Overlay: Oldest cast member of Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

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Errors	Missing	Unverified	Supported
0	0	0	10

How were these counts calculated?

Counts based on original analysis categories (not yet classified).

Errors = Critical Errors + Imprecisions

Missing = Critical Omissions + Notable Gaps

#Q ORIGINAL QUESTION

Regarding the film Napoleon Dynamite (2004), who was the oldest cast member at time of filming, how old were they, and what was their role?

#M ANNOTATED LLM RESPONSE

The oldest cast member of Napoleon Dynamite (2004) at the time of filming was Dale Critchlow, who played the role of Lyle (commonly known as Farmer Lyle).

Specific Details:

Cast Member: Dale Critchlow
Role: Lyle, the neighbor and local farmer. He is most famous for the scene where he shoots a cow in a pasture right as a school bus full of children drives by. He also has a memorable scene eating an egg sandwich while talking to Napoleon about finding "Shoshone arrowheads" by the "crick."
Age at Time of Filming: Critchlow was born on October 27, 1929. Since the film was shot in the summer of 2003 (July and August) in Preston, Idaho, he was 73 years old during production.

Context and Comparison:

Unlike the professional actors brought in for the film (such as Jon Gries or Diedrich Bader), Dale Critchlow was a local resident of Preston. Director Jared Hess discovered him after Critchlow's wife called Hess's mother to ask for help with some sheep; Hess was so impressed by Critchlow's unique personality and speech pattern that he cast him in the film.

Critchlow was significantly older than other senior members of the cast:

Thedora Petterborg (the school secretary, also a local): Born May 15, 1937 (age 66 at filming).
Sandy Martin (Grandma Carlinda Dynamite): Born March 3, 1949 (age 54 at filming).
Jon Gries (Uncle Rico): Born June 17, 1957 (age 46 at filming).

Dale Critchlow passed away on February 18, 2022, at the age of 92.

#F CORRECTION FEED (CLICK TO SEARCH)

[1] Dale Critchlow (born Oct 27, 1929) was the oldest credited cast member. The next oldest was Thedora Petterborg (born 1937).

[2] Dale Critchlow is credited as Lyle.

[3] The scene involves Lyle shooting a cow in front of a school bus. This is a verified plot point.

[4] Lyle eats a sandwich (often identified as egg salad) during the scene where he discusses finding 'Shoshone arrowheads' by the 'crick'.

[5] Born Oct 27, 1929. Filming occurred in July 2003. Age calculation: 73 years old.

[6] Critchlow was a local Preston resident. The discovery story involving the sheep and Hess's mother is confirmed by interviews.

[7] Thedora Petterborg was born May 15, 1937. She was 66 in 2003.

[8] Sandy Martin was born March 3, 1949. She was 54 in 2003.

[9] Jon Gries was born June 17, 1957. He was 46 in 2003.

[10] Dale Critchlow died Feb 18, 2022, at age 92.

#O MISSED POINTS & OVERSIGHTS

No oversights detected.

#C RELATED QUERIES

#01 Who was the youngest cast member in Napoleon Dynamite?

#02 Did Dale Critchlow act in any other movies?

#03 Is the cow shooting scene in Napoleon Dynamite real?

#S SOURCES

fandom.com seattlepi.com lordmayorreflects.london

#R ORIGINAL AI RESPONSE

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The oldest cast member of *Napoleon Dynamite* (2004) at the time of filming was **Dale Critchlow**, who played the role of **Lyle** (commonly known as Farmer Lyle). ### **Specific Details:** * **Cast Member:** Dale Critchlow * **Role:** Lyle, the neighbor and local farmer. He is most famous for the scene where he shoots a cow in a pasture right as a school bus full of children drives by. He also has a memorable scene eating an egg sandwich while talking to Napoleon about finding "Shoshone arrowheads" by the "crick." * **Age at Time of Filming:** Critchlow was born on **October 27, 1929**. Since the film was shot in the **summer of 2003** (July and August) in Preston, Idaho, he was **73 years old** during production. ### **Context and Comparison:** Unlike the professional actors brought in for the film (such as Jon Gries or Diedrich Bader), Dale Critchlow was a local resident of Preston. Director **Jared Hess** discovered him after Critchlow's wife called Hess's mother to ask for help with some sheep; Hess was so impressed by Critchlow's unique personality and speech pattern that he cast him in the film. Critchlow was significantly older than other senior members of the cast: * **Thedora Petterborg** (the school secretary, also a local): Born May 15, 1937 (**age 66** at filming). * **Sandy Martin** (Grandma Carlinda Dynamite): Born March 3, 1949 (**age 54** at filming). * **Jon Gries** (Uncle Rico): Born June 17, 1957 (**age 46** at filming). Dale Critchlow passed away on February 18, 2022, at the age of 92.

#A DIRECT ANSWER (VERIFIED ANALYSIS)

▼

The oldest cast member of Napoleon Dynamite (2004) was Dale Critchlow (1929–2022), who played Lyle (the farmer). Born on October 27, 1929, he was 73 years old during the film's production in the summer of 2003. A local resident of Preston, Idaho, rather than a professional actor, Critchlow was discovered by director Jared Hess during a neighborly dispute involving sheep. He was significantly older than the next oldest cast members, Thedora Petterborg (Secretary, age 66) and Sandy Martin (Grandma, age 54).

OVERLAY REPORT