Jonathan Joseph Heder (/ˈhiË dÉ™r/; born October 26, 1977) is an
American actor and producer. He is best known for his role as the
title character of the 2004 comedy film Napoleon Dynamite. He has also
appeared in the films Just Like Heaven, The Benchwarmers, School for
Scoundrels, Blades of Glory, Mama's Boy, When in Rome, and as Roy
Disney in Walt Before Mickey, and provided voice work for the animated
films Monster House, Surf's Up, and Pinocchio, as well as the Napoleon
Dynamite animated series.Jonathan Joseph Heder was born in Fort
Collins, Colorado, on October 26, 1977, the son of Helen (née
Brammer) and physician James Heder. He has an identical twin brother
named Dan, as well as an older sister named Rachel, an older brother
named Doug, and two younger brothers named Adam and Matt. He is of
Swedish descent, and is a nephew by marriage of former NFL player Vai
Sikahema.[dead link] When he was about two years old, he and his
parents moved to Salem, Oregon. He attended Walker Middle School in
Salem and graduated from South Salem High School in 1996, where he was
a member of the swim team and drama club. He was also an Eagle Scout,
and would later serve as a Scoutmaster for the organization in 2010.A
2002 alumnus of Brigham Young University, Heder worked on the short
animated film Pet Shop, which earned a non-traditional animation
student Emmy in 2005. After his acting career took off, he did not
return to complete the work he had started on the short, though his
name still appears in the credits. While attending BYU, he befriended
Jared Hess and starred in Hess' short film Peluca, which was later
expanded into Napoleon Dynamite. The short film received rave reviews
on the BYU campus after screenings at a few colleges and local film
festivals and competitions.Napoleon Dynamite, filmed in Preston,
Idaho, earned $44.5 million at the box office. In June 2005, Heder
received the MTV Movie Award 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. After
his success with Napoleon Dynamite, Heder and his film co-star Efren
Ramirez filmed a series of commercials to promote the Utah's 2005
State Fair. They reprised their roles in a self-parody sketch called
"Napoleon Bonamite" on the animated series Robot Chicken.
American actor and producer. He is best known for his role as the
title character of the 2004 comedy film Napoleon Dynamite. He has also
appeared in the films Just Like Heaven, The Benchwarmers, School for
Scoundrels, Blades of Glory, Mama's Boy, When in Rome, and as Roy
Disney in Walt Before Mickey, and provided voice work for the animated
films Monster House, Surf's Up, and Pinocchio, as well as the Napoleon
Dynamite animated series.Jonathan Joseph Heder was born in Fort
Collins, Colorado, on October 26, 1977, the son of Helen (née
Brammer) and physician James Heder. He has an identical twin brother
named Dan, as well as an older sister named Rachel, an older brother
named Doug, and two younger brothers named Adam and Matt. He is of
Swedish descent, and is a nephew by marriage of former NFL player Vai
Sikahema.[dead link] When he was about two years old, he and his
parents moved to Salem, Oregon. He attended Walker Middle School in
Salem and graduated from South Salem High School in 1996, where he was
a member of the swim team and drama club. He was also an Eagle Scout,
and would later serve as a Scoutmaster for the organization in 2010.A
2002 alumnus of Brigham Young University, Heder worked on the short
animated film Pet Shop, which earned a non-traditional animation
student Emmy in 2005. After his acting career took off, he did not
return to complete the work he had started on the short, though his
name still appears in the credits. While attending BYU, he befriended
Jared Hess and starred in Hess' short film Peluca, which was later
expanded into Napoleon Dynamite. The short film received rave reviews
on the BYU campus after screenings at a few colleges and local film
festivals and competitions.Napoleon Dynamite, filmed in Preston,
Idaho, earned $44.5 million at the box office. In June 2005, Heder
received the MTV Movie Award 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. After
his success with Napoleon Dynamite, Heder and his film co-star Efren
Ramirez filmed a series of commercials to promote the Utah's 2005
State Fair. They reprised their roles in a self-parody sketch called
"Napoleon Bonamite" on the animated series Robot Chicken.
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