Jon Heder

JON HEDER

Date of Birth: October 26, 1977

Born in Fort Collins, Colorado, Jon Heder was raised in Salem, Oregon by his parents, Jim and Helen Heder, along with his five siblings, including his identical twin brother Dan.

While studying filmmaking at Brigham Young University with Dan and brother Matt, the three made a film together called Funky Town (2000). It was never released, but it gave Jon some acting experience. Three years later, fellow classmate Jared Hess wanted to make a short film called Peluca (2003) about an oddball teen called Napoleon Dynamite, and asked Jon to play the lead. For the role, Jon's hair was permed, he wore bulky glasses and kept his eyes half closed. The short was well-received, and they decided to turn it into a full length feature.

Napoleon Dynamite (2004) debuted at the Sundance Film Festival and went on to make more money than almost any other Sundance film. It also went on to win numerous awards, including a Breakthrough Male MTV Award for Jon as well as a Best Musical Performance MTV Award for the dance Napoleon does in the film, which Heder had created himself. Heder also won two Teen Choice Awards.

Having graduated from BYU with a degree in computer animation (he switched majors while there), Heder accepted a supporting role in the romantic comedy Just Like Heaven (2005) opposite Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo.

His first starring role in a major motion picture came in The Benchwarmers (2006), alongside Rob Schneider and David Spade, about three grown men reliving their childhoods by forming their own Little League baseball team. He has since co-starred with Will Ferrell in the box office hit, Blades of Glory (2007).

A practicing Mormon, Heder currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Kirsten.

Filmography:

When in Rome (2010)
Surf's Up (2007) (voice)
Moving McAllister (2007)
Mama's Boy (2007)
Blades of Glory (2007)
School for Scoundrels (2006)
Monster House (2006) (voice)
The Benchwarmers (2006)
Moving McAllister (2006)
Just Like Heaven (2005)
Napoleon Dynamite (2004)