Justine Bateman (born February 19, 1966) is an American filmmaker, author and actress. Her acting work has included Family Ties, Satisfaction, Men Behaving Badly, The TV Set, Desperate Housewives, and Californication. Her feature film directorial debut, Violet, starring Olivia Munn, Luke Bracey, and Justin Theroux, premiered at the 2021 SXSW Film Festival. Bateman also wrote, directed and produced the film short Five Minutes, which premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. She regularly makes guest appearances on USA television including Fox News and Today and is the author of the books Fame: The Hijacking of Reality (2018) and Face: One Square Foot of Skin (2021).
Early life Bateman was born to Victoria Elizabeth, a former flight attendant for Pan Am who was born in Malta and later grew up in Birmingham and Shrewsbury in the United Kingdom, and Kent Bateman, an American film producer and director. She is the older sister of actor Jason Bateman.
Bateman attended Taft High School in Woodland Hills, California. She could not attend college immediately after high school, due to her contractual obligations with Family Ties.
Career
Acting Bateman's most prominent acting role began when she was a teenager, playing the role of superficial Mallory Keaton on the television sitcom Family Ties beginning in 1982; she continued the role throughout the show's run which ended in 1989. She hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live during its 13th season in 1988.
In the 1996–97 NBC American version of the British TV comedy Men Behaving Badly, featuring Rob Schneider and Ron Eldard, she starred as Sarah, Eldard's character's girlfriend. Bateman returned to TV with the 2003 Showtime mini-series Out of Order, alongside Eric Stoltz, Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy.
In the third-season Arrested Development episode "Family Ties," which was broadcast in February 2006, Bateman's character is initially believed to be Michael Bluth's sister, but she turns out to be a prostitute taken advantage of by her father, and pimped by her brother. Michael Bluth was played by Bateman's brother Jason.
Recurring roles included Men in Trees, Still Standing, and Desperate Housewives.
In 1988, Bateman starred in the lead role in the motion picture Satisfaction. The film, about an all-girl musical band, also featured Julia Roberts, Liam Neeson, and Britta Phillips. Bateman starred as the lead vocalist and also performed the vocals on the soundtrack. Other films include The Night We Never Met, with Matthew Broderick, and The TV Set, with David Duchovny and Sigourney Weaver.
Bateman has acted in several web series. She acted in John August's Remnants, Illeana Douglas' IKEA-sponsored Easy to Assemble (for which in 2010 Bateman was among the winners of the Streamy Award for Best Ensemble Cast and was nominated for a Streamy Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Web-Series), and Anthony Zuiker's digi-novel series Level 26: Dark Prophecy, in which she plays a tarot card reader.
Bateman's theater experience includes Arthur Miller's The Crucible (Roundabout Theater), David Mamet's Speed the Plow (Williamstown Theater Fest), and Frank Wedekind's Lulu (Berkeley Rep).
Writer
Bateman wrote her feature film directorial debut, Violet, premiered at the 2021 SXSW Film Festival. Bateman also wrote her short film directorial debut, Five Minutes. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2017. She made her first script sale to Disney's Wizards of Waverly Place. She also co-wrote the adaptation of Lisi Harrison's teenage book series The Clique for a Warner Bros. internet series. Bateman's first book, Fame: The Hijacking of Reality, was published in 2018 by Akashic Books. Her second book, Face: One Square Foot of Skin, was also published by Akashic Books in 2021.
Producer
Bateman co-produced and co-presented with fashion maven Kelly Cutrone on their internet talk show Wake Up and Get Real (WUAGR). Described as an alternative to the television series The View, WUAGR was last broadcast in June 2011. She was also a producer on the internet series Easy to Assemble (which garnered more than 5.1 million views during its second season).
Bateman produced the film short, Z, Five Minutes (Toronto Film Festival 2017 premiere), and Push, and the feature film, Violet (SXSW 2021 Film Festival Premiere). She also produced the upcoming avant-garde feature films, LOOK and FEEL.
Her production company is Section 5.
Director Her feature film directorial debut, Violet, starring Olivia Munn, Justin Theroux, and Luke Bracey, premiered at the SXSW 2021 film festival. Her short film directorial debut, Five Minutes, was an official selection at various film festivals, including the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival and the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival. It was a winner in Amazon Prime's Festival Stars competition, and one of Vimeo's Short of the Week.
Her subsequent feature films, LOOK and FEEL, premiered at the CREDO23 Film Festival March 2025.
Other work During a hiatus from the entertainment business, Bateman established a clothing design company in 2000. She managed it until its closure in 2003. Justine Bateman Designs was known for one-of-a-kind hand knits. It sold to BendelsNY, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Fred Segal.
She served on the national board of directors of the Screen Actors Guild until July 2009, when she resigned just before the end of her initial three-year term, in a vehement protest to a newly signed film and television contract between SAG and AFTRA.
During the 2020s, she helped spearhead the artistic community's movement to limit "exploitive" AI in film, defining it as a medium that re-configures and regurgitates past human efforts. Bateman is the founder of CREDO23, an "organics stamp" for films and series that assure the audience that no generative AI was used. Justine is also the founder and festival director of the CREDO23 Film Festival.
Personal life In 2001, Bateman married Mark Fluent, with whom she has two children. An outspoken supporter of net neutrality, she testified before the United States Senate Commerce Committee in support of it in 2008.
Bateman earned a degree in computer science and digital media management from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2016. During the film industry strikes in 2023, Bateman was a vocal critic of the use of AI for human characters in productions, and has proposed a label designating that AI was not used for the actors.
Bateman is a licensed pilot of single-engine planes and a certified scuba diver.
Bateman has been an advocate for natural aging and has not had any cosmetic surgery.
Political views In 2024, Bateman criticized The Hollywood Reporter for claiming she was a "well-known supporter of Donald Trump", a claim the publication removed five hours after publishing it. Bateman also chose not to inform the media whom she voted for in the 2024 presidential election.
Following Trump's win in the 2024 presidential election, Bateman declined to state whether she had voted for Trump. Though it was reported that she felt like she can breathe again in a new era, after the momentum necessary for mob "cancellation" ended with the election and Bateman was quoted as saying that she feels like we're "going through the doorway into a new era", adding that she is "100% excited about it".
In 2025, Bateman called the behavior of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle "repulsive" for showing up at a food bank and touring the still-smoldering remnants of houses during the January 2025 Southern California Fire in Altadena, a suburb of Los Angeles. Bateman stated that they were not "politicians" and were only after a "photo op". Bateman called them "disaster tourists".
In 2026, Bateman tweeted at Republican Congressman Chip Roy, "We hear about mosques in your state more than any other, besides Michigan. We don’t need to hear your impassioned interview appearances about it; we need you guys to DO something. You guys run the US government. DO something,"
Filmography
Film YearTitleRoleNotes1988SatisfactionJennie Lee1990The CloserJessica Grant1992Primary MotiveDarcy Link1993Beware of DogLinda IrvingThe Night We Never MetJanet Beehan1996The Acting ThingUnknownShort filmGod's Lonely ManMeradithKiss & TellMolly McMannis1999Say You'll Be MineChelsea2002HighballSandy2005Trailer for a Remake of Gore Vidal's CaligulaAttia, Imperial CourtesanShort film2006The TV SetNatalie Klein2013Deep Dark CanyonCheryl Cavanaugh2021VioletDirector, writer, producer
Television Year Title Role Notes 1982–1989 Family Ties Mallory Keaton 176 episodes1984 It's Your Move Debbie Episode: "Pajama Party" Tales from the Darkside Susan 'Pookie' Anderson Episode: "Mookie and Pookie"1985 ABC Afterschool Special Sara White Episode: "First the Egg" Right to Kill? Deborah Jahnke Television movie Family Ties Vacation Mallory Keaton 1986 Can You Feel Me Dancing? Karin NicholsHow Can I Tell If I'm Really In LoveHerselfEducational classroom video1988 Mickey's 60th Birthday Mallory Keaton Television movie 1990 The Fatal Image Megan Brennan 1992 Deadbolt Marty Hiller In the Eyes of a Stranger Lynn Carlson 1994 Terror in the Night Robin Andrews Another Woman Lisa Temple 1995 A Bucket of Blood Carla 1996 Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Sarah/Zara 4 episodes Men Behaving Badly Sarah Stretten 22 episodes1999 Rugrats Art Patron Episode: "Opposites Attract"/"The Art Museum"2002Ozzy & Drix Rota Episode: "Gas of Doom" 2003 Out of Order Annie 6 episodes 2004 Still Standing Terry 3 episodes Humor Me Paula Television movie The Hollywood Mom's Mystery Lucy Freers 2006 Arrested Development Nellie Bluth Episode: "Family Ties" To Have and to Hold Meg Television movie Men in Trees Lynn Barstow 10 episodes 2007 Hybrid Andrea Television movie2008, 2012 Desperate Housewives Ellie Leonard 5 episodes Californication Mrs. Patterson 2 episodes Easy to Assemble Justine Bateman 12 episodes 2009 Psych Victoria Episode: "Tuesday the 17th" Celebrity Ghost Stories Herself Episode: "1.7" 2010 Private Practice Sydney Episode: "Short Cuts" 2011 Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior Margaret Episode: "See No Evil" 2013 Modern Family Angela Episode: "The Future Dunphys"
Awards AwardsYearCategoryWorkResultGolden Globe Awards1987Best Supporting Actress - Series, Miniseries or Television FilmFamily TiesPrimetime Emmy Awards1986Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series1987Satellite Award2003Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television FilmOut of OrderYoung Artist Award1983Best Young Actress in a Comedy SeriesFamily Ties1984
References
Further reading Dye, David. Child and Youth Actors: Filmography of Their Entire Careers, 1914-1985. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 1988, p. 13.
External links
Justine Bateman's college blog, done as tanya77