Jon Gries

Jonathan Francis 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 the film for which he was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male, and also as recurring character Roger Linus on Lost. He is also known for his roles in Martin, The Pretender, The Monster Squad, Running Scared, Real Genius, and Dream Corp, LLC.

Jon Gries
Gries at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con
Born
Jonathan Francis Gries

(1957-06-17) June 17, 1957
Glendale, California, U.S.
Other namesJon Francis
Jonathan Gries
OccupationActor, writer, director, music video director
Years active1968–present

Life and career

Gries was born in Glendale, California, the son of Mary Eleanor Munday, an actress, and Thomas Stephen Gries, a writer, director, and producer.[1][2][3] 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.[4] [5][6] 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.

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. He had a guest role on The X-Files in the episode "Sleepless". He played Dylan McKay's drug dealer in season 5 of Beverly Hills, 90210. He played Ben Linus' father Roger in a recurring role on the TV series Lost. He played Shawn on the Fox sitcom Martin during the first two seasons. He appeared twice in the TV series Quantum Leap. First, as a bookie in the episode "The Right Hand of God" and as a band member in the episode "Glitter Rock". He appeared as Rusty the Bum in two episodes of Seinfeld. In "The Beard", when Elaine rips George's toupee off and tosses it out the window, Rusty finds it and puts it on. In "The Bookstore" Kramer and Newman start a rickshaw business powered by bums, but on its maiden run, Rusty takes off with the conveyance. In 2007 he played the menacing dad to Samaire Armstrong in Around June. In 2008, he appeared in the CSI: NY episode "The Box" as the father of that episode's victim. In 2010 Jon wrapped production on A True Story. Based on Things that Never Actually Happened. ...and Some that Did and appeared in one episode of Nikita. He also played Martin in the TV Show Supernatural in the episodes "Sam, Interrupted" (2010), "Hello, Cruel World" (2011) and "Citizen Fang" (2012). He played Bob, a former drug addict who operates a safe haven for abused Mexican women, in The Bridge. He played Strabinsky in the TV Show Psych in the episode "One, Maybe Two, Ways Out" (2010).[7]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1968 Will Penny Horace (Button) Credited as Jon Francis
1976 Born of Water Friend Credited as Jonathan Gries
Helter Skelter William Garretson Credited as Jonathan Gries
1977 The Chicken Chronicles Tom Credited as Jonathan Gries
1979 Sunnyside Wild Child Credited as Jonathan Gries
More American Graffiti Ron Credited as Jonathan Gries
Swap Meet Doug
1983 Joysticks King Vidiot Credited as Jonathan Gries
1985 Real Genius Lazlo Hollyfeld Credited as Jonathan Gries
1986 TerrorVision O.D. Credited as Jonathan Gries
Running Scared Det. Tony Montoya Credited as Jonathan Gries
1987 Number One with a Bullet Bobby Sweet Credited as Jonathan Gries
The Monster Squad Desperate Man/Wolfman Credited as Jonathan Gries
Che's Revenge Jack Short
1988 Fright Night Part 2 Louie Credited as Jonathan Gries
1989 Kill Me Again Alan Swayzie Credited as Jonathan Gries
Pucker Up and Bark Like a Dog Max Credited as Jonathan Gries
1990 The Grifters Drunk's Friend Credited as Jonathan Gries
1993 Ed and His Dead Mother Rob Sundheimer
1995 Get Shorty Ronnie Wingate
1997 Casualties Bill Summers
Men in Black Van Driver
The Maze Dr. Holmes
Mitzi & Joe Joe
1999 Twin Falls Idaho Lawyer Jay Harrison
2001 The Beatnicks B Cool
Jackpot Sunny Holiday / Glen Allen Johnson
2003 Northfork Arnold
The Big Empty Elron
The Snow Walker Pierce
The Rundown Harvey
2004 Napoleon Dynamite Uncle Rico
2005 Confessions of an Action Star Donald Buckheim
Waterborne Ritter
Last Best Chance Bernard Wheeler Video
2006 The Sasquatch Gang Chilcutt
Stick It Brice Graham
The Astronaut Farmer FBI Agent Killbourne
Car Babes Gary
2007 American Pastime Ed Tully
Bicentennial Curious Mick Jones Short
Fathom Short
September Dawn John D. Lee
The Comebacks Barber
Frank Colin York
2008 Taken Casey
Bar Starz Ricky Fabulous
South of Heaven Hood #1
So Long Jimmy Levi Franklin
Around June Murry
2009 Elsewhere Mr. Tod
The Smell of Success Early Dunchamp
A Lone Star State Wyatt Kinney Short
2010 Crazy on the Outside Edgar
Good Intentions Sherriff Ernie
Pearblossom Harry Short
2011 Natural Selection Peter
Not Quite College Tone Cash
5 Time Champion Melvin Glee
Redemption: For Robbing the Dead Tom Sutter
2012 Deep in the Heart Dick Wallrath
Unicorn City Shadowhawk
Noobz Greg Lipstein
Taken 2 Casey
Byron's Theme Butcher Short
2013 Bad Turn Worse Sheriff Shep
A True Story Richard Simpkins
Skinwalker Ranch Hoyt
2014 Eternity: The Movie Barry Goldfield, Jr.
Faults Terry
Locker 13 Archie Segment: Title Story
After We Rest Mr. Norman Short
The Last Survivors Carson
Brothers Ronnie Short
Taken 3 Casey
2015 Pass the Light Franklin
Endgame Principal Thomas
A Country Called Home Tyler
Mucho Dinero Jon Waters
2016 Durant's Never Closes Dizzy Dean
The Axe Murders of Villisca Greg
Falsely Accused Gus
The Knife Thrower Circus Manager
Operation Chromite Hoyt Vandenberg
2017 All About the Money Jon Waters
Americons Billy
2018 Glass Jaw Sam Austin

Television
Year Title Role Notes
1976 Helter Skelter William Garretson TV movie
1977 Alexander: The Other Side of Dawn Uncredited TV movie
Mulligan's Stew Adams Episode: "Melinda Special"
1979 240-Robert Brad Episode: "Poison Air"
1980 The White Shadow Uri Kogenski Episode: "The Russians Are Coming"
1983 The Powers of Matthew Star Brad Episode: "The Road Rebels"
September Gun Brian Brian TV movie
The Jeffersons Frank Episode: "I Do, I Don't"
High School U.S.A. Dirty Curt TV movie
1987 The Twilight Zone Nick Gatlin (Segment: "Shelter Skelter") Episode: "Joy Ride/Shelter Skelter/Private Channel"
Cagney & Lacey Hands Callahan Episode: "The City is Burning"
1988 Tattingers Rick Jurasky 2 episodes
1989 Paradise Emmett Episode: "Dead Run"
1990 Falcon Crest Stone Episode: "Finding Lauren"
Jake and the Fatman Lenny Maddox Episode: "By Myself"
Tour of Duty Maj. Rex Chapman, USAF Episode: "The Raid"
Rainbow Drive Azzolini TV movie
1991 Quantum Leap Flash McGrath Episode: "Glitter Rock–April 12, 1974"
Fever Bobby TV movie
1992 L.A. Law Dr. Harold Benson Episode: "I'm Ready for My Closeup, Mr. Markowitz"
Four Eyes and Six Guns TV movie
1992–1994 Martin Shawn McDermott 54 episodes
1993 Bakersfield P.D. Ray Coombs Episode: "A Bullet for Stiles"
1994 The X-Files Salvatore Matola Episode: "Sleepless"
Beverly Hills, 90210 Mr. Trilling, Dope Dealer 4 episodes
1995 Chicago Hope Jack Kimball Episode: "Hello Goodbye"
Strange Luck Henry Bloom Episode: "Last Chance"
Seinfeld Homeless Man Episode: "The Beard"
1996 Race Against Time: The Search for Sarah Steve TV movie
1996–2000 The Pretender Broots 82 episodes
1998 Seinfeld Rusty Episode: "The Bookstore"
2001 The Pretender 2001 Broots TV movie
ER Defense Attorney Marty Nesmith Episode: "Fear of Commitment"
The Pretender: Island of the Haunted Broots TV movie
2002 24 Joseph Wald Episode: "Day 2: 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m."
2003–2005 Carnivàle Texas Ranger 2 episodes
2004 Las Vegas Greg Walker Episode: "Sons and Lovers"
2007–2010 Lost Roger Linus 6 episodes
2008 CSI: NY Jim Warren Episode: "The Box"
2010 Cold Case Bill Shepard '78 2 episodes
Sons of Anarchy Passport Forger Episode: "So"
Psych Strabinsky Episode: "One, Maybe Two, Ways Out"
Nikita The Engineer Episode: "Dark Matter"
Supernatural Martin Creaser 2 episodes
2011 Hawaii Five-0 Liam Miller Episode: "Lapa'au"
2012 Dr. Fubalous Dr. Reed 2 episodes
Napoleon Dynamite Uncle Rico 6 episodes
BlackBoxTV Dad Episode: "Silverwood: The Hunger"
2013–2014 The Bridge Bob 7 episodes
2014 Criminal Minds Clifford Walsh Episode: "The Road Home"
2016-present Dream Corp, LLC Dr. Roberts 20 episodes[8]

Video games
Year Title Role
2012 Hitman: Absolution Sheriff Clive Skurky (voice)

Music videos
As director
  • Flies on Fire - "Long Gone Dead" (1989)
  • Low Profile - "Pay Ya Dues" (1989)[9]
  • Low Profile - "That's Y They Do It (1989)
  • Low Profile - "Funky Song" (1990)
  • Mere Mortals - "Cracked" (2006)
As actor

References
  1. "Jon Gries Biography ((?)-)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 2011-01-14.
  2. "Turner Classic Movies | Listings from TCM HD and TCM+1". Tcmuk.tv. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
  3. "John Harrison SPARLING / Celia Jane LOWE". Freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com. 2017-01-13. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
  4. Means, Sean P. (August 23, 2007). "'September Dawn' a campy screen disaster". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on October 5, 2015. Retrieved March 28, 2017. The movie's one emotionally honest performance is handed in by Jon Gries (Uncle Rico from "Napoleon Dynamite"), who brings some weight and a sense of guilt to his portrayal of John D. Lee.
  5. The Hollywood Reporter Archived September 16, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  6. Fry, Ted. "Movies | Mormon massacre story "September Dawn" mixes fact, fiction | Seattle Times Newspaper". Seattletimes.nwsource.com. Retrieved 2011-01-14.
  7. Jon Gries at IMDb
  8. https://screenrant.com/dream-corp-llc-season-2-cast-character-guide/ Retrieved 2019-03-01
  9. Stockman, Tom. "WAMG Interview: Actor/Director Jon Gries on ANOTHER MAN'S GUN". wearemoviegeeks.com. Lanier Media. Retrieved 2016-05-30.
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