Jon Heder

Actor, Director

10/26/1977 (45 years old) Fort Collins, Colorado, United States

Few actors really become famous overnight, but Jon Heder proved to be an exception. After starring as an uncomfortable nerd on a bus in the short Peluca, the seemingly geeky thespian reprised the role---unforgettably---in the full-length 2004 cult film Napoleon Dynamite. The movie was a hit at the Sundance Film Festival and a subsequent box-office sleeper hit, and suddenly Heder was a hot commodity. Following that successful venture, he made a slew of comedies, including The Benchwarmers, School for Scoundrels and Blades of Glory. He's even demonstrated that he's willing to go so far as to suffer for a laugh: While promoting his film When in Rome in 2010, he cohosted an episode of WWE Raw and actually jumped into the ring to participate in a six-man tag-team match. But off-screen, this family man hasn't gone Hollywood. He still adheres to many of the principals of his strict Mormon upbringing, which include avoiding caffeine, swear words and alcohol.

  • Raised in a strict Mormon household and spent two years in Tokyo as a Mormon missionary.
  • Developed an appreciation for 1970s clothing and music, particularly Led Zeppelin.
  • Majored in 3-D Animation at BYU, along with his identical twin brother.
  • Credited his improvisational dance skills in 2004's Napoleon Dynamite to close observation of Michael Jackson and John Travolta.
  • Won Breakthrough Male Performance and Best Musical Performance at the 2005 MTV Movie Awards for his career-making role in Napoleon Dynamite.