Jared Hess

For the American mixed martial arts fighter see Jared Hess (fighter).

Jared Hess
Born	Jared Lawrence Hess July 18, 1979 (1979-07-18) Preston, Idaho, U.S.
Spouse	Jerusha Hess

Jared Lawrence Hess (born July 18, 1979) is an American filmmaker known for his work Napoleon Dynamite (2004) and Nacho Libre (2006), which he co-wrote and directed with his wife, Jerusha Hess. (Nacho Libre was co-written with Mike White). He also produced the video for The Postal Service's third single, "We Will Become Silhouettes" and The Killers' Christmas single, "Boots".

Personal life

Jared was born in Preston, Idaho, is a graduate of Burton Elementary School located in Kaysville, Utah and attended Burton Elementary while living in Fruit Heights during his youth. He also attended Manhattan High School in Kansas for two years, before transferring to Preston High School, from which he graduated in 1997. Many scenes from Napoleon Dynamite were filmed there.

Jared Hess is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and has one son, Elliot, and one daughter, Greta with his wife (Jerusha Hess). They currently reside in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Career

Jared met his wife-to-be Jerusha while attending Brigham Young University's film school. She co-wrote Napoleon Dynamite with Jared, and the film was produced and edited by classmate Jeremy Coon. The sleeper hit begin drawing Hess attention after the film screened well at the 2004 Sundance Festival. Of Napoleon, Hess said "Napoleon is a composite of myself and my younger brothers. I've lived with this character my whole life."

Jared also wrote and directed a short film entitled Peluca. A prototype for Napoleon Dynamite, Peluca featured much of the same cast and plotline, including Jon Heder as Seth, "super nerd extraordinaire."

Besides his efforts on Napoleon Dynamite and Peluca, Jared has worked as a camera assistant in a number of films and has played minor roles in a few LDS comedies. These include The Singles Ward, The R.M. and Pride and Prejudice: A Latter-day Comedy. His second movie Nacho Libre, starring Jack Black, was released on June 16, 2006.

Jared and Jerusha Hess have finished filming their newest film entitled Gentlemen Broncos. It is about a teenager who aspires to be a writer, but after attending a fantasy-writer's convention, he finds that his idea has been stolen by an established novelist. The film stars Michael Angarano as the teenager, Jemaine Clement as the established novelist, and Sam Rockwell as the story's fictional title character who appears in book-come-to-life sequences.

Personal life

Hess is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon). In regards to his films, which are largely free of profanity, nudity and other adult fare, he was quoted as saying, "Having a faith liberates you creatively...to try and do something different." Jared Hess created a short film called Peluca. This film was later turned into the hit film, Napoleon Dynamite. Napoleon Dynamite's original name idea was Seth.

Filmography

• Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
• Nacho Libre (2006)
• Gentlemen Broncos (2009)
• Peluca (short-film) (2004)

See also

• Jared and Jerusha Hess
• Napoleon Dynamite Cartoon(FOX)

External links

• Jared Hess at the Internet Movie Database
• PixelSurgeon interview with Jared Hess
• Fox Searchlight profile