Zachary LaVoy

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Zachary LaVoy (sometimes credited as La Voy) is an American former child actor; [1] best known for portraying Justin Buckman in both the 1989 film Parenthood and its NBC 1990 television spin-off of the same name.

Contents

Career

LaVoy was born in Illinois. [2] He first starred in Ron Howard's 1989 film Parenthood as Steve Martin and Mary Steenburgen's youngest son Justin Buckman. His subsequent appearance on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson at age 3 became a retrospect highlight for the show. [3] [4] [5] Director Ron Howard recalled how he would keep the three-year-old's energy level high by holding him upside down during takes; which ended up becoming the defining image for the Parenthood poster. [6] After appearing on ABC's Who's the Boss , LaVoy reprised his role of Justin Buckman on the NBC television sitcom spinoff produced by Howard; which aired from August 20, 1990, to August 11, 1991. [7] [8]

In 1990, LaVoy was nominated for a Young Artist Award (then Youth in Films Award) for Outstanding Performance by an Actor Under Nine Years of Age. The award went to his co-star Leaf Phoenix.

LaVoy retired from acting in 1991. [9] In 2012, he appeared as himself in a YouTube documentary parody entitled: Child Actors: Hollywood's Punching Bags; which detailed the rise and fall of his acting career from "hitting rock bottom, redemption via Spaghetti Monster and living in his mother's basement." [10]

In a 2013 interview, LaVoy commented: "I have never really been recognized because as I've grown up. Obviously I've gotten bigger; and I'm not that cute little cherub anymore. Looking at Jasen Fisher, looking at Ivy, looking at Alisan Porter, they all look the same. I think with me – I don't think I look the same. But apparently everyone says I do; so who am I to argue?" [11] [2]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1989 Parenthood JustinFilm
1991 Who's the Boss PatrickTV series
1990-1991 Parenthood Justin BuckmanTV series

YouTube

YearTitleRoleNotes
2013 Mr. Mendo's Hack Attack The Cinema SnobYouTube series
2016 Nostalgia Critic as Zachary LaVoyYouTube series
2016Jesus, Bro!as Zachary LaVoyYouTube series
2021 Another Cinema Snob Movie as Zachary LaVoyYouTube series

References

  1. ↑ Zachary Lavoy. Gerald Jones, Ph.D. Gnothe Se Auton. Child and Teen Actors in Films and Television, 1895-2015. Academy Players Directory (1989). Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  2. 1 2 The Cast of Parenthood Then and Now. August 1, 2019. Entertainment News Online. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
  3. ↑ ‘The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson’: Unflappable, supremely confident, with laser-precision timing. May 2, 2021. Review. Drunk TV. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
  4. ↑ Johnny Carson Memories: 3-Year-Old Zachary La Voy From The Movie, 'Parenthood' (1989) on YouTube
  5. ↑ McMahon, Ed (October 18, 2005). Here's Johnny!. Rutledge Hill Press. p. 111. ISBN   978-1401602369 . Retrieved December 30, 2025.
  6. ↑ Gray, Beverly (March 10, 2003). Ron Howard: From Mayberry to the Moon . . . and Beyond. Thomas Nelson. p. 142. ISBN   9781418530747 . Retrieved December 30, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Parenthood Takes To Air". Sun Sentinel. Archived from the original on September 2, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
  8. ↑ McNeil, Alex (May 20, 1991). Total Television: A Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present. Penguin Books. p. 585. ISBN   9780140157369 . Retrieved December 30, 2025.
  9. ↑ Winter & Construction - "Child Actors: Hollywood's Punching Bags, Part 1 on YouTube
  10. ↑ Winter & Construction - "Child Actors: Hollywood's Punching Bags, Part 3 on YouTube
  11. ↑ Exclusive! Catching Up With Parenthoods Zachary LaVoy. November 14, 2013. Snackle reunites with kids from Parenthood. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
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