{{short description|American film director}} {{pp-move}} {{Infobox person | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1967|11|30}} | birth_place = New York | occupation = Actor, producer, writer, model | years_active = 1988‒2003 }}
'''Justin Lazard''' (born November 30, 1967) is an American retired actor, producer, writer and model.
==Early life== 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== 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.
His most recent film activity was as co-producer of ''The Americans Are Coming, the Americans Are Coming!'' in 2003.
==Arrest for indecent exposure== On the evening of July 4, 2006, in Lakeport, California, Lazard was arrested and charged with indecent exposure and resisting arrest, having been caught "exposing himself near one of the piers" of Library Park.<ref name="Taser">[http://www.cityoflakeport.com/docs/Press-Release---Taser-Incident-820200613956AM.pdf News Release], cityoflakeport.com, July 5, 2006.</ref> Lakeport police officers confronted Lazard while he was exposing his genitals and masturbating near a children's playground in the park, where a juvenile and several others witnessed the incident.<ref>https://lakeconews.com/news/18092-judge-weighs-sex-offender-registration-for-actor-model-hearing-with-doctor-set-for-feb-10</ref> During the arrest, Lazard was tasered by one of the officers.<ref name="Taser"/> In May 2009, he failed to appear in court and a bench warrant was subsequently issued for his arrest.<ref>[http://www.cityoflakeport.com/docs/Press-Release---Justin-Lazard-03-10-10p-3112010125917AM.pdf News Release: Public Notice of Wanted Subject] - Lakeport Police Department, March 10, 2010.</ref>
In January 2011, Lazard reached a plea agreement with Lake County prosecutors regarding the charges of 2006.<ref>{{cite news|last=Larson|first=Elizabeth|title=Actor-model gets plea deal for 2006 public lewdness case|url=http://lakeconews.com/content/view/18060/919/|access-date=25 May 2011|newspaper=Lake County News|date=January 29, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713181926/http://lakeconews.com/content/view/18060/919|archive-date=July 13, 2011}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news|last=Larson|first=Elizabeth|title=Judge rules model/actor won't have to register as sex offender|url=http://lakeconews.com/content/view/18243/919|access-date=May 25, 2011|newspaper=Lake County News|date=February 11, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723082202/http://lakeconews.com/content/view/18243/919|archive-date=July 23, 2011}}</ref>
==Filmography== {| class="wikitable" |- ! colspan="4"| Film |- ! Year ! Film ! Role ! Notes |- | 1988 || ''Spike of Bensonhurst'' || Justin || AKA ''Throw Back!'' |- | rowspan="2"| 1991 || ''A Smile in the Dark'' || — || AKA ''A Day in L.A.''<br> AKA ''California 405''<br> AKA ''Destination Unknown''<br> AKA ''Jungle of Love'' |- | ''Born to Ride'' || Brooks || |- | 1992 || ''Final Embrace'' || Pierce || |- | rowspan="2"| 1994 || ''Marilyn, My Love'' || Brian || |- | ''Dead Center'' || Joe || AKA ''Crazy Joe'' |- | rowspan="2"| 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'' |- | rowspan="2"| 2000 || ''The Giving Tree'' || T.J. || AKA ''Brutal Truth''<br> AKA ''Shaded Places''<br> AKA ''The Brutal Truth'' |- | ''Stanley's Gig'' || Joshua || |- |- ! colspan="4" | Television |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |- | 1988–89 || ''Miami Vice'' || Joey Chandler/Keith || ''3 episodes'' |- | rowspan="2"|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== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb name|id=0493699|name=Justin Lazard}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lazard, Justin}} Category:1967 births Category:American male film actors Category:American male television actors Category:Film directors from Connecticut Category:Film producers from Connecticut Category:American male soap opera actors Category:Male models from Connecticut Category:Male actors from Connecticut Category:Emory University alumni Category:New York University Tisch School of the Arts alumni Category:Living people