Who is Jeff Dunham: A Biography

Jeff Dunham was born on April 18, 1962 in the city of Dallas, Texas. A few months after he was born, Jeff was adopted by a wealthy family, his father a real estate appraiser and his mother a homemaker.

When he was just eight years of age, he asked his parents for a ventriloquist puppet that he had seen in a toy store. That Christmas, Jeff got his wish when he discovered the puppet under the tree on Christmas morning. That ventriloquist puppet was a replica of Mortimer Snerd, the puppet made famous by popular ventriloquist Edgar Bergen. He learned all the basics of ventriloquism from Jimmy Nelson’s album titled Jimmy Nelson’s Instant Ventriloquism. He then began performing with his puppet at church socials and Kiwanis clubs.

Related: Jeff Dunham: Unhinged in Hollywood Uncensored Recap

When he was in the sixth grade, Jeff started attending an annual gathering of ventriloquists, the Vent Haven ConVENTion in Fort Mitchell Kentucky. He has attended this event every year since, except the one year he missed it in 1977. During the next few years, Dunham performed in venues like churches and schools and even did some performances when he worked at Six Flags. During high school, he starred in commercials for the Datsun car company.

Dunham graduated from Richardson High School in North Dallas, Texas in 1980. Upon graduation, he set a goal for himself that he would appear on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in the next 10 years. The Tonight Show was a big deal to be a guest on for comedians at the time. His goal was fulfilled on April 6, 1990, when he was a guest on the show.

Dunham attended Baylor University and graduated in 1986 with a Bachelor of Arts and Science degree. During his college years, he would perform his acts around campus, eventually travelling on the weekends to do shows across the United States. During the time, Dunham was doing close to 100 shows each year, eventually landing as the opening act for George Burns as well as Bob Hope.

In 1988, Jeff moved to Los Angeles to continue to pursue his comedy career. He soon became buddies with the owner of a comedy club, The Comedy & Magic Club, in Hermosa Beach. This friendship led to Dunham landing a steady gig at the club.

Throughout the next several years, he performed his acts at comedy venues and even landed small television roles. His first big television break came in July of 2003 when he first appeared on Comedy Central Network’s show titled Comedy Central Presents.

In 2005, Dunham took a huge risk by financing his first comedy DVD titled Jeff Dunham: Arguing with Myself. The next year, Comedy Central aired the special, with 2 million viewers watching.

In 2009, Dunham signed a multi-platform deal with Comedy Central, which included several TV specials and tours over the next several years.

In the latter part of 2010, Dunham released his first book, an autobiography, titled All By My Selves: Walter, Peanut, Achmed and Me. The book quickly became a fixture on the New York Times best-seller list.

Dunham’s second TV special, Jeff Dunham: Spark of Insanity, premiered on September 17, 2007; his third TV special, Jeff Dunham: A Very Special Christmas Special, premiered on November 26, 2008; his fourth TV special, Jeff Dunham: Controlled Chaos, premiered on September 25, 2011; his fifth TV special, Jeff Dunham: Minding the Monsters, premiered on October 7, 2012; his sixth TV special, Jeff Dunham: All Over the Map, premiered on November 16, 2014 and his seventh TV special, Jeff Dunham: Unhinged in Hollywood, premiered on September 17, 2015, all shows on Comedy Central.

Are you a fan of Jeff Dunham? Which of his characters is your favorite?