Zachary Gordon
American actor (born 1998)
Zachary Adam Gordon (born February 15, 1998) is an American actor. He is known for his lead role as Greg Heffley in the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" film series (2010–2012), which earned him nominations for a Kids' Choice Award and seven Young Artist Awards. His other lead film roles include "Huevos: Little Rooster's Egg-cellent Adventure" (2016) and "Dreamcatcher" (2021). He has had notable supporting roles in films such as "Georgia Rule" (2007), ' (2008), "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone" (2013), ' (2020), and "Violet" (2021).
In television, Gordon had a lead voice role as Gil on the Nickelodeon series "Bubble Guppies" (2011–2013). His live-action recurring roles include Jason Cohen on the Freeform series "Dead of Summer" (2016), and Tate Wilson on the Freeform drama series "Good Trouble" (2019–2020).
Early life.
Gordon was born in Oak Park, California, to Linda and Kenneth Gordon. He has two older brothers and was raised in Southern California. Gordon graduated from Oak Park High School in his hometown.
Career.
Gordon has made multiple television appearances on programs such as "How I Met Your Mother" and "All of Us". He also appeared in the 2008 pilot of "Desperate Housewives", plus two other episodes, and in two episodes of "24" that aired in January 2009. Gordon appeared in three episodes as a guest star on "Last Man Standing", where he played Mike Baxter's daughter's boyfriend.
Gordon's film credits include "Sex and Death 101", "Lower Learning", the Garry Marshall film "Georgia Rule" (for which he won the Young Artist Award for his portrayal of Ethan), "The Brothers Bloom", as young Bloom, and in "".
Gordon has been credited with numerous voice over roles including Brad Spolyt in "The Chubbchubbs Save Xmas", Ricky Garcia in "Project Gilroy", San San in Nick Jr.'s "Ni Hao, Kai-Lan" and "The Mighty B!" He was a series regular as the original voice of Gil in the Nickelodeon series "Bubble Guppies".
Gordon had voice cameo roles as Baby Melman in the animated film "", Kotaro in "Afro Samurai: Resurrection", and young Tony Stark in "The Super Hero Squad Show". In 2010, he played Greg Heffley in the film "Diary of a Wimpy Kid". In 2011, he voiced Papi Jr. in "Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2" and as Paws in Disney's "The Search for Santa Paws".
In June 2010, 20th Century Fox announced a sequel to "Diary of a Wimpy Kid"; Gordon returned as Greg Heffley and the film, "", was released on March 25, 2011.
In 2011, Gordon provided voices for Charlie Brown, Linus, and Franklin on the comedy show "Robot Chicken", and in 2012, he reprised the role of Greg Heffley in '. In the fourth film, ', he was replaced by Jason Drucker. In October 2013, Gordon was chosen to host a miniseries for Nintendo, titled "Skylander's Boomcast", on YouTube channel SkylandersGame, reviewing and talking about the video game series "Skylanders". In April 2023, it was announced Gordon would be the new voice of Tighnari in "Genshin Impact", replacing Elliot Gindi.
Additional films for 2013 included "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone" and a role as Pete Kidder in Walden Media's and Hallmark Channel's "Pete's Christmas".
Personal life.
He is Jewish.
In May 2023, Gordon stated on social media that he had lost his voice due to torn muscles in his throat, causing his acting career to be put on hold.
References.
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />

Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010 film)
2010 film by Thor Freudenthal
Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a 2010 American comedy film directed by Thor Freudenthal and based on Jeff Kinney's 2007 book of the same name. The film stars Zachary Gordon, Robert Capron, Devon Bostick, Rachael Harris, Steve Zahn, and Chloë Grace Moretz.
20th Century Fox released the film theatrically in the United States on March 19, 2010, receiving mixed reviews from critics and grossing $76 million worldwide against a $15 million budget.
The film spawned a film franchise and was followed by three sequels: ' (2011), ' (2012), and ' (2017). An animated reboot of the same name was released in 2021, which was followed by two sequels of its own: a (2022) and ' (2023). A book detailing the film's creation process, titled "The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary", was released on March 16, 2010.
Plot.
Preteen Greg Heffley illustrates his daily life in a diary. He says he is writing in one for when he is "rich and famous", but is in middle school for now. Greg lives with his parents, Susan and Frank, his spoiled younger brother, Manny, and his older brother, Rodrick, who torments Greg. On Greg's first day of middle school, he quickly discovers the ups and downs, such as the missing stall doors in the boys' bathroom and the difficulties of obtaining a seat during lunch. During physical education, Greg and his childish best friend, Rowley Jefferson, escape from a game of Gladiator and meet Angie Steadman, a seventh-grader who isolates herself from the other students to "survive". They also notice a moldy piece of cheese on the basketball court. When Greg almost touches it, their friend, Chirag Gupta, tells them that whoever touches it gets "The Cheese Touch", where they become a social outcast due to everyone being disgusted by that person because they touched the cheese, and that the only way to get rid of "The Cheese Touch" is to pass it on to someone else by touching them. Greg states his intention of becoming the most popular student in school, as well as earning a place in the school yearbook as a class favorite, only for several of his attempts to fail.
On Halloween, when Greg and Rowley go out trick-or-treating, a group of teenage boys drive by in a pickup truck, and spray a fire extinguisher at them. When Greg threatens to call the police, the boys chase him and Rowley to Greg's grandmother's house, but the latter two escape them after Greg accidentally damages their truck with a weed eater.
The boys join the Safety Patrol team at school in another effort to become popular and try out for a contest that offers a student a chance to become the cartoonist for the school paper. When Greg accidentally breaks Rowley's arm, during a dangerous game the duo invented, Rowley becomes extremely popular and wins the cartoonist contest, making Greg envious of him. During a Safety Patrol assignment, Greg walks kindergartners down a neighborhood street without Rowley, but panics when he encounters a truck identical to the teenagers' from Halloween and hides himself and the kids in a construction zone. He is then confronted by a neighbor who mistakes him for Rowley, having borrowed Rowley's coat, forcing him to abandon the kindergarteners and flee. To his bewilderment, Rowley is suspended from Safety Patrol, but Greg eventually confesses his guilt to him, foolishly offering it as a joke and saying that they could both learn "lessons" from the incident. Distraught and angered over Greg's mistreatment of him, Rowley ends their friendship. When the truth soon comes to light, Greg is fired from the service while Rowley is reinstated as captain and befriends their classmate, Collin, who replaces Greg as Rowley's best friend. Greg attempts to pursue popularity without Rowley, but those efforts also fail. Greg tries to reconcile with Rowley while attending the Mother and Son Sweetheart Dance at his school with Susan, but lies to Rowley about missing him when he notices he is with Collin.
One day after school, Greg and Rowley confront each other in rage and a circle of students encourages them to fight. However, neither of them are good at fighting. The teenagers from Halloween arrive at the scene and force Rowley to eat part of the cheese after the other kids, except for Greg, are chased inside the school. They flee the scene when the school's physical education teacher, Coach Eduardo Malone, arrives, but when the other kids come back out and notice the cheese has been eaten, Greg takes the blame to save Rowley's reputation, and they reconcile. At the end of the school year, Greg and Rowley make the yearbook class favorites page as "Cutest Friends".
Production.
An adaptation of the first "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" novel was announced in 2008, with Thor Freudenthal signing on as director in December 2008. In July 2009, Zachary Gordon was cast in the lead role of Greg Heffley. Rachael Harris also signed on for the role of Susan Heffley, Greg's mother. In August 2009, Steve Zahn was cast as Frank Heffley, Greg's father. In the same month, Devon Bostick and Robert Capron were cast as Rodrick Heffley and Rowley Jefferson, respectively. Filming began on August 12, 2009.
Visual effects.
The mold for the Cheese was completely digital. Filmmakers left a real square of cheese outside for a few days inside a wire cage to keep animals out and sunlight in, and after this, a piece of cheese was made out of silicone and had mold effects added using CGI.
The animated sequences were not 2D animated, but in fact made with 3D animation. The animated sequences were first animated in 3D, and then rendered in a rough sketch shader to make them look 2D.
Release.
Tie-in book.
A tie-in book, written by Kinney, called "The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary", was published on March 16, 2010, by Amulet Books (an imprint of Abrams Books). It includes film stills, storyboards, preliminary concept drawings and also behind-the-scenes information to humorously chronicle the making of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid", ', and '. It also includes some new illustrations.
Home media.
The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on August 3, 2010. The Blu-ray version features six pages from Rowley's diary, "Diary of an Awesome, Friendly Kid". It was released on the streaming service Disney+ on November 12, 2019; its launch date.
Reception.
Critical response.
Review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 55% based on 106 reviews and an average rating of 5.5/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Unlike its bestselling source material, "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" fails to place a likable protagonist at the center of its middle-school humor – and its underlying message is drowned out as a result." It also holds a rating of 56 out of 100 at Metacritic, based on 26 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audience surveyed by CinemaScore gave this film an "A-."
Roger Ebert gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four, writing "It's nimble, bright and funny. It doesn't dumb down. It doesn't patronize. It knows something about human nature." Glenn Whipp of the "Associated Press" was less positive, saying, "In transferring the clean, precise humor of Kinney's illustrations and prose to the big-screen, the material loses just a bit of its charm." "At the Movies" host David Stratton gave the film one star while co-host Margaret Pomeranz gave it half a star. Stratton called the film "tiresome" and said there was "nothing remotely interesting in Thor Freudenthal's direction or the screenplay." Pomeranz disliked the character of Greg Heffley, saying "I really thought he was unpleasant. I did not want to spend time with him. I could not wait for the end of this film."
OregonLive.com gave the film a C+ grade, criticizing it for being "too often dull, unappealing and clumsy, hobbled by unnecessary changes and inventions that add no charm, energy or, truly, point."
Box office.
Despite a lack of distinctive marketing, "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" drew a decent crowd, opening to $22.1 million on approximately 3,400 screens at 3,077 sites, in second place at the weekend box office behind "Alice in Wonderland" but beating out the heavily hyped "The Bounty Hunter". It was the biggest start ever for a non-animated, non-fantasy children's book adaptation. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" grossed more in its first three days than other film adaptions to children's novels like "How to Eat Fried Worms" and "Hoot" grossed in their entire runs. The film grossed $64,003,625 in North America and $11,696,873 in other territories for a worldwide total of $75,700,498.
Expanded franchise.
Sequels.
Three sequels were released in 2011, 2012 and 2017 respectively. ' was released on March 25, 2011. It was based on the second book in the series, '. Zachary Gordon reprised his role in the film. ' was released on August 3, 2012, and is based on ' and ', including scenes from both books. An animated short film, ', was released along with the DVD of "Dog Days". A film based on "" was released in May 2017 and features a new cast starring Jason Drucker, Alicia Silverstone, and Tom Everett Scott, but received generally negative reviews.
Animated reboot and sequels.
An animated reboot directed by Swinton Scott was released on Disney+ on December 3, 2021. Unlike the other films, this was the first "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" film to be animated fully in computer-generated imagery and features Greg and the characters in colors. Originally set as an adaptation of "" by Kinney, it was re-announced in 2018 as an animated series but switched to a CGI movie in 2019. It stars Brady Noon, Ethan William Childress, and Chris Diamantopoulos.
References.
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />

Greg Heffley
Fictional character in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series
Gregory "Greg" Heffley is a fictional character in the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" franchise, serving as the antiheroic main protagonist and unreliable narrator of the books, online series, and multimedia franchise. He was created by Jeff Kinney, and portrayed by Zachary Gordon and Jason Drucker in the first three films and the fourth film, respectively.
Characteristics and role.
Greg was originally conceptualized in early 1998, after creator Jeff Kinney struggled to become a newspaper cartoonist. In all of his appearances, Greg is portrayed as a self-righteous narcissist, who has little-to-no moral compass, is only looking out for himself, and has an obsession with becoming rich and famous. He steals, lies, cheats, and is a bully to the few less popular than him at Westmore Middle School. Greg is obsessed with his social status, but is bullied by the bigger students at his school and his older teenage brother, Rodrick. He often mistreats his best and only friend, Rowley, for being wimpy and socially inept, despite Rowley having a happy family and life. Greg receives bad grades in school, is addicted to video games, especially the fictional "Twisted Wizard", and loves junk food. Despite these negative traits, he does show humanity, sensitivity, and care for those he loves.
Because of these qualities, internet users began to question if Greg was a sociopath. Jeff Kinney stated:
<templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" />Greg is recording his life at a time when he shouldn't be recording. It's right when he's not a fully formed person, and I think that people that give Greg a label are sort of missing the joke. Right off the bat, Greg says, "One day when I'm rich and famous, I won't have time to answer people's stupid questions." Whatever that is – I'm not sure how you label that – it's misguided. It's a little bit cocksure. But I don't think it's anything worse than that.
Kinney, on separate occasions, has also clarified that Greg is supposed to represent an average and normal selfish middle schooler. Kinney never intended to write books for children, which is why Greg is a complicated and flawed character. Kinney has also denied the sociopath theories stating he always saw Greg as an "accurate kid" and people who give him that distinction are "missing the joke".
Film appearances.
In the original trilogy of the film series adaptations, Greg was portrayed by actor Zachary Gordon. In the film adaptation of "" however, Greg was instead portrayed by Jason Drucker. After the film series was given a reboot during the acquisition of 21st Century Fox, Greg was voiced by Brady Noon in the animated adaptation of the first book and its . He was voiced by Wesley Kimmel in the .
Reception.
Due to Greg's narcissistic and selfish traits, some parents began to question if Greg was a negative influence on kids. In 2008, Aish called the character "totally diabolical" and that parents should avoid the series at all costs. In Texas in October 2018, Greg's bad morals and pessimistic world view challenged the book to be banned. Tidy Books wrote that Greg never learned from his lessons and rarely gets punished or gives sincere apologies, and that the writing is too subtle for kids to realize that he is doing the wrong thing and is an unreliable narrator. Some, such as reviewer Declan Rowles, have criticized the disapproval against the character, stating that the series doesn't glorify Greg's behavior and the majority of children understand that.
His film counterpart was given similar reception as Rotten Tomatoes has said that Greg is an "unlikable protagonist". Margaret Pomeranz disliked the character of Greg Heffley, saying "I really thought he was unpleasant. I did not want to spend time with him. I couldn't wait for the end of this film." However, reception to the character improved since the first film and in her review of the film, Abby West of "Entertainment Weekly" wrote that "though often self-centered and conniving, Greg remains a likeable kid".
Greg's character has also garnered widespread acclaim for his relatability and anti-hero status.
In a review, Sebastian Hall for "Cherwell" remarked that Greg embodied the disillusionment and irony characteristic of modern comic heroes. Hall argued that Greg's self-delusion and hubris, such as his attempts to belittle Rowley Jefferson or his misguided pursuit of popularity, is central to the series' humor. He compares Greg's struggles with contemporary issues, like technology clashes and commercialism, to literary figures like Adrian Mole and Gordon Comstock, portraying him as a voice of modern frustrations.
References.
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />

Diary of a Wimpy Kid (film series)
Family comedy film series
Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a series of family comedy films based on the book series of the same name by Jeff Kinney. It consists of four live action films and three animated films.
Films.
Live-action films.
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" (2010).
Principal production began on August 12, 2009, and was completed on October 16, 2009. The film was directed by Thor Freudenthal and starred Zachary Gordon as Greg Heffley, Robert Capron as Rowley Jefferson, Rachael Harris as Susan Heffley, Steve Zahn as Frank Heffley, Devon Bostick as Rodrick Heffley, Connor and Owen Fielding as Manny Heffley, Chloë Grace Moretz as Angie Steadman, Grayson Russell as Fregley, Laine MacNeil as Patty Farrell, and Karan Brar as Chirag Gupta. It was the only film in the series to be directed by Freudenthal. The musical score was composed by Theodore Shapiro. It received mixed reviews from critics. It was released on March 19, 2010, as it moved up from a previously scheduled April 2 release date.
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules" (2011).
Based on the second book, "Rodrick Rules", with elements from "The Last Straw". Principal photography began on August 23, 2010, and was completed on October 27, 2010, with filming taking place in Vancouver and New Westminster. The film was directed by David Bowers, with Zachary Gordon reprising his role as Greg Heffley. New main characters include Holly Hills (Peyton List), Grandpa (Terence Kelly), and Bill Walter (Fran Kranz). Edward Shearmur composes the original score for the film. It also received mixed reviews from critics. It was released on March 25, 2011.
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days" (2012).
Based on the third book "The Last Straw" and the fourth book "Dog Days", the film was directed by David Bowers and features the same familiar cast of characters, introducing a few new ones, and also focusing on lesser characters not elaborated on in previous films, including Frank Heffley (Steve Zahn), Mr. Jefferson (Alf Humphreys) and Holly Hills (Peyton List). The film is the last one to feature the original cast, as they had outgrown their roles after filming wrapped. It also received mixed reviews from critics. It was released on August 3, 2012.
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul" (2017).
Featuring an entirely new cast, the plot follows Greg and his brother, Rodrick, unwillingly being taken on a family road trip to their great-grandmother's house for her 90th birthday party. Greg sees this as an opportunity to meet his Internet idol, Mac Digby, and get people to forget about him being dubbed as a meme known as "Diaper Hands". The film was panned by critics and audiences, with most of the criticism aimed at the casting change. It was released on May 19, 2017.
Animated reboot films.
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" (2021).
In August 2018, 20th Century Fox CEO Stacey Snider announced that a fully animated television series based on "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" was in development. On August 6, 2019, after the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney, the project was confirmed to be still in development for their streaming service, Disney+.
In December 2020, the project was confirmed to have been redeveloped as an animated film. On September 2, 2021, Disney officially confirmed that the new movie would be simply titled "Diary of a Wimpy Kid", and would be released on December 3, 2021. The movie is a re-adaptation of the first book and the characters appear similar in design to their appearances in the book series. The first trailer was officially released in October 2021. Unlike the previous films, which were produced by 20th Century Fox, this film was produced by Walt Disney Pictures, although it was originally in production at 20th Century Animation.
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules" (2022).
On October 23, 2021, ahead of the first film's release, Jeff Kinney revealed that sequels are already in development. For Disney+ Day, Kinney revealed that the sequel, based on "", was released on December 2, 2022. Unlike the first animated film, a copyright notice at the end of the trailer indicates that 20th Century Studios has involvement in the film.
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever" (2023).
On September 8, 2023, it was announced that a Disney+ film based on the sixth book, "Cabin Fever", released on December 8, 2023.
Future.
Jeff Kinney stated that he intends to adapt all books into animated features for Disney+. An animated film based on "The Last Straw" is currently in development.
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Class Clown" short film.
An animated short film set after the events of the third film, titled "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Class Clown", was included on the home media release of "Dog Days" in 2012. The short is told through Greg's point-of-view as he explains his humorous experience and why he deserves the title of Class Clown. Zachary Gordon reprises his role as Greg Heffley along with other cast members voicing their characters from the films in minor roles.
Canceled TV special.
In 2012, Jeff Kinney, the author of the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" books, announced the possibility for an animated film to be based on ' as the next installment. In an interview for ', Kinney stated he was working with FOX on a half-hour special based on "Cabin Fever", which was scheduled to air in late-2014. The special was meant to be an animated production developed at 20th Century Fox Animation, and had begun development while Kinney worked on the live-action films. Nothing regarding the special ever materialized. A separate adaptation was eventually released in 2023 as "".
Recurring cast and characters.
<templatestyles src="Cast indicator/styles.css"/>
List indicators
This section includes .* An empty grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's official presence has not yet been confirmed.*  E indicates an appearance not included in the theatrical cut.*  O indicates an older version of the character.*  U indicates an uncredited appearance.*  V indicates a voice-only role.*  Y indicates a younger version of the character.
References.
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />

Diary of a Wimpy Kid (book)
2007 novel by Jeff Kinney
Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a children's illustrated novel written and illustrated by Jeff Kinney. It is the first book in the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series. The book is about a boy named Greg Heffley and his attempts to become popular in his first year of middle school.
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" first appeared on FunBrain in 2004, where it was read 20 million times. The abridged hardcover adaptation was released on April 1, 2007. The book was named a "New York Times" bestseller, among other awards and received generally positive reviews. The book was adapted into a live action feature film, which released on March 19, 2010, and an animated film adaptation was released on Disney+ on December 3, 2021.
Plot.
The protagonist Greg Heffley, a student at Larry Mack Junior Middle School, writes a diary to detail his time "stuck in middle school with a bunch of morons" to a future audience reading when he is "rich and famous". Greg details the local myth surrounding a moldy piece of cheese that has been left at his school's basketball court for a long time. If someone touches the cheese, they have the curse-like "Cheese Touch" which makes them repellent to others; the victim is stuck with it until they pass it on by touching someone else. The last victim of the Cheese Touch has moved away to California, and Greg hopes nobody starts it up again.
Greg also talks about his best friend, Rowley Jefferson, characterizing him as immature or somewhat stupid, and that his [Greg's] ideas go "in one ear and out the other" with Rowley. At home, Greg is bullied by his older brother Rodrick, and resents his little brother, a toddler named Manny, who is spoiled and gets away with everything that Greg does not. Greg's father does not encourage his son's way of life—playing video games all day—and would rather Greg go outside and play sports.
Near Halloween, Greg writes that his father likes to hide in the bushes on Halloween night and drench teenagers that walk by their driveway with a trash can full of water. Greg and Rowley decide to make a haunted house after seeing the popularity of Crossland High School's haunted house, but they only end up profiting two dollars. On Halloween night, Greg and Rowley go trick-or-treating, but are challenged by a group of teenagers who spray them with a water-filled fire extinguisher. When they get home, they are soaked with a trash can full of water by Greg's father, who mistakes them for teenagers.
In Geography, Greg fails a test on state capitals after a girl named Patty Farrell reminds the teacher that he needs to cover the map of the United States that shows the state capitals. At home, Greg's mother forces him into auditioning for the school play (based on "The Wizard of Oz"). Greg lands the role of a tree, while Patty Farrell is cast as Dorothy, the protagonist of the novel. During the show's performance, Greg becomes too nervous to sing, confusing the other trees. Patty gets frustrated, and Greg starts throwing apples at her. The other trees join in, and the play eventually has to be shut down after Patty's glasses are broken. Greg's mother is disappointed, but Greg enjoyed getting back at Patty.
After getting bad presents for Christmas, Greg decides to play a game with Rowley in which Rowley must ride a Big Wheel down a hill while Greg tries to knock him off with a football. On one of Greg's tries, the ball goes under the front wheel, which causes Rowley to fall off and break his hand. When Rowley goes to school with a plaster cast, the girls take care of him (carrying his books, feeding him food), which makes Greg jealous.
Greg decides to join the Safety Patrols at his school, hoping that he will be able to control the other kids. He gets Rowley to sign up as well and enjoys the benefits of being a Safety Patrol, such as getting free hot chocolate. He tries to get a spot in the school's newspaper as a cartoonist and teams up with Rowley. Greg comes up with a strip called "Zoo-Wee Mama!", and he and Rowley produce a number of strips. Eventually, Greg starts wanting to do other strips, but Rowley wants to continue with "Zoo-Wee Mama!"; Greg submits his comics to the teacher and ends up getting the cartoonist job. However, the teacher completely changes Greg's comic, even making his character a "curious student" instead of a "cretin."
After an incident where Greg chases some kindergartners with a worm on a stick and is mistaken for Rowley, Rowley gets suspended from the Safety Patrols for a week. However, after it is cleared up that Greg was the real culprit, Rowley is reinstated and promoted while Greg is dismissed.
Greg notices that the school year is coming to a close and tries to get on the yearbook's Class Favorites page. He plans to go for "Class Clown," but his plans do not work out. At lunch, he gets an issue of the school newspaper and learns that Rowley is the new cartoonist, with his "Zoo-Wee Mama!" strip left completely unchanged.
Greg confronts Rowley for not even listing him as co-creator and hogging all the fame. Rowley retaliates by saying that the "Zoo-Wee Mama!" comic was his idea and that Greg "had nothing to do with it." As they argue, the teenagers who chased them at Halloween appear and force Greg and Rowley to eat the Cheese. Greg gets out of it by falsely claiming to be allergic to dairy, while Rowley is forced to eat the whole thing. The next day, when everyone notices that the Cheese is gone, Greg takes the fall for Rowley and lies by saying that he threw it away. Greg reconciles with Rowley and lets people think that he has the Cheese Touch.
The book concludes with Greg getting his yearbook, seeing Rowley on the "Class Clown" page, and throwing it in the garbage. This means Greg now has the Cheese Touch, which carries on into the next book.
Background.
In May 2004, FunBrain and Jeff Kinney released an online version of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid". The website made daily entries from September of that year to June 2005. The online book became an instant hit, and had received approximately 20 million views by 2007. Many online readers requested a printed version. At the 2006 New York Comic Con Kinney proposed "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" to Charles Kochman, Editorial Director of the ComicArts division of Abrams Books, who purchased the rights to the book. According to Kochman, the two initially conceived it as a book for adults, believing it would appeal to audiences similar to that of the TV series "The Wonder Years". Kochman brought it before the Abrams publishing board, which convinced Kinney and Kochman that it would be better aimed toward children. In 2007, "Diary of a Wimpy Kid", an abridged version of the original online book, was published.
Main characters.
The main character, Greg, has trouble with family, friends, and his local middle school. He is very concerned about how popular he is at school, and he daydreams a lot about being rich and famous when he grows up. He tries to fit in at his school, but usually he does not succeed. Facing many challenges, Greg attempts to handle them very creatively, but unfortunately his antics often backfire on him.
Greg's best friend has a larger than average frame. He is always willing to do what Greg tells him, including dangerous stunts. Rowley goes on vacations all the time, which annoys Greg. Rowley is a loyal friend, but he sometimes behaves in an immature or childish manner. He also dresses in an unusual way.
Greg's "spoiled" little brother, a three-year-old toddler. He never gets in trouble no matter what, even when he really deserves it. Manny is not yet potty trained.
Rodrick is Greg's teenage brother and he never misses a chance to be cruel to Greg. He is known for sleeping excessively in the morning and for his rebellious attitude. Rodrick is part of a basement band (garage band in the movies) called "Löded Diper". Rodrick will do anything to embarrass Greg and will even cause problems for Manny to make everyone's life miserable.
Sequels.
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" is the first book in an ongoing franchise. A total of nineteen "Wimpy Kid" books have been released, the sequels to the first book are: ' (2008) which was listed on the "New York Times" Best Sellers list for 117 weeks, ' (2009) which was on the "New York Times" Best Sellers list for 65 weeks, peaking at number one, ' (2009) which was ranked at number one on the "New York Times" Best Sellers List for all 25 weeks of inclusion, making it the #1 best selling book of 2009, ' (2010), ' (2011), ' (2012), ' (2013), ' (2014), ' (2015), ' (2016), ' (2017), ' (2018)," " (2019), ' (2020), ' (2021), ' (2022), ' (2023), and (2024).
Reception.
The book won the Blue Peter Book Award 2012, revealed live on British kids channel CBBC on March 1, 2012. In 2012 it was ranked number 76 on a list of the top 100 children's novels published by "School Library Journal".
Adaptations.
A film adaptation, "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," was released by 20th Century Fox on March 19, 2010. The film stars Zachary Gordon as Greg Heffley, Robert Capron as Rowley Jefferson, Steve Zahn as Frank Heffley (Dad), Rachael Harris as Susan Heffley (Mom), Devon Bostick as Rodrick Heffley, Chloë Grace Moretz as Angie Steadman (a character exclusive to the live-action film), and Connor & Owen Fielding as Manny Heffley, Greg's brother. It would later go on to spawn three sequels.
Another film adaptation, this time animated, serving as a reboot of the film series was released on December 3, 2021 exclusively on Disney+.
References.
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />

List of Diary of a Wimpy Kid characters
Characters in Diary of a Wimpy Kid
The "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" franchise contains a large cast of characters. It centers on protagonist Greg Heffley, his best friend Rowley Jefferson, and Greg's family: his mother Susan, father Frank, and brothers Rodrick and Manny.
Main characters.
Greg Heffley.
Gregory "Greg" Heffley serves as the central character of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. He is depicted as the middle son of Frank and Susan Heffley, navigating the trials of middle school with an intense desire for popularity. This ambition often leads him to go to great lengths, including displaying antagonistic behavior or manipulating his best friend, Rowley. Despite these tendencies, Greg occasionally shows moments of kindness, suggesting a more complex personality beneath his relentless quest for social status.
In "", for instance, Greg persuades Rowley to do his homework, only to annoy him and impede Rowley's concentration, underscoring Greg's tendency to exploit his friend.
In the film adaptations, Greg is portrayed by Zachary Gordon in the first three films, Jason Drucker in ', and Brady Noon in the animated films until ', where Wesley Kimmel provides his voice.
Rowley Jefferson.
Rowley Jefferson is characterized to be Greg's best friend. Rowley is characterized as friendly, good-natured, and somewhat naive, remaining loyal to Greg despite frequently getting caught up in Greg’s schemes. In "", Rowley begins dating Abigail Brown, initially Greg’s intended date for the Valentine's Day dance." This relationship continues into ", where Rowley drifts away from Greg to spend more time with Abigail. However, by the end of the book, Rowley and Abigail break up, allowing Rowley and Greg to rekindle their friendship.
Rowley’s interests are often portrayed as "immature" by Greg, such as his enthusiasm for the pop singer Joshie, who is marketed toward young children, and his enjoyment of action figures Greg considers childish. Greg’s jealousy also becomes apparent when Rowley receives a diary for his birthday and suggests they could be “Diary Twins,” prompting Greg to dismissively respond with a light punch, showing his annoyance. Rowley is the original creator of the comic strip "Zoo Wee Mama!" Although Greg claims to have contributed, Rowley maintains in the first book that Greg had little involvement in and made fun of the comic, a rare instance where Rowley asserts himself.
In "", Rowley is the protagonist, with Greg taking on a more antagonistic role, showcasing Rowley’s perspective on their friendship.
In the film series, Rowley is portrayed by Robert Capron in the first three films, Owen Asztalos in "The Long Haul", and Ethan William Childress in the animated films until "", where he was voiced by Spencer Howell instead.
Frank Heffley.
Franklin "Frank" Heffley is depicted to be Greg's overreactive but well-meaning father. He is interested in U.S. history, with his replica of a Civil War battlefield serving as a recurring plot point in the series. In the books, Frank despises Rowley, and does not appreciate Greg's skill at video games. He is also shown to loathe heavy metal and adolescents. Frank tries to toughen Greg up and threatens to send him to a military academy in ', although ultimately this does not come to fruition, much to Greg's relief. However, Greg and Frank grow together in ', despite a brief period when Frank does not speak to Greg after almost getting arrested and going to jail. He was Greg’s Aunt Cakey’s boyfriend for a short time, but then he revealed to like her sister Susan more, whom he went on to marry.
He seems to have displayed similar mischievous, possessive and selfish tendencies to Greg in his childhood, as in "", it is revealed that as a child he invented the mythical cryptid Silas Scratch to keep others away from the maintenance shed with a working bathroom at Hardscrabble Farms which he snuck into and used for his convenience. The rumors are later spread even further by Greg himself so no one would use the bathroom but him.
Frank is depicted to be addicted to junk food; in "The Last Straw", the character makes a New Year's Resolution to go on a strict diet, but Greg later catches him in the garage eating brownies. After Greg is forced to go for several days without any snacks due to a thief taking them, he eventually decides to catch the thief and discovers that it is Frank.
In the film series, Frank is portrayed by Steve Zahn in the first three films, Tom Everett Scott in "The Long Haul", and Chris Diamantopoulos in the animated films.
Susan Heffley.
Susan Heffley (known as Ann Heffley in the online version) is the mother of Manny, Greg, and Rodrick, the wife of Frank and a homemaker. She is about the same age as Frank as they've been together since middle school. She is a loving, caring, and good-natured mother but can be embarrassing, bossy, hypocritical, dimwitted, overprotective, and naive. Susan seems to have very limited knowledge of kids Rodrick and Greg's ages and constantly humiliates and ignores them. She constantly tries to get the family together, which never works out. She and her husband Frank also show immense favoritism towards their youngest son, Manny. When Susan was young, she “stole” Frank from her sister Cakey when Cakey and him were dating because Frank revealed to like Susan more. In the 2011 film adaptation of "Rodrick Rules", Susan has a column in the local newspaper known as "Susan's Musings".
In the film series, Susan is portrayed by Rachael Harris in the first three films, Alicia Silverstone in "The Long Haul", and Erica Cerra in the animated films.
Rodrick Heffley.
Rodrick Heffley is a male teenager who is Greg and Manny's older brother. He is also a member of the heavy metal/punk band Löded Diper (a play on "Loaded Diaper" and rock bands with archaic name spellings such as Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe). He was introduced hating Greg and Rowley. Most of the time in earlier books, Greg and Rodrick do not get along, and often one of them gets the other in trouble. However, he shows affection to him in the "" film when Rodrick is allowed to bring his band, "Löded Diper", to celebrate his crush's (Heather Hills') 16th birthday. In addition, their relationship slowly improves over the course of the books. Frank Heffley has trouble trusting him, as he dislikes heavy metal and teenagers in general. Rodrick is seemingly not very intelligent, as he makes foolish assumptions and decisions, and cannot spell very well. Frank becomes frustrated by Rodrick's factual errors in his school assignments (for example, crediting Abraham Lincoln as the author of "To Kill a Mockingbird").
In the film series, Rodrick is portrayed by Devon Bostick in the first three films, Charlie Wright in "The Long Haul", and voiced by Hunter Dillon in the animated films. For the first three live-action films, the character's room is relocated to the attic, as the house used in the films has no basement.
Manny Heffley.
Man "Manny" Heffley is Greg and Rodrick's 3-year-old (5-year-old in the Funbrain version) brother, who is constantly spoiled and pampered by his parents, who even allow him to get away with the capitol crime of drawing on Greg's door in permanent marker. As the youngest child of the Heffley family, he plays a major role in the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series, having appeared in all the main series books to date. He has shown cases of unusually high intelligence; for example, switching all his family's power to his room in "" during a blizzard, resulting in Greg, Rodrick, and Susan almost freezing to death in the ensuing chaos (excluding Frank, as he was in a hotel at the time), and speaking fluent Spanish to two repairmen in “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul”. In "The Long Haul," Manny is given a piglet at a country fair.
Manny often calls Greg "Bubby" on account of the fact that he is unable to say the word "brother". This trait from Manny annoys Greg a lot and he sees this as the most irritating thing about Manny.
In the film series, Manny is portrayed by Connor and Owen Fielding in the first three films, Wyatt and Dylan Walters in "The Long Haul", and Gracen Newton in the animated films.
Greg's extended family.
Gramma.
”Gramma” is Susan's mother and Greg's maternal grandmother. Gramma is known to drive a car like the Heffleys'. Greg often calls her to his home as a way to avoid his dad's scoldings, since his father will not do this when she is around. Her favorite grandchild is Manny, although she denies and lies about this despite overwhelming evidence in the form of pictures on her refrigerator and many of Manny's drawings around her house. She also seems to have a passion for bingo and knitting. Gramma has a dog named Sweetie (originally the Heffleys' dog, who was given to Gramma in "Dog Days" to replace her dog, Henry, who was said to have died), who she overfeeds. She has a large role in "Hot Mess", in which she wants her family to take a beach trip to relive her favorite memories for her 75th birthday. Later, the Heffley family returns home to realize that she has thrown a party without them.
Grandpa.
"Grandpa" Heffley is Greg's unpredictable paternal grandfather, who is asked to babysit Greg and Rodrick in "Rodrick Rules". Until "Old School", he lived in a retirement community called Leisure Towers and enjoys playing games such as "Gutbusters" and Rummy, which the two boys find boring. Grandpa never watches any real shows on the television; instead, he constantly has his television tuned to CCTV footage of the retirement home lobby, which he spends his time watching. Greg is his favorite grandson which, unlike Gramma, he does not deny. Grandpa is known for preparing what he calls "watercress salad", a disgusting dish consisting of cold green beans and cucumbers floating in vinegar. Greg dislikes "watercress salad" to the point that he resorts to stuffing it inside his trouser pocket to conceal from Grandpa that he has not eaten it. It is stated that Grandpa never spent much time with Frank when he was a boy, and they seem to have a poor relationship. Grandpa once accidentally ran over Frank's dog with his car and lied to him about it, claiming that the dog ran away. Grandpa tells his son the truth many years later in "Dog Days", expecting him to find it funny, but instead infuriating Frank. In "Old School", Grandpa moves out after a rent hike and moves in with the Heffleys. Grandpa dates online, and eventually accumulates a large number of girlfriends, culminating in him accidentally inviting all of them over and throwing a party with them. He has a girlfriend named Darlene in "Hard Luck", but is dumped by her in "Old School". Grandpa constantly criticizes Frank during his stay at their home.
In the live-action films, Grandpa Heffley is portrayed by Terrence Kelly while in the , he is voiced by Ed Asner. The latter film was dedicated to Asner's memory who died a year before its release.
Joe Heffley.
Joseph "Joe" Heffley is Frank's brother and Greg's uncle. Frank has a sibling rivalry with Joe due to his actions. When Manny started potty training, Uncle Joe told him to watch out for the "potty monster", causing him to fear using the bathroom, forcing Frank to change his diapers for a longer period. Joe's children call their uncle "Aunt Fwank", which Frank swears he told them to do on purpose. Susan thinks it is cute, though. In "Dog Days", Greg mentions that he tried to make Joe convince Frank to get a dog, but that did not work out. He also mentions that Joe's dog, Killer, ate most of his birthday cake.
Joe Heffley's children.
Joe Heffley has three children, who all appear to be a bit older than Manny, and are Greg's cousins. Their names and ages are unknown. They all call Frank "Aunt Fwank"; Frank believes that Joe specifically told them to call him that.
Uncle Charlie.
Charles "Charlie" (Freddie in the Funbrain version) is Grandpa’s brother in law and Greg's great-uncle. He is also Greg's "secret weapon" at Christmas, as he asks him to buy him presents that Frank has forbidden him from receiving. However, this backfires as he is usually given the wrong thing. Charlie is a bachelor and spends his spare money well. Greg says he wants to follow in his footsteps. Charlie got Greg a laundry hoop, hinting that he is tired of being Greg's secret weapon at Christmas, as the events that transpired meant that Greg effectively got a chore for Christmas.
Charlie has appeared in "Diary of a Wimpy Kid", "The Last Straw", "Dog Days", "The Ugly Truth", and "Cabin Fever".
Loretta Heffley.
Loretta Heffley is Greg's great-aunt and the sister of Grandpa, Arthur, and Reba. She got a thank-you note for some pants she gave Greg at Christmas. She appeared mainly in "Rodrick Rules" at the Thanksgiving dinner. She also appeared a couple of times in the "Do It Yourself Book" and "The Ugly Truth," and was mentioned in "The Long Haul". It is implied that Greg and Rodrick are not very fond of her, as they fight over who has to greet her first when she visits.
Gammie Heffley.
”Gammie” Heffley is Greg's 95-year-old great-grandmother and the "unofficial head of the Heffley family." She appears in "The Ugly Truth" as a major character. Since her home is not very kid-friendly, she also has Lego building bricks that Susan bought so that her kids had something to do at her house, but she glued them all into one solid block to stop the small pieces from making a mess, returning her home to its non-kid-friendly state. She has a lot of valuable items in her home, and Greg expects countless arguments about who will inherit her possessions upon her death. Gammie is a trickster and knows a lot because of "experience". When someone in the family is about 12 or 13 years old she gives them "The Talk", which is about how kids should not be hurrying to grow up.
Gammie loves having visitors for dinner. One day she bought a scratch ticket and matched up two pictures and told all her family members that she had won a lot of money. Everyone was in a big rush to visit her. When they all arrived Frank told Gammie that to win, she had to match up three pictures. When she found this out, she did not care. She pulled a roast right out of the oven, and Greg figures she got what she wanted anyway. Gammie is the mother of Grandpa, Arthur, Reba, and Loretta Heffley.
Gammie is briefly mentioned by Greg in "Cabin Fever" when he says she gave a miniature carousel that held spoons from all over the world to Greg's family five or six years before.
Gammie returns in "The Deep End" and has a much smaller role. She asks Greg's family to take Uncle Gary's camper, which has been parked in her driveway for two years, and makes sandwiches for them to eat on their trip.
Gary Heffley.
Garrett "Gary" Heffley (also known as Gray Heffley in "Wimpy Wonderland") is Greg's uncle and the youngest brother of Frank and Joe, who has been married four times. He was first mentioned in "The Last Straw" when Greg said he was out of clean laundry and was going to have to wear a shirt he got from Gary's first wedding.
Gary makes his first major appearance in "The Ugly Truth". It is revealed that all of his wives divorced him as soon as they found out about his financial situation and job. He has had so many weddings that Greg's family does not need to use a growth chart, and instead use family pictures from each of his weddings. In the book, he marries his fourth wife, Sonja, although in a speech at the wedding it is revealed that Gary had hoped to end his relationship with her to date her sister, however when the couple were attending a basketball game, a plane flies past with a banner attached to it reading "Marry Me Sonja," presumably intended for another woman with the same name, yet Gary's partner assumes the banner refers to her. She enthusiastically accepts the proposal, with Gary reluctantly going along with it. It is implied that after Gary reveals this at the wedding, he and Sonja end their relationship. This is Sonja's only appearance in the series to date. Greg speculates that Uncle Gary will have a fifth wedding soon. At the end of the book, Greg relates to Uncle Gary and wishes to emulate his lifestyle, despite his father and uncle trying to convince him to get serious about his future.
Gary returns in "The Third Wheel" and has a larger role. He comes to live with Greg's family after he discovers his job selling shirts in Boston was a ripoff. He was sold the shirts by a man claiming to have a good business for sale, and Gary bought the many boxes of shirts, unaware that the shirts said “Botson” instead of Boston. In his spare time, Gary plays a simulation video game in which the player can do whatever the player wants, although in the game, Gary is revealed to be unemployed and spends excessive money on scratch tickets. Later he is chosen to be the DJ at Greg's Valentine's Day dance and he sells his shirts to Greg's classmates, who are unaware of the mistake on the shirts. He uses his money to buy scratch tickets and wins $40,000, allowing him to move out. Gary is also said to commonly have nightmares, as Greg mentions one particular case of Gary believing there were monkeys in the walls.
In "Double Down", Gary accidentally breaks his collarbone while cutting down tree branches over his driveway.
In "The Deep End", Gary is never seen, but it is revealed that he used to own a camper, which had been parked in Gammie's driveway for two years. She gives it to Greg's family after being fed up with it taking up space in her driveway.
In "Hot Mess", Gary unexpectedly joins the Heffleys' trip to Ruttyneck Island, after losing his job at Skullduggery Cove, which was being rebranded as a butterfly sanctuary.
Aunt Dorothy.
Dorothy Heffley is Greg's aunt who always kisses him on the lips. Greg's mother, Susan, says it is rude to wipe the kisses Dorothy gives him, but Greg wipes his face on the nearest available curtain when no one is looking. She is overweight and sometimes passes gas loudly.
Arthur Heffley.
Arthur Heffley is Greg's great-uncle. He only speaks in grunts or makes random sounds. He never has an actual conversation with anybody, but sometimes Greg tries to respond to him just in case he is trying to communicate. Arthur is the brother of Reba, Grandpa, and Loretta Heffley.
Benjy Heffley.
Benjamin "Benjy" Heffley is Greg's cousin, whose parents are Greg's Uncle Tony and Aunt Patricia. The last time Greg saw Benjy, he could only say "No!" or "Shut up!", respectively. Now he can speak in full sentences and read chapter books but is still not potty trained and usually wears a diaper. Benjy is asked to be a reader at Uncle Gary's wedding to Sonja – a position that Greg had initially expected to fill.
Terrence Heffley.
Terrence "Terry" Heffley is Frank's second cousin who is said to have looked like Greg when he was his age. Greg confirms this by looking in Gammie's photo album and strives to save money for plastic surgery.
Lawrence Heffley.
Lawrence Heffley is Greg's uncle who did not appear at Uncle Gary's fourth wedding because he is always traveling. He is said to almost never come to family gatherings because of this, but he sometimes makes an appearance by webcam.
Aunt Audra.
Audra is one of Susan's sisters. She believes in crystal balls and took Greg along with her to see her fortuneteller a few times. Susan thinks Audra is wasting her money. In "Hard Luck", the fortuneteller told Audra that Meemaw's lost ring was inside a photo album. It turned out the fortuneteller did not mean it literally, and instead meant that they could find a clue to the ring's whereabouts in consecutive photos.
Aunt Veronica.
Veronica is Greg's aunt and Susan's sister. Greg states that she has never been seen in person since he was three or four years old, probably because being with the family in person stresses her out, but calls her family members on video chat. When Greg was sitting on the toilet playing games on his new phone (which was actually a hand-me-down from his mother), she accidentally started a video chat with him. This startled him, leading to him dropping the phone into the toilet. She appears in "Hard Luck" multiple times via video conference and in person in "Hot Mess", where it is revealed that she owns a celebrity dog named Dazzle, who became a social media star after constantly appearing in her videos about money investments, forcing her to move twice after constantly getting free stuff and people showing up at her house to see Dazzle. She also formerly had a boyfriend named Noah.
Aunt Gretchen.
Gretchen is Susan's youngest sister. She has two out-of-control twin sons, Malvin and Malcolm. Gretchen has at least thirty pets. In "Hard Luck", she takes her pets with her, and her rabbit has a litter of bunnies, angering Frank since Gretchen lied that her rabbit was a boy.
Malvin and Malcolm.
Malvin and Malcolm are Gretchen's two sons, the nephews of Susan, and the cousins of Greg, Rodrick, and Manny. They are out-of-control kids who used to wear child leashes. Once they played throw and catch with a large sharp piece of concrete. Eventually, Malvin had to go to the emergency room to get stitches on his forehead. Malcolm is the wilder twin. While Malvin was getting stitches, Malcolm got hold of Frank's shaving kit and shaved his head and unibrow. He also called the police to report Greg's family for running out of ketchup. This results in Frank angrily making them leave early. They also have a habit of writing and drawing inappropriate things on various materials, one example being a tablecloth in Hot Mess.
Aunt Cakey.
Cakey is Susan's oldest sister. She is single and has no pets or kids, suggesting that she does not like kids. Greg believes that spending the day at Cakey's house is like a prison sentence. In the online book, she owns a dog named Rudy who passed away. When she stayed with the Heffleys when Greg was little, she kept all fragile items out of his reach and made him take a nap. When she told Greg to not touch the iron, he could not stop thinking about it and snuck out of bed to press his whole hand against the iron, giving him a second-degree burn. Susan has never trusted Cakey with babysitting since. In "Hot Mess", it was revealed that she was Frank's girlfriend for a short period of time, but he had ended up liking Susan better, which had caused a fight and led Susan to give away two of her favorite items as a result. She dated Vincent for six years but he left her.
Gerald.
Gerald is Susan's cousin from California who lived with the Heffleys for a few months after Greg was born, which he embarrassingly reminds Greg of every time he sees him.
Martina.
Martina is Susan's cousin who had gained a lot of money while in Las Vegas. She had been eating at a breakfast buffet in a hotel, when she mistook a full-length mirror for another room, causing Martina to run straight into the mirror, break her collarbone, and sue the hotel. Greg notes that a Porsche in Gramma's driveway was probably hers.
Uncle Larry.
Lawrence "Larry" is a man who is not actually related to anyone, but is a friend invited over one year and who has been showing up ever since. Greg likes him but is annoyed that he always sits in Gramma's best chair until it is time to leave.
Gramma's sisters.
Gramma has two sisters whose names have not been confirmed. They cannot stand each other and try to give each other the most insulting gift they can think of, such as five ketchup packets or a used bar of deodorant (Hard Luck). They are Greg's maternal great-aunts, Susan's maternal aunts, and Frank's aunts-in-law.
Cecil.
Cecil is Greg's adopted uncle who is only three or four years old. He was adopted by Great Aunt Marcie, and Greg often feels awkward around Cecil, due to the fact that he gets privileges (such as sitting at the adult's table at family gatherings), despite his young age.
Georgia.
Georgia is Greg's second cousin who has a loose tooth that has been in her mouth for years and always stalls when people ask if they can pull it out.
Aunt Reba.
Great Aunt Reba was the sister of Grandpa Heffley. She first appeared in "The Ugly Truth", and Greg mentions that Gammie forgot to send Reba an invitation to her Christmas party. Reba showed up to the party anyway, but made Gammie feel guilty by refusing to take off her jacket. Reba dies in "Wrecking Ball", and Greg's family ends up going to the wrong funeral by mistake. She leaves them an inheritance of her fortune, and Susan decides to use it to renovate the Heffleys' house.
Meemaw and Peepaw.
”Meemaw” and “Peepaw” are the parents of Gramma and her two sisters, the maternal grandparents of Susan, the grandparents-in-law of Frank, and the maternal great-grandparents of Rodrick, Greg and Manny. Their first appearance was in "Hard Luck". Peepaw is portrayed as old and batty. Meemaw is dead, while Peepaw is still alive. Meemaw was in charge of putting prizes in the Easter eggs and wore a diamond ring, which was extremely valuable because it had been in her family for three generations. She used to over do with hiding the Easter eggs, which results in Greg finding eggs in all sorts of strange places, even years after the egg hunt is over. As Meemaw got older, she became less sharp and started putting strange prizes in the eggs, such as a green bean, a bottle cap, and a paper clip. Before she died, she accidentally put her ring in an Easter egg that was found by Greg at the end of the book.
In "Wrecking Ball", when Aunt Reba passed away, Susan read Manny a book that she read to Greg when Meemaw passed away.
Meemaw appears in some flashbacks in "Hot Mess", during which Greg explains that she often dressed improperly, such as wearing pants on her head and her underwear over her clothes.
Meemaw appears in played by Mimi Gould; unlike the books, she is alive.
Aunt Lou.
Great Aunt Lou is Greg's great aunt, who came up with a special recipe to one-up Gramma's meatballs, but fails to do so.
Rowley's family.
Robert Jefferson.
Robert Jefferson is Rowley's father. He is fairly paranoid and does not take kindly to criticism of himself or his property from anyone. He is a very strict father, not allowing Rowley to play any video game with even a little violence or fighting in it, as he thinks doing this could have a negative effect on his son's character. However, he is also shown to be kind to his son, having a close bond with Rowley. Mr. Jefferson despises Greg and sees him as a bad influence on his son. After Greg and Rowley invent their own secret language, which Mr. Jefferson cracks, he sends Greg home early. Mr. Jefferson always make sure he has an eye on Greg whenever he is at the Jefferson family home. Rowley says in his diary that his dad calls him an “awesome friendly kid”, hence the name of the spinoff series, “Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid”. According to Rowley, his dad is his second best friend, while Greg is his first; Rowley will not tell his father this for fear of hurting his feelings.
He shows little interest in sports until "Dog Days", where he is found playing tennis with Rowley and golf with a caddy.
In "Dog Days", it is revealed that Mr. Jefferson's first name is Robert. When Susan emailed him because of the note Greg sent her, it had Mr. Jefferson's first name on it.
In "Old School", he is stuck chaperoning the group of extra kids at Hardscrabble Farms (which includes Rowley and Greg), much to Greg's dismay. Later, Rowley adds poison ivy to a fire started by him and he has problems breathing the next morning, which means he and Rowley (who had spots on his body) would be going back home.
In the film series, Mr. Jefferson is portrayed by Alfred E. Humphreys. He appears in the first three live-action films while making a cameo in the 2021 animated film. Notably, he does not speak in these adaptations, with the exception of "Dog Days" and . He is voiced by Randy Pearlstein in "Cabin Fever".
Linda Jefferson.
Linda Jefferson is Rowley's mother. She often seems to be concerned about Rowley, such as the time he broke his big toe after Greg put one of his dad's dumbbells under a pillow that Rowley kept kicking at Greg's sleepover. She also had Greg apologize to her for what he did to Rowley. Despite this, Mrs. Jefferson always enjoys Greg's company with Rowley. Although Mrs. Jefferson likes Greg, she does not let him come over because her husband dislikes him. She often sneaks healthy foods into other foods, for example by putting spinach in brownies. On day 24 of the online version, it is revealed that her first name is Linda from Greg's "The Boy Whose Family Thinks He's a DOG" comic.
In the film adaptations, Rowley's mother is portrayed by Kaye Capron in "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" (who in turn is the real-life mother of Robert Capron, the actor who plays Rowley) and by Bronwen Smith in "Dog Days".
Grandpa Jefferson.
”Grandpa” Jefferson first appears in "Rodrick Rules" in a minor role. The Jeffersons were holding a birthday party for him with Greg invited, where he states that he wants a chocolate cake the next year. Greg (who is bound by a promise to always tell the truth) then suggests that he may not be alive next year, angering Mr. Jefferson.
In "", he has a very different appearance and it is unknown if they are the same person. In this book, Rowley explains that he called his grandfather "Bampy" because he could not say "Grandpa" when he was two. As he got older, he was not allowed to change what he called him, and as his grandfather got older, he only said "Bampy", suggesting he was struggling with insanity and had to be put down. A year later, Rowley described an experience that made him believe he encountered Bampy's ghost while staying at his old log cabin.
Greg's peers.
Fregley.
Fregley (known as Fregly in the Funbrain version) is Greg's acquaintance and neighbor noted for his many odd or disgusting eccentricities. He has been known to perplex others with his behavior (for example, exclaiming "Juice! Juice!" when he needs to use the bathroom) and does not have any known friends. Greg has been forced to hang around with Fregley on several occasions, to his chagrin or aggravation. It has been mentioned that Fregley is prohibited from eating sugar by his parents, and the consumption of it in large quantities will send him into hysterical, uncontrollable frenzies. This occurs in the first book when he eats Greg's jelly beans, as well as in "The Last Straw" when he eats cake frosting and ruins Greg's chances of making a good impression on Holly Hills.
After Greg inadvertently causes the Snella family to move away due to a foul smell which (unknown to the Snellas) was caused by Greg dumping deviled eggs into a plastic plant, he decides that he should find a way of sneaking deviled eggs into Fregley's house.
In "Hard Luck", Fregley has the talent of chewing gum and other foods with his belly button. This earned him the respect of many other kids and allowed him to win the "Most Popular" class favorite category in the yearbook, where he shows he can also blow a bubble.
In "The Meltdown," Fregley asks to find Greg's "tickle spot," and later builds himself inside a snowman. In "Wrecking Ball", he is seen eating lawn fertilizer.
In the film series, Fregley is portrayed by Grayson Russell in the first three installments, and by Christian Convery in the animated films.
Preston Mudd.
Preston Mudd is one of Greg's classmates. He is said to have been the best player in the basketball unit of gym class during sixth grade at Westmore Middle School. Unfortunately, when his name was displayed as "P. Mudd" on the athlete of the month poster, this led to his classmates making fun of him, calling him "Pee Mud".
Christopher Brownfield.
Christopher Brownfield is one of Greg's friends and is shown to have been a great mosquito magnet while hanging out with Greg in the summer. However, Greg does not see him as a close friend because he is "not a school-year friend". Later in "The Ugly Truth", he is on Greg's team for a game and hides behind a soda machine after the teachers threaten to call all of their parents.
Tyson Sanders.
Tyson Sanders is a friend of Greg who appears in "The Ugly Truth". He is mentioned at the beginning along with Chris when Greg is considering new best friends and mentions that although Ty is nice and into the same video games as Greg, he is turned off by the fact Ty pulls his pants all the way down when using the urinal.
When they play a game of "Guess Who?", the team takes a picture of Ty's bent arm, which gets them disqualified as the chaperones think the picture is of someone's buttocks. However, the misunderstanding is later cleared up after a mole near Ty's elbow is matched to the one shown in the picture. This mishap led to the team learning synonyms for “butt”; all of them made the kids laugh. Greg later remarks that everyone should know what Ty's buttocks look like due to his habit of pulling his pants all the way down when using the urinal. He has made several cameo appearances in later books.
Holly Hills.
Holly Elizabeth Hills (known as Piper Elizabeth Matthews in the online book) is one of Greg's classmates; a girl who primarily serves as Greg's unrequited romantic interest and also Heather Hills' younger sister. She is the youngest daughter of Mr. Hills and Mrs. Hills. A minor character, she earns a prominent role in "The Last Straw" as the object of Greg's most recent infatuation. He is continuously motivated to impress her to no avail. Virtually oblivious to Greg's existence or identity (Greg stops trying to impress her after she mistakes him for Fregley), she appears to take an interest in Rowley's sweetness, judging by an enthusiastic message which she had signed in his yearbook (as opposed to the note that she had written for the envious Greg). She seldom appears afterward. Greg's interest in her is seemingly damaged by events such as this and he starts showing an interest in other girls, including Holly's older sister Heather.
Holly makes a cameo in "The Ugly Truth" talking