Jeff Wheeler

Jeff was born in the American mountain west. At a young age, the mountains surrounding Denver had a profound impact on his development, and showed through to his early work. He began as a sketch artist and clay potter, winning acclaim and an increasing share of fridge space as his older siblings got older and less cute. His parents, Fran and LeAnn Wheeler, were tireless supporters throughout this early artistic development stage. As Jeff gained traction in his artistic career, they proudly bought 10-15 copies of his movie and gave it to everyone he was related to. Jeff's big breakthrough came as he was a freshman at BYU, a small college nestled in the Rocky Mountains. He was discovered by his dorm's RA, who offered free food in exchange for days of sitting on site and skipping class. After one particularly cold day sitting in the foothills near Alpine, Utah, Jeff was selected to run through the snow on camera. After only two filming sessions, his work was enshrined in cinematographic history forever: Saints and Soldiers was an instant box office success, driven at least in part by Jeff's devoted parents to exceed the $1mm mark. Following critical acclaim of his breakthrough role, movie directors including James Pierce, Elise McKenna, and other luminaries of the Manhattan Upper West Side tried to lure him back onto the silver screen, but Jeff decided to retire to the Harold B Lee Library and return to his studies. Today, Jeff can often be found reading and hiking in the mountains he loves, especially in foreign countries.