Jon Gries

Jonathan Francis "Jon" Gries (born June 17, 1957) is an American actor, writer and director. He is also credited under the names Jon Francis and Jonathan Gries. He is best known for his role in Napoleon Dynamite as Uncle Rico, and also more recently as recurring character Roger Linus on Lost. He is also known for his roles in Martin, The Pretender, and Running Scared.

Life and career

Gries was born in Glendale, California, the son of Mary Eleanor Munday, an actress, and Thomas Stephen "Tom" Gries, a writer, director, and producer. His first film role came at the age of 11, when he played the Boy Horace in the Charlton Heston film Will Penny, which was written and directed by his father. Some of his signature roles have come in cult classics. He played Lazlo Hollyfeld in Real Genius (1985), Azzolini in Rainbow Drive, Shawn McDermott in the TV series Martin (1992-1994), Ronnie Wingate in Get Shorty (1995), Harvey in The Rundown, and Uncle Rico in Napoleon Dynamite (2004). Gries has played a werewolf on several occasions, such as Fright Night Part II and The Monster Squad. In the historical Western film September Dawn, he played executed murderer John D. Lee, in a performance praised by critics who otherwise panned the film. He played Casey in the films Taken (2008), Taken 2 (2012), and Taken 3 (2015), and was also in TerrorVision, as O.D. He also lent his voice for the video game Hitman: Absolution.