Jon Gries Movies and Career Information

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 known for his role in Napoleon Dynamite as Uncle Rico, and more recently as recurring character Roger Linus on Lost. Gries was born in Glendale, California, the son of 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. Some of his signature roles have come in cult classics. He played Lazlo Hollyfeld in Real Genius (1985), 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 Mormon murderer John D. Lee, in a performance praised by critics who otherwise panned the film. His most recent role was as Casey in the film Taken released in 2008 in Europe, and 2009 in the US. Among his television roles are that of a terrorist in season two of the hit show 24 and as Broots on the NBC series The Pretender.