Jon Gries

Jonathan Gries (/ɡraɪz/ GRYZ; born June 17, 1957) is an American actor, writer, and director. He is best known for the role of Uncle Rico in Napoleon Dynamite for which he was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male, and also as recurring characters Roger Linus on Lost and Rusty the Bum on Seinfeld. He is also known for his roles in Martin, The Pretender, The Monster Squad, Running Scared, Real Genius, Dream Corp LLC, and The White Lotus. Gries is the son of writer, director, and producer Tom Gries. 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 2 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 (2014), and was also in TerrorVision, as O.D. He also lent his voice for the video game Hitman: Absolution.