Genre

Hometown

Life & Career

Jose Jalapeno on a Stick, Melvin the Superhero Guy, Bubba J and Achmed the Dead Terrorists…these are just some of Jeff Dunham’s most famous alter-egos, his ventriloquist dummies that say some of the most risqué and politically incorrect jokes on the comedian’s mind. Dunham, who shot to fame in the last decade has been credited with reviving Ventriloquism and turning it into a true art form.

His fascination with ventriloquism began when he was eight years old, when his parents gave him a dummy and a ventriloquism record for Christmas. He taught himself through library books, hours of practice and study of famous ventriloquist Edgar Bergen. As a young teen, he began attending Vent Haven ConVENTion (where he joined and won so many competitions, they forced him to retire as a champion) and he performed at school, church, amusements parks, TV commercials and private events. He attended to Baylor University in Waco, Texas while performing for private events during the weekend for companies such as GE.

After graduation, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue his career and made his national TV debut on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, but still worked tirelessly for the next decade, appearing at comedy clubs and on shows like Ellen, 60 Minutes II, Fox Sports Net's The Best Damn Sports Show Period, Hollywood Squares, Entertainment Tonight, Good Morning America and the WB's Blue Collar TV.

In 2003, he received his big break with when he taped his own half hour segment for Comedy Central Presents with his characters José Jalapeño on a Stick, Walter, Melvin the Superhero Guy and Peanut. Despite his successful debut, Comedy Central did not ask him back until 2006, when he filed his solo special Jeff Dunham: Arguing with Myself which premiered to 2 million viewers, a certifiable hit by basic cable TV standards, and was given a second special a year later, Jeff Dunham: Spark of Insanity. He also taped Jeff Dunham's Very Special Christmas Special (and released an accompanying Christmas album) for Comedy Central the following year and attracted more than 3 times his debut audience (6.6 million people) and was the highest rated broadcast in the channel’s history. The Jeff Dunham Show premiered in 2009, but despite its high ratings, was cancelled only after one season due to being panned by critics and high production costs. Jeff continues to tour the US, as well as Europe (where he is a surprise hit) and appears in various TV shows and movies.

Awards/Accolades

Albums

Books

Tours

Hits

• 2003 - Jeff Dunham: Arguing with Myself (Comedy Central Special)…premiered to over 2 million viewer
• 2008 - A Very Special Christmas Special (Comedy Central Special)…over 6 million viewers, became Comedy Central’s Highest Rated Broadcast ever
• 2009 – present - Achmed the Dead Terrorist (YouTube clip)… fourth-most watched video across the internet and 196.5 million worldwide views