The 'Napoleon Dynamite' Cast: Where Are They Now?

See what the cast members of the eminently quotable 2004 film have been up to since their days of campaigning and eating tots

Jon Heder (Napoleon)

Everett Collection, Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic

Heder played the quirky llama-feeding high schooler who enjoys eating tots, drawing "ligers" and perfecting his "skills" (with nunchucks, computer-hacking, etc. — you know, whatever it takes to get a girlfriend).

After showing off his sweet moves as the awkward-yet-endearing Napoleon, Heder went on to star in Benchwarmers and Blades of Glory. He also voiced Pickle on the animated series Pickle and Peanut.

He's been married since 2002 to Kristen Heder; they have four children.

Efren Ramírez (Pedro)

Everett Collection; FilmMagic

After his turn as the ambitious Pedro — Napoleon's best friend who ran for (and won) student body president — Ramírez went on to land the role of Catuey on the TV series Eastbound & Down and to act alongside Will Ferrell in 2012's Casa de mi Padre.

In 2019, he played Felipe Guillermo Usted on the series Perpetual Grace, LTD. Ramírez reunited with Heder the following year for a Burger King commercial to mark the return of the fast food chain's cheesy tator tots. He also voiced Airman Diaz in the 2022 film Lightyear.

Tina Majorino (Deb)

Everett Collection; Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic

Deb wasn't into Napoleon for his "skills" — she was truly the (entrepreneurial) girl next door, who was there all along. Majorino, a child star who got her big break with 1994's Andre, shifted to the small screen after her role in the breakout indie film, most notably as Cindy "Mac" Mackenzie on Veronica Mars and Heather Tuttle on Big Love. She also played Dr. Heather Brooks on Grey's Anatomy and starred in Pink's "F-----' Perfect" music video in 2011.

In 2022, Majorino opened up about her mental health struggles for the "My Good Day Face" series on Mental.

Aaron Ruell (Kip)

Everett Collection; Araya Diaz/WireImage)

As Napoleon's older brother, Kip went out of his way to try and make his lil' bro jealous of his skills when it came to chatting up "babes" online. After his scene-stealing role, Ruell focused on behind-the-camera work, writing and directing 2005's Everything's Gone Green before lending his voice to 2012's Napoleon Dynamite series and acting in the 2017 miniseries Fathers Support Group.

Shondrella Avery (Lafawnduh)

Fox Searchlight; Araya Diaz/WireImage

Avery played the one "babe" Kip met online who decided to meet up in real life — and they promptly tied the knot. (Their interaction launched a thousand gifs before gifs were a thing.)

Avery also played the role of Candy Taylor on the TV series One on One and reprised it for the spin-off Cuts. She appeared in 2016's Boy Bye and several TV movies.

Jon Gries (Uncle Rico)

Everette Collection/Araya Diaz/WireImage

Napoleon's nostalgic, morally ambiguous Uncle Rico swooped in to look after him and Kip after their grandma was injured in an ATV accident, and took over their lives with his footballs and time-machine dreams.

Gries had previosly starred in a number of films, including Men in Black. On television, he has played Roger Linus on Lost as well as Dr. Roberts on Dream Corp LLC. He has also appeared on HBO's The White Lotus.

Sandy Martin (Grandma)

MTV; Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic

Martin played the sassy, fun-loving Grandma with a pet llama who just wanted Napoleon to fix his own dang quesadillas. Since then, Martin reunited with her costar Majorino for the TV series Big Love and made a notable appearance as Mac's mom on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

She has also acted in films, including Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and contributed voice work to Luca.

Diedrich Bader (Rex)

Fox Searchlight; Amanda Edwards/Getty Images)

Heder previously told PEOPLE, "My favorite scene from the movie has always been the Rex-Kwon-Do scene," where comedian Bader gives the brothers a lesson in image. Bader ditched the pants but kept up his steady streak of roles, having already appeared on over 200 episodes of The Drew Carey Show as Oswald Lee Harvey from 1995 to 2004.

After Dynamite made it big (grossing $44 million at the box office), Bader focused largely on voice work, with roles on animated series like Monsters vs. Aliens, Phineas and Ferb, BoJack Horseman and Harley Quinn. He's since returned to the screen, with the role of Bill Ericsson on Veep and a turn on American Housewife.

Haylie Duff (Summer)

Everette Collection; Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic

As Summer, Duff portrayed the quintessential high school mean girl: pretty, popular and particularly shallow. She went on to appear in several music videos and commercials alongside younger sister Hilary Duff before landing the role of Sandy Jameson in 7th Heaven. After acting in a number of TV movies, she starred in her own cooking show, The Real Girl's Kitchen. Duff went on to release her first cookbook in 2013, and has since welcomed two children with fiancé Matt Rosenberg.