Griffith Ethan Furst (born September 17, 1981)  is an American actor and filmmaker.  The son of actor/director Stephen Furst, who notably played Kent Dorfman in the 1978 fraternity comedy “Animal House,” Griff Furst grew up around motion pictures. His first role was in 2000 as a singer in the Columbia-TriStar family feature “Baby Huey“. This musical role was an apt one for Furst to take, considering he plays the drums and sings vocals in multiple bands – most notably the 2000s Hard Rock Hip Hop outfit, Blindcide, whom saw radio play  with their single “Breakdown” and opened for Black Eyed Peas in 2008. 

Furst started his career in television portraying a wide variety of characters in dozens of network and cable series, before gaining recognition for this role as the original Lucas Hood in Cinemax’s Banshee (2013). He then expanding to supporting and leading roles in films like The Magnificent Seven (2016), The Founder (2016), and Focus (2015).  For his work in I Love You Phillip Morris (2009), Variety wrote of  Furst’s ability to make a large impact with just a few scenes in the article entitled ‘Not Nominate But Definitely Memorable‘. Furst has a prolific acting resume, but has demonstrated that he’s capable of wearing many hats in Hollywood and has directed, produced, edited, written and dabbled in cinematography.

Furst made his directorial debut with the horror feature, 30 Days to Die (2006), distributed by Lionsgate.  Furst’s second feature, Starve premiered as an official selection at Stiges Film Festival.  His early success with independent film garnered the attention of Universal Television who commissioned Furst’s directorial services on over a dozen Movies of the Week for their various networks.   

As of 2022, Furst has produced 37 movies.  You Might be the Killer (2018) premiered at Fantastic Film Festival, and Alice (2022) was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival.  His upcoming projects include Devil’s Peak (2023) starring Billy Bob Thornton and Robin Wright, 57 Seconds (2023) starring Morgan Freeman, and the Universal stoner comedy, Half Baked (2023).  He is also noted for his work in the medical field. Furst frequently collaborates with Endocrinologists to create media meant to prevent, cure, and improve the lives of all people affected by the diabetes.

EARLY LIFE

Furst was born on September 17, 1981, in Van Nuys, California. His mother, Lorraine Furst, is an attorney.  His father, Stephen Furst,  was an actor best known for his role as Kent Dorfman in the 1978 comedy, Animal House.  He has described his formative years on the set of St. Elsewhere: “it was a great place to grow up. The cast and crew of that show functioned and behaved like a close knit family.  Everyone seemed to love what they were creating together.  That’s when I knew what I wanted to do when I grew up”.   Furst is of German Jewish and Irish Catholic ancestry.  Furst has an older brother, Nathan Furst, a film composer who has scored major motion pictures such as Act of Valor, and Need for Speed.  

Furst began his education at Chatsworth Hills Academy in the San Fernando Valley.  He played baseball and football throughout his schooling.  At age 10, Furst auditioned for and won a series regular role on the ABC television show, Howie and Rose, but turned it down to focus on sports.  After high school, Furst attended The Beverly Hills Playhouse where he studied intensely with Oscar nominated director,  Milton Katselas. 

ACTOR

Furst’s first role was as an extra in the television series, Babylon 5. In 2003 he made his guest star debut in the TV series Without a Trace (2002-2009). Furst’s first major role came in the short-lived series, American Heiress (2007).  That year he also had a role in the film Take (2007), staring Academy Award winning actress Minnie Driver and Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner. He then went on to have three more roles that same year in genre films. He gave a critically acclaimed performance in I Love You Man (2009).  In 2011, he had a three-episode role in the HBO series Treme, starring Melissa Leo. Fust was cast in Now You See Me (2013), which was a box office hit that spurred a sequel. In 2014 he appeared in the TV series Ravenswood, Wild Card, and Halt and Catch Fire. Furst continued his work in television the following year with roles in Secrets and Lies (2015), The Red Road (2015), and The Astronaut Wives Club (2015). Furst was cast as Gareth in Focus (2015), the Will Smith and Margot Robbie feature that sparked tabloid talks. That same year he also played Agent Burke in Terminator Genisys (2015), which received international success. Furst was seen in Trumbo (2015), a critically acclaimed film about the life of Dalton Trumbo, one of Hollywood’s top screenwriters of the 1940s. Furst made two TV appearances in 2017, the first in the FOX series Sleepy Hollow, and the second as Agent Burhardt in the Discovery Channel crime drama, Manhunt. That same year he played Phillips in the Western action film The Magnificent Seven (2017), starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt. Later in 2016 Furst portrayed Jim Zien in the bio-pic The Founder, based on the man who started McDonalds, played by Michael Keaton. In 2018 Furst appeared in the feature thriller A Dark Place, followed by the drama Lost in Time (2018). Furst was cast as a Western gunslinger in the film A Tale of Two Guns (2022).

DIRECTOR

Furst made his directorial debut with the horror feature, 30 Days to Die, distributed by Lionsgate.  Furst’s second feature, Starve premiered as an official selection at Stiges Film Festival.  His early success with independent film, got the attention of Universal Television whom commissioned Furst’s directorial services  on over a dozen Movies of the Week for their various networks.    

PRODUCER

Furst is the president of Production Company, Curmudgeon Films.  My Sister’s Keeper was the first film produced under this banner, starring Abigail Breslin and Cameron Diaz. In 2018 he produced You Might be the Killer, starring Alyson Hannigan. Furst then went on to work on the cult franchise Tales from the Hood, producing part 2 and 3. As of 2022, Furst has produced 37 movies. His upcoming projects include Devil’s Peak (2023) starring Billy Bob Thornton and Robin Wright, 57 Seconds (2023) starring Morgan Freeman, and the Universal stoner comedy, Half Baked (2023).

PERSONAL LIFE

Furst became engaged to business woman, Angela Meredith in 2010.  He subsequently said they forged a strong bond because of how each of them were able to eloquently behave under moments of duress or pressure. , Meredith and Furst were officially married on July 3rd, 2011 at Greystone Mansion.  In November of 2013, it was reported that Angela was pregnant. On January 21st, 2021, Angela gave birth to a son, Abram.  They also have a daughter, Stevie Dean, named after both of their fathers.