Eugène Theroux

Eugene Albert Theroux (born 1938) is an American lawyer based in Washington, D.C., best known as the father of actor and screenwriter Justin Theroux.

He has built a long legal career with Baker & McKenzie, one of the world’s leading international law firms. In his role, he has been involved in providing legal expertise across multiple practice areas, contributing to the firm’s prominence in Washington and beyond.

Eugene comes from a diverse family background. He is of half French-Canadian and half Italian descent, which has shaped the Theroux family’s multicultural heritage. Through his marriage to Phyllis Grissim Theroux, an essayist and author, he became part of a family with strong literary and intellectual traditions.

Eugene is also a member of the wider Theroux literary family. He is the brother of travel writer and novelist Paul Theroux, novelist and poet Alexander Theroux, author Peter Theroux, and novelist and educator Joseph Theroux. His nephews include British journalists and documentary filmmakers Louis and Marcel Theroux, showing the family’s deep ties to both literature and media.

Through his wife’s lineage, Eugene’s children, including Justin Theroux, are also descendants of financier, banker, and railroad magnate H. B. Hollins, as well as music critic and author Gustav Kobbé. His career and family connections highlight a unique blend of professional achievement and cultural heritage.