.comhttps://web.archive.org/web/20190803002900/http://skately.com/library/videos/zoo-york-mix-tape#8680
- Zoo Yorkhttps://web.archive.org/web/20141012222652/http://skately.com/img/library/print/medium/zoo-york-team-riders-1995.jpg
- RogerEbert.comhttps://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/a-brothers-kiss-1997
- Daily Newshttps://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-justin-pierce/41045172/
- Varietyhttps://variety.com/1999/film/reviews/pigeonholed-1200459825/
- Varietyhttps://variety.com/2000/scene/people-news/justin-pierce-1117796856/
- archive.nytimes.comhttps://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/film/011200next-film-review.html
- rockthebells.comhttps://rockthebells.com/articles/rtb-rewind-next-friday-hits-theatres/
- Box Office Mojohttps://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl845645313/
- Suicide in the Entertainment Industry: An Encyclopedia of 840 Twentieth Century Caseshttps://books.google.com/books?id=97WJCgAAQBAJ&dq=justin+pierce+malcolm+in+the+middle&pg=PA248
- Varietyhttps://variety.com/2002/film/reviews/looking-for-leonard-1200547435/
- Vicehttps://www.vice.com/en/article/ari-marcopoulos-on-process-zines-and-decades-documenting-new-york-city-skateboarding/
- EL PAÍS Englishhttps://english.elpais.com/culture/2022-07-14/kids-the-indie-movie-sensation-with-a-darker-side.html
- The New York Timeshttps://www.nytimes.com/2000/07/13/arts/justin-pierce-25-starred-in-kids.html
- "Justin Pierce". Yahoo!. Retrieved December 26, 2010.https://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800243801/bio
- "Where Are They Now? The Cast of Kids"http://unrealitymag.com/movies/whatever-happened-to-the-cast-of-kids/
- NYSkateboarding.comhttps://nyskateboarding.com/2009/07/10/remembering-justin-pierce-a-new-york-legend/
- https://www.grayparkerfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Meryl-Pierce?obId=23617248https://www.grayparkerfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Meryl-Pierce?obId=23617248