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Believe it or not, you've seen this man's face before.
One man has graced the big screen as an extra, mostly in the background of classic comedies, since making a name for himself in Hollywood in the early 2000s. That name is Jesse Heiman, and while he’s definitely not a household name, in the world of being an extra he most certainly is. In fact, he’s been labelled ‘The World’s Greatest Extra’ and with over 100 acting credits to his name, we definitely believe it.
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Heiman has played different background characters in films starring Jason Biggs, Ryan Reynolds and Tobey Maguire, he has often played a high school student.
Now 44 years old, Heiman also has a long list of TV credits, including background appearances in The Big Bang Theory and Arrested Development among many others and his infamous GoDaddy Super Bowl commercial for which he made out with supermodel Bar Refaeli.
Now, let's take a look at some of Heiman's best background role:
American Pie 2 (2001) – ...as a musical instrument-playing student
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After heading to Hollywood in the early 2000s and being persuaded to be a background actor by his roommate after losing his job, Heiman’s first big break came as the role of ‘Petey’, a trombone player in the 2001 American Pie sequel. Heiman can be seen briefly practicing his instrument while sitting on the rear opening of a school bus.
The sequel stars Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott, Chris Klein, Alyson Hannigan, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Shannon Elizabeth and Tara Reid as they embark on a trip revolving around band camp.
Van Wilder (2002) – as another student
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Although this comedy is known for being the a breakout role for Ryan Reynolds as a college student who is cut off from his dad and must pay his own way to graduate, Heiman also makes an appearance. The background actor can be seen as a student, ‘Student on couch', in particular.
Spider-Man (2002) – ...as a shocked high school student
The same year he appeared in the background of Van Wilder, Heiman entered the Marvel universe in the beloved big screen adaptation of Spider-Man, starring Tobey Maguire. Peter Parker is bullied at school and after getting his powers from a pesky spider, he uses them to get the upper hand, with both Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) and Heiman watching.
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Old School (2003) – as a party-obsessed frat member
In this film, Heiman is one of the pledges for the fraternity featured in the comedy, which stars Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn and Will Ferrell. The trio play middle-aged friends who want to start their own fraternity so they can all go out partying and Heiman is seen throughout the film.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) – ...as a theatre audience member
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Heiman has a fairly important role in this rom-com – at least when it comes to background acting, that is. The film stars Jason Segel and Kristen Bell alongside Mila Kunis and Russell Brand who all collide at a beautiful resort in Hawaii. Segel’s character Peter has been secretly working on a Dracula musical which comes to life at the end of the film, with Heiman playing the an audience member watching the world’s most famous vampire.
The Social Network (2010) – ...as a regular Harvard student
Heiman added another student role to his list of credits in this film about the creation of Facebook. Set at Harvard University, Heiman plays one of the students in a classroom auditorium. Starring Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg and Andrew Garfield as Eduardo Saverin, the drama follows their time at the prestigious college in 2003 as they created what would become a ground-breaking social media site.
When he’s not in the background of your favourite movies and TV shows, Heiman works as a Lyft driver, which he enjoys ‘very much’ as ‘good secondary income’ before the covid pandemic, according to an interview with Vice.
He even gets recognised sometimes when out on the job. Sometimes I get recognized on the street, at a shopping mall, or a movie theatre,” he shared in 2021. “Sometimes I work for Lyft as a side gig, and people are like, ‘Hey, aren't you that guy from that thing?’ I don’t mind being recognized; I’m very appreciative."
Topics: Film and TV
Gregory Robinson