Editing Jon Heder (section)

== Early life ==
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Heder was born on October 26, 1977, in [[Fort Collins, Colorado]],<ref>[http://www.filmreference.com/film/74/Jon-Heder.html Jon Heder profile], FilmReference.com; accessed February 7, 2015.</ref> the son of Helen (née Brammer) and physician James Heder. He has an [[identical twin]] brother, Dan;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tribute.ca/people/Jon+Heder/12666|title=Jon Heder biography and filmography |publisher=Tribute.ca|access-date=April 21, 2014}}</ref> an older sister, Rachel; an older brother, Doug; and two younger brothers, Adam and Matt. He is of Swedish descent,<ref>{{cite web|author=B. Alan Orange|url=http://www.movieweb.com/news/NEoUJqqovQY7ss|title=Shia LaBeouf and Jon Heder Compete for Waves in 'Surf's Up'|publisher=Movieweb.com|date=June 4, 2007|access-date=April 21, 2014|archive-date=October 5, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081005051620/http://www.movieweb.com/news/NEoUJqqovQY7ss|url-status=dead}}</ref> and is a nephew by marriage of former [[National Football League|NFL]] player [[Vai Sikahema]].<ref>[http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/entertainment/columnists/dan_gross/14429877.htm "Dan Gross: Vai not big fan of actor/kin"] article from Philly.com {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311032343/http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/entertainment/columnists/dan_gross/14429877.htm |date=March 11, 2007 }}</ref> When he was about two years old, he and his parents moved to [[Salem, Oregon]].<ref name="oregonian-jan2012">{{cite news|last=Owen|first=Rob|title=Heder returns as 'Dynamite' gets animated|date=January 12, 2012|newspaper=[[The Oregonian]]|page=E1|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/movies/index.ssf/2012/01/jon_heder_returns_as_animated.html|access-date=April 7, 2012}}</ref> He attended Walker Middle School in Salem and graduated from [[South Salem High School]] in 1996,<ref name="oregonian-jan2012" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-08-20 |title=Salem-Raised Jon Heder Returns to Oregon for the 15th Anniversary of Napoleon Dynamite |url=https://www.wweek.com/arts/2019/08/20/salem-raised-jon-heder-returns-to-oregon-for-the-15th-anniversary-of-napoleon-dynamite/ |access-date=2025-04-29 |website=Willamette Week |language=en}}</ref> where he was a member of the swim team and drama club. He is also an [[Eagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America)|Eagle Scout]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2018/02/08/famous-former-scouts/|title=111 Scouts who became famous (Just in time for the BSA's 111th birthday)|date=February 8, 2018}}</ref><ref name=NPR /> and served as a [[Scoutmaster#United States of America|Scoutmaster]] in 2010.<ref name="NPR">{{cite news|title=Boy Scouts Prepared To Celebrate A Century|newspaper=[[National Public Radio]]|date=February 6, 2010|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123439540|access-date=February 7, 2015}}</ref>

A 2002 alumnus of [[Brigham Young University]], Heder worked on the short animated film ''Pet Shop''. While attending BYU, he befriended [[Jared Hess]] and starred in Hess' short film ''[[Peluca]]'', which was later expanded into ''[[Napoleon Dynamite]]''.