Jeff Dunham

Jeff Dunham is a stand-up comedian who has single-handedly revived the art of ventriloquism in popular culture. He is also one of the first pioneers to blend ventriloquism with stand-up comedy, a feat that has made him one of the most successful comedians in the country. Characters like Bubba J, José Jalapeño on a Stick, and Achmed the Dead Terrorist display raucous stereotypes that no regular stand-up comedian could get away with without a cute puppet. Regardless of his recent success on television, Jeff Dunham is performing worldwide stand-up tour dates in 2011; and rumor has it, he has some new friends with him.

Jeff Dunham was born on April 18, 1962, in Dallas, Texas. On Christmas Day at the age of eight, Jeff received a Mortimer Snerd dummy from his parents; the doll somewhat resembles one of Dunham's current characters, Bubba J. Jeff immediately immersed himself in learning ventriloquism from a variety of book and records, including those of Edgar Bergen and Jimmy Nelson. Dunham began performing his unique brand of stand-up at school, in local commercials, and even got a job performing at Six Flags. After graduating from college, Jeff moved to Los Angeles and began performing stand-up at nearly every comedy club and venue imaginable. In 1990, he appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson to a warm reception by Carson and the audience. His next big break came in 2003 when he performed his stand-up routine on Comedy Central Presents, which gained huge ratings, despite apprehension by network executives.

In 2006, the network began to broaden the scope of their programming and gave Jeff his own hour long stand-up special, titled Jeff Dunham: Arguing with Myself. The special was a smash hit, and led to another Comedy Central special the very next year, titled Jeff Dunham: Spark of Insanity. The second special did even better than the first, and Dunham continued his rise to fame with Jeff Dunham's Very Special Christmas Special in 2008, which became the network's highest rated broadcast ever. The success of the specials earned Jeff his own show on Comedy Central which, unfortunately, only ran for one season.

Despite the setback, Dunham has continued his success in television and movies, including a recent appearance in Dinner for Schmucks with a new puppet, Debbie. The comedian has also engaged in a number of 2010 and 2011 tour dates, showcasing new jokes and introducing new characters. Jeff Dunham's tour schedule has a number of dates all the way through September of 2011, including his regular show at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. Make sure to check Eventful for tour dates before Jeff Dunham embarks on his next big project.