Justin Bruening

ON SOAP OPERA DIGEST AND WEEKLY ONLINE

SOAP STAR STATS

Justin Bruening (ex-Jamie, AMC)

Vital Statistics

THE 411

Born and bred in Nebraska, where he was raised by his now-deceased maternal grandmother, Justin Bruening claims that as a child, he was "the nerdiest, geekiest kid ever." He studied biochemistry in college, but found that life in a lab wasn't for him ("I would entertain everyone by setting my lab partner on fire," he jokes), so he moved to sunny California after graduation to live with his aunt and uncle. There, he launched a modeling career, which was his entree into showbiz. (One of his earliest gigs was a role in a Britney Spears video.) He moved to New York when AMC came calling in 2003, a mere four months after formally throwing his hat into the acting ring.

Bruening met the love of his life, Alexa Havins, shortly after joining the Pine Valley ranks. They went public with their romance in September 2004 and married the following spring.

ET CETERA

10 Random Facts
—Considers playing the guitar to be his therapy
—Was originally cast as JR, until the show decided he'd make a better Jamie
—Despises his wife's character so much that he stopped calling her Babe as a term of endearment
—Earned the on-set nickname "Sparkle" from TV dad Michael E. Knight (Tad)
—Used to be roommates with Zach Roerig (Casey, AS THE WORLD TURNS)
—Worst summer job? Artificially inseminating animals.
—AMC Casting Director Judy Blye Wilson predicted before Bruening and Havins even met face-to-face that they'd end up together
—Before asking Havins out on their first official date, consulted his Magic 8-Ball
—Is such a huge Denis Leary fan, he wouldn't watch Havins's love scene with him on RESCUE ME because, he teases, he was jealous of her!
—Before Jamie had a suit in his wardrobe, Bruening would borrow formal wear that belonged to Josh Duhamel's Leo to wear to professional events.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

HOPE & FAITH (Jake, 2004)

MEMORABLE QUOTES

"If you make a complete fool of yourself, that attracts me more than anything." — On his ideal woman, Soap Opera Digest, 4/28/04

"Every day on the show, when I get done with a scene, I ask if I'm going to die tomorrow. 'Are you guys gonna kill me off? If you are, just tell me. Are you gonna fire me tomorrow?' " — Digest, 5/4/04

"I loved her from the moment I first saw her." — On wife Alexa Havins, Digest, 11/30/04

"I got pregnant to trap Alexa." — Joking about why he and Havins wed so soon, Digest, 7/12/05

"If she's the last person to use the iPod, the iPod is going to break." — On his wife's relationship to electronic equipment, Digest, 3/14/06

JUSTON BRUENING'S ACTOR PAGE >>

RELATED RESOURCES