Justin Michael Mentell (December 16, 1982 – February 1, 2010) was an American artist and actor. He was best known for his role as Garrett Wells on ''

Boston Legal ''Boston Legal'' is an American legal drama and comedy drama television series created by former lawyer and Boston native David E. Kelley, produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for ABC. The series aired from October 3, 200 ...

''. He died in a car accident in

Iowa County, Wisconsin Iowa County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,709. Its county seat and largest city is Dodgeville. When created, it was part of the Michigan Territory. Iowa County is part of the Madiso ...

Life and career

Mentell was born in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

. He made his stage debut at three years of age as an orphan in '' Miss Liberty'', and went on to appear in local theater productions, among them the musical ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythi ...

'', in which he portrayed one of the Lost Boys. After the family moved to

Waukegan, Illinois ''(Fortress or Trading Post)'' , image_flag = , image_seal = , blank_emblem_size = 150 , blank_emblem_type = Logo , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_type1 = State , subdivisi ...

, Mentell joined the Northbrook Children's Theater, where he continued to perform on stage. He also took up

speed skating Speed skating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in travelling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skati ...

, placing third at the Junior Olympics and eventually becoming a member of the U.S. Speedskating's junior national long track team. Mentell attended

Northern Illinois University Northern Illinois University (NIU) is a public research university in DeKalb, Illinois. It was founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895, by Illinois Governor John P. Altgeld as part of an expansion of the state's system ...

(NIU), where he majored in acting. He appeared in several plays there, including '' Balm in Gilead'', '' The Play's the Thing'' and ''

Never the Sinner John David Logan (born September 24, 1961) is an American playwright and filmmaker. He is known for his work as a screenwriter for such films as Tim Burton's '' Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'' (2007) and Sam Mendes's James Bond ...

''. During his sophomore year, he trained at the

Moscow Art Theatre The Moscow Art Theatre (or MAT; russian: Московский Художественный академический театр (МХАТ), ''Moskovskiy Hudojestvenny Akademicheskiy Teatr'' (МHАТ)) was a theatre company in Moscow. It was f ...

, as part of a summer exchange program sponsored by NIU's School of Theater and Dance. At NIU he also appeared in several independent films, including '' At the Still Point'', for which he received the Golden Reel Award for Best Actor at its 2005 Film Festival. He also appeared in "Gotham III" in 2004 and used his speed-skating skills to land a role in the 2004 roller derby comedy '' Roll Bounce''. Mentell was a member of the cast of television

dramedy Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

'' as Garrett Wells. He played the role from the first episode of season 2 through February 2006. His 2009 projects included ''Death Walks the Streets'' and the

Jerry Bruckheimer Jerome Leon Bruckheimer (born September 21, 1943) is an American film and television producer. He has been active in the genres of action, drama, fantasy, and science fiction. His films include '' Flashdance'', ''Top Gun'', '' The Rock'', '' ...

-produced live-action/animated family feature ''

G-Force The gravitational force equivalent, or, more commonly, g-force, is a measurement of the type of force per unit mass – typically acceleration – that causes a perception of weight, with a g-force of 1 g (not gram in mass measur ...

'' for Walt Disney Pictures, which was released in theaters July 24, 2009. The film

5-25-77 ''5-25-77'' is a coming-of-age film written and directed by Patrick Read Johnson and produced by Fred Roos and Gary Kurtz. It stars John Francis Daley as a teen-age director living in Wadsworth, Illinois, and his excitement for the premiere of ...

, which was released at the end of 2022, almost 12 years after his death, is Mentell's last and final film appearance.

Death

On February 1, 2010, Mentell died in a car crash near Hollandale, Wisconsin. According to the Iowa County Sheriff's Office, Mentell was pronounced dead at the scene around 9 a.m. The accident was said to have taken place around 3:30 a.m. after his 2005 Jeep left the roadway on Highway 39, went down an embankment and struck two trees. One unconfirmed possibility is that he had fallen asleep at the wheel, though his Jeep was not discovered until later in the day by a passing farmer who alerted authorities. He was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle.

Filmography

References

External links

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Justin Mentell at skateresults.comOfficial site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mentell, Justin 1982 births 2010 deaths American male child actors American male film actors American male speed skaters American male stage actors Male actors from Austin, Texas Male actors from Illinois Actors from Waukegan, Illinois Road incident deaths in Wisconsin