Jon Heder
Jon Heder | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jonathan Joseph Heder |
| Height | 6' 1½" (1.87 m) |
| Spouse | Kirsten Bales (23 November 2002 - present) |
Jonathan Joseph Heder (pronounced "heeder") (born October 26, 1977) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his portrayal of the title character in 2004's Napoleon Dynamite as well as his role in the more recent Blades of Glory.
Early life
Heder was born in Fort Collins, Colorado, one of six children of family practice physician Dr. James Heder and his wife Helen, the second-born of a pair of identical twins (his brother is Dan Heder). He has an older sister and brother, Rachel and Doug, and two younger brothers, Adam and Matthew.
He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served an LDS mission in Japan, and learned to speak Japanese as a result.
He is the nephew by marriage of former NFL running back and current WCAU sports caster, Vai Sikahema.[1]
Heder graduated from South Salem High School in Salem, Oregon in 1996. He is a 2003 alumnus of Brigham Young University. While attending, he befriended Jared Hess and starred in his film Peluca, before making Napoleon Dynamite. Both were based on the same character plots, which turned out to be a scene on the full length movie Napoleon Dynamite.
Career
Napoleon Dynamite, filmed in Preston, Idaho, earned more revenue than almost any other Sundance movie. Napoleon's trademark frizzy hair is actually a perm created for the character by Kristi Jarvis, contributing to his quirky image. In June 2005, Heder received the MTV Movie Awards for Best Musical Performance and Breakthrough Male Performance for the role. On October 8, 2005, he hosted Saturday Night Live with musical guest Ashlee Simpson. Since his success with Dynamite, Heder and his film co-star Efren Ramirez filmed a series of commercials to promote the 2005 Utah State Fair. They appear as their characters from Napoleon Dynamite; in at least one commercial, they are shown with the FFA medals that they won in the context of the movie.
He had a supporting role in the romantic comedy Just Like Heaven. He also starred alongside Rob Schneider and David Spade as part of the trio in producer Adam Sandler's The Benchwarmers (2006), a comedy about three grown men making up for lost chances by creating their own Little League baseball team; as the voice of the character Skull in the animated film Monster House, and in the comedy School for Scoundrels, opposite Billy Bob Thornton and Jacinda Barrett. Heder also starred with Will Ferrell in Blades of Glory (2007), a comedy about male figure skaters who must team up in pairs competition.
Personal life
He currently lives with his wife Kirsten Heder in Los Angeles, California. The two have been married since 2002. Kirsten gave birth to a baby girl, Evan Jane Heder, on April 6, 2007.[2] In 2005, an article on the web-site NinjaPirate.com started a heavily circulated, untrue rumor that Heder died in a car crash after leaving the wrap party for the film Moving McAllister.[3]
Heder's School for Scoundrels co-star, Billy Bob Thornton, has described Heder as a "Nice young Mormon man from Oregon",[4] while his other School for Scoundrels castmate, Jacinda Barrett, noted that Heder does not work on Sundays or swear.[5]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Napoleon Dynamite | Napoleon Dynamite | Starring role |
| 2005 | Just like Heaven | Darryl | |
| 2006 | The Benchwarmers | Clark Reedy | Starring Role |
| 2006 | Monster House | Reginald "Skull" Skulinski | Voice role |
| 2006 | School for Scoundrels | Roger | Starring Role |
| 2007 | Blades of Glory | Jimmy MacElroy | Starring role |
| 2007 | Mama's Boy | Jeffery McMannus | Starring role |
| 2007 | Surf's Up | Chicken Joe | Voice role |
| 2007 | Moving McAllister | Orlie |
In popular culture
 |
- In the South Park episode "Trapped in the Closet", Stan assesses Tom Cruise's acting skills by saying "I mean, you're not Gene Hackman or that guy who played Napoleon Dynamite, but you're okay."
Footnotes
- ^ "Dan Gross | Vai not big fan of actor/kin" article from Philly.com
- ^ Jon Heder and His Wife Have a Girl via People.com website
- ^ Blog post which started the "death in a carwreck" rumor
- ^ "DailyNews.com". School is in session. Retrieved September 24.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ "BostonHerald.com". Billy Bob teaches Jacinda in School. Retrieved September 24.
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