Jerusha Hess, American Filmmaker Known for 'Napoleon Dynamite' and 'Austenland

Jerusha Elizabeth Hess (née Demke), born May 12, 1980 in Omaha, Nebraska, is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and filmmaker. She co‑wrote the cult comedy *Napoleon Dynamite* (2004) with her husband Jared Hess, and later contributed to *Nacho Libre*, *Gentlemen Broncos*, *Don Verdean* and *Thelma the Unicorn*. Hess made her directorial debut with the romantic comedy *Austenland* (2013), which premiered at Sundance, and directed the Academy Award‑nominated animated short *Ninety‑Five Senses* (2022). She married filmmaker Jared Hess in 2005 and the couple have two children. Her estimated net worth is about $4 million.