Jared Kusnitz built his screen career during a period when American television and film were heavily invested in stories about teenagers, young adults and the uneasy transition into adulthood. Rather than becoming identified with one long-running franchise, he moved between sitcoms, teen dramas, independent horror-comedies and studio films.His most recognisable work includes Henry Patterson in ABC’s Surviving Suburbia, Toby in The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Justin Wexler in Disney’s Prom and Louis “Lou” Craft in MTV’s Underemployed. He also starred in the cult horror-comedy Dance of the Dead and later appeared in Castle and Ballers. Together, those roles explain why his name still attracts interest from viewers revisiting late-2000s and early-2010s entertainment.
Quick Bio
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Jared Kusnitz |
| Date of Birth | November 8, 1988 |
| Birthplace | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Actor |
| Known For | Underemployed, Prom, Surviving Suburbia, Dance of the Dead |
| Notable TV Role | Louis “Lou” Craft in Underemployed |
| Notable Film Role | Justin Wexler in Prom |
| Other Credits | The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Ballers, Community, Good Luck Charlie |
| Years Active | Mid-2000s–present, with recent acting credits limited |
A Career Built Across Teen Comedy, Drama and Horror
Kusnitz did not follow a single genre lane. Interviews from the Underemployed period indicate that he discovered acting in middle school and later moved from Florida to Los Angeles to pursue professional opportunities. By the mid-2000s, he had begun accumulating credits including Doll Graveyard, Otis and Dance of the Dead.
Dance of the Dead Gave Him an Early Lead Role
One of the more distinctive titles in Jared Kusnitz’s filmography is Dance of the Dead, the 2008 zombie horror-comedy directed by Gregg Bishop. Kusnitz played Jimmy Dunn, placing him at the centre of a story in which high-school outsiders confront a zombie outbreak on prom night. IMDb lists him as the first credited cast member, while contemporary listings classify the film as a mix of horror, comedy and teen adventure.
The role gave him a prominent part before his best-known television work and remains one of the more distinctive credits in his filmography.
Surviving Suburbia Put Kusnitz in a Network Sitcom
A major television step came in 2009 with Surviving Suburbia. The ABC sitcom starred Bob Saget as Steve Patterson and Cynthia Stevenson as Anne Patterson, with Kusnitz playing their son, Henry. IMDb records him across all 13 episodes, making the role one of his most substantial television commitments.
The series centred on suburban family life. Although its run was short, being part of the core Patterson household gave Kusnitz sustained network exposure and established a pattern that would recur in his career: young characters placed inside larger ensemble stories.
The Secret Life of the American Teenager Expanded His Profile
Kusnitz later joined The Secret Life of the American Teenager as Toby, a recurring character connected to Ashley Juergens, played by India Eisley. IMDb credits him in 14 episodes between 2009 and 2012, giving him a presence across several years of the ABC Family drama.
The series was built around relationships, family pressures and teenage decisions. Kusnitz was not one of its central leads, but the recurring part broadened his television profile. Around the same period, he also appeared in Private Practice, Community and Good Luck Charlie.
Prom Brought Him Into a Disney Ensemble
In 2011, Kusnitz appeared as Justin Wexler in Disney’s Prom, a coming-of-age film directed by Joe Nussbaum. Disney’s official listing includes him among an ensemble cast featuring Aimee Teegarden, Thomas McDonell, Danielle Campbell and Yin Chang. The film was released in the United States on April 29, 2011.
Prom used the high-school dance as a framework for several intersecting relationship stories. For Kusnitz, the studio-backed teen film contrasted sharply with the independent horror-comedy atmosphere of Dance of the Dead and showed his ability to move between genre material and polished youth drama.
Underemployed Became His Most Substantial Lead Television Role
If one project best captures Kusnitz’s transition from teenage roles into stories about early adulthood, it is Underemployed. MTV’s comedy-drama followed five recent college graduates confronting disappointing jobs, changing ambitions, relationships and financial pressure. Kusnitz played Louis “Lou” Craft as one of the five principal characters. TV Guide and IMDb both list him across the show’s 12 episodes.
Lou’s ambitions collide with the practical realities of post-college life, while his relationship with Raviva, played by Inbar Lavi, adds significant personal responsibility to his storyline.
In interviews promoting the series, Kusnitz connected its theme of rejection and unstable work with the realities of acting. The comparison gave the role a real-world parallel: Underemployed focused on young people discovering that ambition does not guarantee stability, while acting itself often involves irregular work and repeated rejection.
The series lasted one season, airing from 2012 into 2013, but Lou remains one of his defining roles because Kusnitz was part of the central ensemble rather than a recurring or guest player.
Moving Into Adult Guest Roles
After Underemployed, Kusnitz’s credits became more intermittent. He appeared in Castle in 2014 and later played Byron in three episodes of HBO’s Ballers in 2017. Episode and cast records confirm his third-season appearances in Seeds of Expansion, Alley-Oops and Yay Area.
Later film credits include Fishbowl California, American Nightmares and Flying Cars. IMDb also lists him as Cole in the 2020 short film Come Find Me.
These projects moved him away from the high-school and college-age characters that defined his earlier visibility, even as his public acting output became less frequent.
Where Is Jared Kusnitz Now?
As of 2026, publicly available entertainment databases do not show a recent new acting performance comparable in scale to Underemployed, Prom or Surviving Suburbia. IMDb’s current filmography lists Come Find Me from 2020 as his latest new performance. A 2025 release titled Doll Graveyard Noir includes Kusnitz through archive footage from the original 2005 film rather than a newly filmed role.
Reliable public information about Kusnitz’s present professional plans is limited, so it would be misleading to claim either that he has retired or that a major return has been announced.
Personal Life and Net Worth
Kusnitz has kept much of his personal life outside mainstream entertainment reporting. Reliable, current sources do not provide enough verified information for a detailed account of his relationships or family life, and speculation would add little to an accurate profile.
The same caution applies to net worth. There is no widely accepted, authoritative public estimate of Jared Kusnitz’s personal wealth. Acting credits establish a professional career, but they do not provide a reliable basis for calculating personal assets, earnings or net worth.
Why His Earlier Roles Still Draw Interest
Kusnitz’s career overlaps with a recognisable period of American youth entertainment. Surviving Suburbia represented the family sitcom, The Secret Life of the American Teenager reflected relationship-driven cable drama, Prom offered the Disney studio version of high-school romance, and Underemployed shifted the focus to post-college disappointment.
Together, those projects show a recurring interest in characters negotiating school, family, relationships and adulthood, with Dance of the Dead giving that territory a genre-comedy twist.
Conclusion
Jared Kusnitz’s screen career is most closely tied to the late-2000s and early-2010s wave of American teen and young-adult entertainment. From the zombie chaos of Dance of the Dead to network comedy in Surviving Suburbia, Disney’s Prom and the post-college uncertainty of Underemployed, he built a varied body of work without being confined to one format.
His more recent acting credits have been less frequent, and reliable information about his current plans remains limited. Even so, the combination of cult film work, recurring television roles and a lead part on MTV gives Kusnitz a clear place in the era of television and film that first made him recognisable.
FAQs.
What is Jared Kusnitz best known for?
Jared Kusnitz is best known for playing Lou Craft in MTV’s Underemployed, Henry Patterson in Surviving Suburbia, Toby in The Secret Life of the American Teenager and Justin Wexler in Disney’s Prom. He also starred as Jimmy Dunn in the 2008 zombie comedy Dance of the Dead.
Was Jared Kusnitz in Underemployed?
Yes. Kusnitz played Louis “Lou” Craft, one of the five principal characters in MTV’s Underemployed. The series followed recent college graduates dealing with unstable careers, relationships and adult responsibilities. He appeared in all 12 episodes of its single season.
Who did Jared Kusnitz play in Prom?
He played Justin Wexler in Disney’s 2011 film Prom. The movie featured an ensemble cast and followed several intersecting high-school stories in the period leading up to prom night.
Was Jared Kusnitz in The Secret Life of the American Teenager?
Yes. He played Toby, a recurring character associated with Ashley Juergens. IMDb lists Kusnitz in 14 episodes of the series between 2009 and 2012.
Is Jared Kusnitz still acting?
His recent public acting credits are limited. IMDb lists the 2020 short Come Find Me as his latest new performance, while Doll Graveyard Noir in 2025 uses archive footage from the original film. There is no reliable public announcement confirming retirement.
What is Jared Kusnitz’s net worth?
No authoritative source has publicly verified Jared Kusnitz’s net worth. Figures published by celebrity-wealth websites should therefore be treated cautiously rather than presented as confirmed financial information.
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