JON HEDER (Darryl) became on overnight sensation and gained an instant cult following with his feature film debut in the title role of the offbeat comedy hit “Napoleon Dynamite.” Heder’s endearing portrayal of the somewhat nerdy high schooler who helps his friend Pedro get elected class president brought him two MTV Movie Awards, one in the category of Breakthrough Male and a second for Best Musical Performance for his crowd-pleasing election night dance. “Just Like Heaven” marks his second feature film.
Heder will soon begin production on “School for Scoundrels,” in which he stars opposite Billy Bob Thornton under the direction of Todd Phillips. Next spring, Heder will star in the comedy “The Benchwarmers,” directed by Dennis Dugan from a script co-written by Adam Sandler. In addition, he co-stars in the motion-capture animated fantasy “Monster House,” joining an ensemble cast that also includes Steve Buscemi, Kathleen Turner, Catherine O’Hara, Fred Willard and Maggie Gyllenhaal. Executive produced by Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis, the film is due out in summer 2006. Heder also stars in the independent feature “Moving McAllister.”
Born in Colorado, Heder attended Brigham Young University, where he studied 3-D animation. It was there that he met “Napoleon Dynamite” writer and director Jared Hess, who first cast him in a short film called “Peluca.” Heder also has an identical twin brother named Daniel.
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