Joshua John Miller

Joshua John Miller (born December 26, 1974) is an American actor, screenwriter, author, and director. Miller co-writes with his life partner M. A. Fortin; the two wrote the screenplay for the 2015 horror comedy The Final Girls, and the USA Network drama series Queen of the South.

Personal life Miller was born in Los Angeles to actor and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Jason Miller and actress and Playboy pin-up Susan Bernard. Miller's elder paternal half-brother is actor Jason Patric, and his maternal grandfather was photographer Bruno Bernard, also known as "Bernard of Hollywood". His father was of Irish and German descent, and his mother was Jewish.

Miller is gay and, as of 2013, is in a relationship with fellow screenwriter M. A. Fortin.

Career Miller began appearing in films and television when he was eight years old. His first film role was in Halloween III: Season of the Witch. He would go on to star in such films as River's Edge, Near Dark, Class of 1999, and Teen Witch. Miller also made guest appearances on several popular television shows, including 21 Jump Street, The Wonder Years, The Greatest American Hero, Highway to Heaven (for which he received a Young Artist Award in 1985), and Growing Pains. Miller appeared in several plays, and was involved in dance from a very early age. He starred in the Los Angeles Ballet Company's production of The Nutcracker for three consecutive seasons beginning at age seven, and later appeared as a dancer in Janet Jackson's Grammy Award-winning Rhythm Nation 1814 video.

Miller attended Yale University and Antioch University, and studied creative writing at the University of California, Los Angeles. In 1997, he published a pseudo-autobiographical novel called The Mao Game about a fifteen-year-old child star attempting to cope with heroin addiction, memories of past sexual abuse, and the impending death of his grandmother, who has been diagnosed with cancer. In 1999, The Mao Game was adapted into a film, written and directed by Miller, and co-produced by Whoopi Goldberg. The film starred Miller, Kirstie Alley, and Piper Laurie, and featured Miller's mother, Susan Bernard, in a brief, uncredited cameo. It toured the festival circuit, and garnered mixed reviews from critics.

In December 2003, he completed his MFA in creative writing at the University of Iowa. He was awarded the Capote Fellowship, and was also chosen for the Houghton-Mifflin Fellowship Award. He has also written articles for Harper's Bazaar, Playboy, and Esquire. In 2007, Miller appeared as Jinky in The Wizard of Gore. He has written a second novel, titled Ash.

Miller collaborated with M. A. Fortin to write the DreamWorks TV and Fox production Howl. Miller and Fortin then co-wrote the short film Dawn (2014), which was directed by actress Rose McGowan and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. The two also co-wrote the screenplay and executive produced the 2015 horror comedy film The Final Girls, directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson and starring Taissa Farmiga and Malin Åkerman. Miller and Fortin wrote the pilot for the USA Network drama series Queen of the South. Miller also serves as an executive producer for the series, which began airing on June 23, 2016.

Filmography

As actor Year Title Role Notes 1982 Halloween III: Season of the Witch Willie Challisfilm debut 1982 The Greatest American Hero Jonathan Episode: "Good Samaritan" 1984 Family Ties Kenneth Episode: "Go Tigers" 1984 The Fantastic World of D.C. Collins François Television film 1985 Highway to Heaven Jason Winner Episode: "A Song for Jason (Parts 1 & 2)" 1986 Stoogemania Young Howard 1986 River's Edge Tim 1987 21 Jump Street Brian Sheffield Episode: "In the Custody of a Clown" 1987 Near Dark Homer 1987–1988 Growing Pains Friend #1 Devil Episode: "Not Necessarily The News"Episode:"Fool for Love" 1988 Cagney & Lacey Henry Gorvel Episode: "Hello Goodbye" 1989 Rhythm Nation 1814 B.J. Short film 1989 Teen Witch Richie Miller 1989 Meet the Hollowheads Joey 1990 The Wonder Years Larry Beeman Episode: "Rock 'n Roll" 1990 Class of 1999 Angel 1990 The Ghost Writer Edgar Strack Television film 1990 Death Warrant Douglas Tisdale 1991 And You Thought Your Parents Were Weird Josh Carson 1999 The Mao Game Jordan Highland 2007 The Wizard of Gore Jinky

As writer Year Title Notes 1999 The Mao Game Also director 2011 Howl 2014 Dawn 2015 The Final Girls Also executive producer 2016–2021 Queen of the South Also executive producer 2024 The Exorcism Also director