Jon Heder is an actor and director from the United States with a net worth of ten million dollars. Jon Heder is best known for his role in the 2004 comedy picture “Napoleon Dynamite,” in which he played the eponymous character. He’s also appeared in “Just Like Heaven,” “The Benchwarmers,” “Blades of Glory,” and “School for Scoundrels,” among other comedies.
Heder has also voiced characters in animated children’s films including “Surf’s Up” and “Monster House,” as well as TV shows like “Pickle and Peanut.”
Napoleon Dynamite Salary:
For his involvement in “Napoleon Dynamite,” Jon Heder was notoriously paid merely $1,000. After the film grossed $44.5 million at the box office, that seemed like a good deal.
Early Life and Education:
Jon Heder was born in 1977 in Fort Collins, Colorado, the son of Helen and James Heder, a physician. He has five siblings: identical twin brother Dan, older brother Doug, older sister Rachel, and younger brothers Adam and Matt, all of whom are of Swedish origin. Heder’s family relocated to Salem, Oregon, when he was around two years old, and he attended Walker Middle School and South Salem High School.
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He was a member of the theatre club and swim team at the latter institution, as well as an Eagle Scout. Heder went on to Brigham Young University after graduation, where he received his bachelor’s degree in 2002. He met Jared Hess at BYU and starred in his short film “Peluca” with him.
Breakthrough with “Napoleon Dynamite”:
In 2004, Heder received widespread acclaim for his breakthrough starring performance in the critically acclaimed indie film “Napoleon Dynamite.” It stars Heder as the highly awkward title character, a high school student coping with various odd acquaintances and personal difficulties, and is adapted from Jared Hess’s “Peluca.”
“Napoleon Dynamite,” which had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January, went on to become a huge financial success when it was released in June, generating $46 million on a budget of only $400,000. Heder was nominated for MTV Movie Awards for Best Breakthrough Performance and Best Musical Sequence for his performance. In addition, he received multiple Teen Choice Award nominations. The film went on to become a cult classic, spawning a Fox animated series that lasted only a few seasons.
Further Film Career:
Heder had a supporting role as a new-age bookstore clerk in the 2005 rom-com “Just Like Heaven,” starring Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo, following his success with “Napoleon Dynamite.” The next year, he voiced “Monster House,” a supernatural animated feature, and starred in two comedies, “The Benchwarmers,” costarring David Spade and Rob Schneider, and “School for Scoundrels,” opposite Billy Bob Thornton and Jacinda Barrett.
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Critics were critical of the latter two films, fearing that Heder would be a one-hit-wonder. But it was in 2007, when Heder played alongside Will Ferrell in the well-received sports comedy “Blades of Glory,” about rival figure skating teams, that he achieved more popularity.
Heder also played alongside Diane Keaton in “Mama’s Boy” and portrayed Chicken Joe in the animated picture “Surf’s Up.” He also appeared in “Moving McAllister” with Mila Kunis, Rutger Hauer, and Billy Drago.
Heder made cameo appearances in the ensemble comedy “Life Happens” and the animated films “Legend of Kung Fu Rabbit,” “Pinocchio,” and “Pororo, The Racing Adventure” in the early 2010s.
He also had a cameo in the ensemble comedy “Life Happens” and provided his voice to the English-dubbed versions of the animated films “Legend of Kung Fu Rabbit,” “Pinocchio,” and “Pororo, The Racing Later roles include Quentin Dupieux’s satirical comedy “Reality,” Heder’s portrayal of Roy Disney in the biographical drama “Walt Before Mickey,” the holiday ensemble comedy “Christmas Eve,” the comic thriller “Ghost Team,” and “The Tiger Hunter,” costarring Danny Pudi. “Unexpected Race” and “Killing Winston Jones” are two other films starring Heder.
Television Career:
Heder made his small-screen debut in an episode of the sketch comedy series “Mad TV” in 2004. He then appeared in “Robot Chicken” and hosted “Saturday Night Live” with musical guest Ashlee Simpson. Heder had a guest appearance on “How I Met Your Mother” after appearing in an episode of the NBC sitcom “My Name is Earl” in 2008.
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Heder’s other television credits include several voice appearances in animated series. “The Legend of Korra,” “The Kroll Show,” Nickelodeon’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” Cartoon Network’s “Uncle Grandpa,” “Clarence,” and “Ben 10: Omniverse,” as well as the streaming series “All Hail King Julien” and “Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters,” are among them.
Heder also voiced the lead character Peanut on the Disney XD sitcom “Pickle and Peanut” from 2015 to 2018.
Web Series:
Heder’s first attempt into web series was in 2008, with the horror-comedy “Woke Up Dead,” which he both produced and starred in. Heder co-starred in the internet martial arts comedy series “Sock Baby” with his brother Dan. “Dead Grandma,” which he hosted, and “TableTop” and “Critical Role,” on which he guested, are among his other web series appearances.
Personal Life:
Heder married his wife Kirsten Bales in 2002 after meeting her while at Brigham Young University. They have two sons and two daughters and are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.