The Daily Think

I COULD THROW A FOOTBALL OVER THAT MOUNTAIN

Uncle Rico, Lazlo Hollyfield, Desperate Wolfman, evil Criminal Mastermind in HBO’s White Lotus, Jon Gries’s amazing acting run from the 1970’s to today continues to bring a joyful smile to fans of his work. Instantly recognizable as that guy with that sly trickster like Loki smile and unique look that makes you name him immediately as “that guy” or “Lazlo Buddy” Jon has an amazing body of work putting him in some of Hollywood’s elite circles. Let’s just focus on the list of greats (to me.)

THE REAL GENIUS

Lazlo Hollyfield was an eccentric and peace-loving genius who was living in Val Kilmer’s closet turned underground lair and provided the key element of morality to the young genius’s who were enlightened by the silent genius portrayed by Jon. SPOILER: Young Mitch (Gabe Jarrett) and Chris (Val Kilmer) discover that their teacher turned their genius into a weapon and with Lazlo’s help they get revenge and sabotage the project. Through his portrayal, Gries injected the character with a sense of charm, quirkiness, and depth, leaving a lasting impression on viewers. With Jon on board, Real Genius became one of the quintessential gems of the 1980’s!

HORROR MOVIE – WOLF VAMPIRE COMBO ROLES?

Continuing his 1980’s arc, we turn to 2 films that we truly love and Jon Gries contributed mightily to. In the Universal’s Monster series release in 1987’s Monster Squad, Jon played an unknown desperate man begging to be locked up during the full moon. Despite having a few scenes in the film, when you see him in the role you know instantly who it is! And as memorable as the actor is, he quotes the line of all poor afflicted Wolfmen as he says “Thank you” to Rudy for ending his curse. Take a leap 2 years later to the eagerly anticipated release of Fright Night 2, Jon appears again as some sort of wolf/vampire hybrid creature that enjoys drinking blood, bowling, dating coeds, and has a second death as a movie monster with a “bullseye dude” death quote. So the 1980’s were good to Jon!

BACK IN MY DAY, I COULD’VE GONE PRO

Fast forward through the 90’s, we can skip the Men in Black and Get Shorty and another 20-30 credited roles, we enter the UNCLE RICO phase. Jon joined the cast of Napoleon Dynamite and instantly became one of the more memorable characters. His touch of nostalgia for high school football tapped into millions of American men who failed to go onto football careers. 100’s of T-Shirts later with Uncle Rico references get printed, and Jon enters the “LEGEND” phase of his career. He plays the out of place, time has passed me by character, only to end with some redemption in the promise of a new relationship by film’s end. But we happen to think he is still holding onto that dream of getting drafted by the Denver Broncos.

THE WHITE LOTUS IS CALLING YOU

Jon’s more recent roles have found him as the elder yet skinny guy without hair, but retaining that memorable Loki smile of his. When you watch Season 1 of White Lotus you instantly recall all his previous roles and you may not know his real name, but maybe one of his character names or types comes up in your mind. His recurring role of Greg Hunt in White Lotus allowed him into those prestige TV circles that win awards and get accolades. Appearing in Season 2 of White Lotus as well, he still has one of the biggest unanswered questions in regards to his marriage with Jennifer Coolidge. He deserved an everyday role and we were personally glad to see him as part of the cast!

LAZLO FOREVER

After 50 years of acting from the 1970’s Incredible Hulk series, to Seinfeld episodes, CSI’s, Law and Orders, White Lotus’s we salute the character actor of Jon Gries. He will be a staple of the 1980’s film culture having cemented his place in several legendary roles and continued to build on his career with a 21st century role that defined a generation of men. Lazlo Buddy, you’ve earned your time in the sun, continue to bask at one of the lovely White Lotus resorts around the world my friend.