The 2004 comedy feature Napoleon Dynamite, filmed in Preston, Idaho, earned $44.5 million. While attending BYU, he befriended Jared Hess and starred in Hess' short film Peluca, which was later expanded into Napoleon Dynamite. Ī 2002 alumnus of Brigham Young University, Heder worked on the short animated film Pet Shop. He is also an Eagle Scout, and served as a Scoutmaster in 2010. 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. When he was about two years old, he and his parents moved to Salem, Oregon. He is of Swedish descent, and is a nephew by marriage of former NFL player Vai Sikahema. He has an identical twin brother, Dan an older sister, Rachel an older brother, Doug and two younger brothers, Adam and Matt. Heder was born in Fort Collins, Colorado, the son of Helen (née Brammer) and physician James Heder. He also provided voice work for the animated films Monster House, Surf's Up, and Pinocchio, as well as the Napoleon Dynamite animated series. 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. He is best known for his role as the title character of the 2004 comedy film Napoleon Dynamite. Jonathan Joseph Heder ( / ˈ h iː d ər/ born October 26, 1977) is an American actor.
