Direct answer: Jon Gries is an American character actor, director, and producer best known as Uncle Rico in Napoleon Dynamite and Greg Hunt, later known as Gary, in HBO’s The White Lotus. Born June 17, 1957, he has worked on-screen since childhood and remains active in film, television, fashion, and music video projects.
Jon Gries has built one of those careers where audiences recognize the face before they recall the name. Across more than five decades, he has moved from a child role in Will Penny to cult comedies, network television, action franchises, and HBO drama. His recent run as Greg/Gary in The White Lotus brought fresh attention to a performer who had already been part of American film and television for generations.
| Quick fact about Jon Gries | Details |
|---|---|
| Full name | Jonathan Francis Gries |
| Date of birth | June 17, 1957 |
| Age in 2026 | 69 |
| Birthplace | Glendale, California |
| Height | IMDb lists 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Profession | Actor, producer, director |
| Famous roles | Uncle Rico, Greg/Gary, Roger Linus, Broots, Casey |
| Marital status | Married; his wife’s name has not been publicly disclosed |
| Recent work | Carolina Caroline and the “DHF” music video |
TL;DR
- He was born in Glendale, California, in 1957 and began acting as a child.
- Uncle Rico in Napoleon Dynamite became his signature comedy role.
- He played Greg Hunt, later Gary, across the first three seasons of The White Lotus.
- Other major credits include Real Genius, The Pretender, Lost, and the Taken movies.
- He revealed in 2025 that he had married, but he has kept his spouse largely private.
- His 2026 work shows that his career remains active well beyond his best-known older roles.
Why He Looks Familiar Across So Many Movies and Shows
Gries is a classic character actor rather than a performer tied to one type of leading role. He can play awkward, threatening, funny, worn-down, or quietly suspicious characters without making them feel interchangeable. That flexibility explains why viewers can recognize him from projects released decades apart while remembering completely different personalities.
His credits also cross genres that rarely overlap neatly, from cult science fiction and sitcoms to crime movies and prestige television. That kind of career depends less on one blockbuster and more on being useful to many different directors and stories. EvoBlogs readers interested in another long-running Hollywood career can also see the site’s Johnny Depp career profile for a contrasting path through film stardom.
Early Life and the Start of His Acting Career
Gries was born in Glendale, California, to filmmaker Tom Gries and actress Mary Munday. His first screen work came in the Western Will Penny, which was written and directed by his father and released in 1968. That early connection gave him access to film production, though he did not immediately spend his childhood chasing every acting opportunity.
He later described wanting to live like a regular kid before returning to acting more seriously as a young adult. Over time, smaller film and television parts developed into a steady professional career rather than a brief child-actor chapter. By the 1980s, roles in films such as Real Genius and The Monster Squad were helping establish the offbeat screen identity audiences still associate with him.
How Uncle Rico Became His Defining Comedy Role
The 2004 comedy Napoleon Dynamite introduced Gries to a much larger audience as Uncle Rico. Rico is trapped in memories of his high-school football days and is convinced his life would have changed if he had received one more chance on the field. The character’s misplaced confidence, sales schemes, videotaped football throws, and tense exchanges with Napoleon made him one of the movie’s most quoted figures.
The performance also earned professional recognition beyond the film’s cult following. Gries received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Male, placing his deliberately awkward comic performance among that year’s notable independent-film work. More than two decades later, entertainment retrospectives still single out Uncle Rico as one of the movie’s defining characters.
Greg and Gary in The White Lotus
A newer generation knows Gries as Greg Hunt in HBO’s The White Lotus. Greg enters the series through Tanya McQuoid, played by Jennifer Coolidge, and becomes increasingly important as their relationship grows darker. By Season 3 in Thailand, the character is living under the name Gary and becomes a link between storylines that began years earlier.
That role gave Gries a distinction no other actor held through the show’s first three seasons: he appeared in all three. Season 4 entered production in 2026, but published cast reports have not confirmed his return as of September 2026. Gries has said he would be interested in returning, while also acknowledging that creator Mike White keeps future appearances unpredictable.
His Biggest Movies and TV Roles Beyond Those Two Characters
Reducing his career to Uncle Rico and Greg misses decades of recognizable supporting work. His filmography includes cult movies, network hits, streaming productions, action films, and guest appearances on several major American television series. TV Guide currently lists well over 100 acting credits, reflecting the scale of that output.
| Project | Role | Why viewers may remember it |
|---|---|---|
| Real Genius | Lazlo Hollyfeld | Cult 1980s comedy |
| The Pretender | Broots | Long-running television role |
| Lost | Roger Linus | Recurring part tied to Ben Linus |
| Napoleon Dynamite | Uncle Rico | Career-defining comedy character |
| Taken trilogy | Casey | Recurring action-franchise role |
| Dream Corp LLC | Dr. Roberts | Surreal comedy series |
| The White Lotus | Greg Hunt / Gary | Appeared across Seasons 1–3 |
| Carolina Caroline | Caroline’s father | 2026 romantic crime film |
His television résumé also includes appearances in Seinfeld, The X-Files, 24, Supernatural, Hawaii Five-0, and Fallout. That breadth helps explain why different generations associate his face with completely different shows. Fans revisiting Supernatural can pair that credit with EvoBlogs’ Jensen Ackles career profile for more background on the long-running series and its leading actor.
Marriage and Personal Life
Gries has generally kept his private relationships outside the center of his public career. In March 2025, he revealed in a Harper’s Bazaar video that his fiancée had become his wife after a courthouse wedding. He did not publicly disclose her name in that appearance, which is why reliable biographical profiles still contain limited information about his spouse.
He also discussed getting married during a March 2025 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. The interview mixed that personal update with stories about Napoleon Dynamite, childhood acting, and his continuing role in The White Lotus. The limited details available make it more accurate to describe him simply as married rather than repeat unsupported names or relationship claims from celebrity databases.
What Is His Net Worth?
There is no publicly audited figure showing Gries’ personal net worth. Celebrity Net Worth currently estimates it at about $3 million, but that number should be treated as a third-party estimate rather than a verified financial disclosure. His long-acting history, recurring television work, film roles, directing work, and newer commercial appearances provide visible sources of income, but they do not reveal his private assets or liabilities.
That distinction matters because celebrity-finance figures are often repeated until estimates begin to look like confirmed facts. A more useful approach is to separate documented career activity from speculative personal wealth. EvoBlogs uses a similar earnings-focused format in its Grace Jones net worth analysis, where career sources and financial claims can be considered separately.
What Is He Doing in 2026?
His film work remained active in 2026 with Carolina Caroline, directed by Adam Carter Rehmeier and starring Samara Weaving, Kyle Gallner, and Kyra Sedgwick. Gries plays Caroline’s father, adding another grounded supporting part to a résumé known for unusual personalities. Magnolia Pictures lists him among the film’s principal cast, and the movie became available for home viewing after its theatrical run.
He also appeared in the music video for Mal Not Bad’s song “DHF.” An August 25, 2026, Talkhouse conversation paired Gries with musician Mal Hauser to discuss that collaboration and creative work more broadly. Those projects show that his current career extends beyond nostalgia for past characters and remains open to work in film, television, fashion, and music.
Jon Gries FAQ
How old is Jon Gries?
He is 69 years old as of September 2026. His birth date is June 17, 1957, and he was born in Glendale, California. Both TV Insider and IMDb list the same birth date and birthplace.
Who played Uncle Rico in Napoleon Dynamite?
Gries played Uncle Rico in the 2004 film. The eccentric former high-school athlete became one of the movie’s most recognizable supporting characters, and the performance earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination. The Academy has also highlighted his participation in later Napoleon Dynamite cast events.
Is Greg from The White Lotus the same actor as Uncle Rico?
Yes, the same performer plays both characters. The contrast is part of what surprised many viewers when Greg became increasingly central to the HBO series. By Season 3, he was the only actor to have appeared in each of the first three seasons.
Is he returning for The White Lotus Season 4?
His return had not been officially confirmed in published 2026 cast announcements by early September. He has publicly said he would like to return, but he has also said he cannot predict creator Mike White’s plans. Season 4 reports have therefore treated another Greg appearance as possible rather than confirmed.
Why His Career Still Stands Out
Few character actors get to create one role with the staying power of Uncle Rico and then reach a new television audience nearly two decades later. Gries has done that while maintaining a much larger body of supporting work across comedy, drama, science fiction, action, and television. That combination makes his career more interesting than any single viral scene or one-line biography suggests.
For readers who discovered him through The White Lotus, going back to Real Genius, The Pretender, Lost, or Napoleon Dynamite shows how long that range has been developing. Readers can also browse EvoBlogs’ broader Entertainment coverage for more actor biographies, career profiles, and film stories. His latest 2026 projects suggest there is still more to add to a screen career that began in the 1960s.
