Jeff Dunham - Ventriloquist, Family and Life
Jeff Dunham's Personal Details
Jeff Dunham is an American comedian as well as a movie producer and ventriloquist
| Information | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birthday | April 18, 1962 |
| Nationality | American |
| Famous | Film & Theater Personalities, Comedians, Ventriloquist |
| City/State | Texas |
| Spouses | Audrey Murdick (m. 2012), Paige Dunham (m. 1994–2010) |
| Childrens | Ashlyn Dunham, Bree Dunham, Jack Steven Dunham, James Jeffrey Dunham, Kenna Dunham |
| Birth Place | Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
| Height | 183 |
| Gender | Male |
| Net Worth | $45 million as of Feb 17,2015 |
| Sun Sign | Aries |
| Born in | Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
| Famous as | Comedian, Ventriloquist |
// Famous Ventriloquist
Bokeem Woodbine
Bokeem Woodbine is an American actor best known for his role in the series ‘Fargo.’ Check out this biography to know about his childhood, family life, achievements and fun facts about him.
Darci Lynne Farmer
Darci Lynne Farmer is an American ventriloquist and singer. Check out this biography to know about her childhood, family life, achievements, and fun facts about her.
Jeff Dunham's photo
Who is Jeff Dunham?
Jeff Dunham is an American comedian as well as a movie producer, who is also popular for him immense contribution to ventriloquism, having done a lot to promote this form of art. Having appeared on several TV shows such as ‘The Late Show with David Letterman’, ‘Comedy Central Presents’ and ‘The Tonight Show’, Dunham has received a lot of fame and appreciation all throughout the United States, having been called ‘America’s favorite comedian’, as well as one of the ‘World’s Top Grossing Comedians’. He is quite popular across Europe as well. Having a passion for ventriloquism from quite a young age, Dunham’s foray into the art happened when he was still a child. He performed in various venues such as schools and churches as a teenager. After having made several appearances on popular television programs, his popularity rose in the year 2006 with his self-produced one hour show ‘Jeff Dunham: Arguing with Myself’. His next significant work was ‘Jeff Dunham: Spark of Insanity’ which like the previous one, was a huge hit, earning him a lot of appreciation. His success put him at par with star comedians such as Chris Rock and Jerry Seinfield, after which, in 2009, he started the ‘The Jeff Dunham Show’, which became internationally popular. Throughout his career, he has also kindled numerous controversies, especially due to the way he caricatures eminent personalities.
// Famous Film & Theater Personalities
Jacob Elordi
Jacob Elordi is an Australian actor. Let’s take a look at his childhood, family, personal life, career, etc.
Wentworth Miller
Wentworth Miller is an American actor and screenwriter who achieved recognition for his role in the TV series ‘Prison Break’.
Skai Jackson
Skai Jackson is an American child actress with huge fan following. Find more about her family & personal life, relationships, facts and more.
Childhood & Early Life
Jeff Denham was born on 18 April 1962, in Dallas, Texas, in the US. A few months after his birth, he was adopted by real estate appraiser Howard Dunham and his homemaker wife Joyce. He was raised as an only child.
Dunham started practicing ventriloquism from the early age of eight when he was gifted a Mortimer Snerd dummy by his parents. After that he started learning ventriloquism from the library.
After various performances in local schools and colleges, his reputation started growing slowly across the Dallas community. But with his growing reputation, the stature of his targets also grew, as he made fun of several significant people of the community.
Dunham was just in his sixth grade, when he started attending the Vent Haven ConVENTion, which was held in Kentucky. It was an annual meeting for ventriloquists from all over the world. Eventually, the organizers found that the other attendees were too intimidated to compete against him, and were forced to declare him a ‘retired champion’, to prevent him from entering any more competitions.
He enrolled in Baylor University after finishing his high school. However, his weekends were quite busy, as he had to travel to different places within the country for various performances. During this time, he also decided that he would create few characters that would be with him continuously.
Career
During his time at the Baylor University, Jeff Dunham also used to entertain corporate customers by giving private shows on weekends. He made fun of several prominent people such as the CEO of General Electric while he was on his routine.
During his early years as a ventriloquist, he performed for the Broadway Show ‘Sugar Babies,’ and later in events such as the ‘Westbury Music Fair’. Later in 1988, he went to Los Angeles, California, after which he started making appearances on several television programs.
In 2003, he made his first solo appearance on the Comedy Central TV network, on the show ‘Comedy Central Presents’ in a half hour piece. Though his appearance turned out to be successful and was appreciated, the network refused to give him more time.
Jeff Dunham finally decided to produce his own comedy DVD, and with his own finances, he produced his comedy DVD ‘Jeff Dunham: Arguing with Myself’. It was aired by Comedy Central in late 2006, and it turned out to be a huge success, attracting more than two million viewers, which made the network want to book him again.
After his success, his next work was ‘Spark of Insanity’, which was released the next year. It attracted more than 140 million hits on YouTube, as well as sold more than a million DVDs. Then in 2008, he released ‘A Very Special Christmas Special’, which like his other works, became a huge success.
In 2009, he signed a deal with Comedy Central, after which he worked on his own television series called ‘The Jeff Dunham Show’. The show’s premiere became the most-watched in the history of Comedy Central, and Dunham’s fame reached an international level. However, later, after receiving poor reviews, and because of high production costs, the show was cancelled after just one season.
Over the following years, he worked on his next comedy specials, ‘Jeff Dunham: Controlled Chaos’ which premiered on Comedy Central in September 2011, ‘Minding the Monsters’, which premiered in October 2012, ‘All Over the Map’, which premiered in November 2014, and ‘Unhinged in Hollywood’, which premiered in September 2015.
Jeff Dunham has attracted numerous controversies throughout his career. During a press tour to promote his upcoming show in 2009, he received criticism for making fun of TV critics.
Major Works
'Jeff Dunham: Arguing with myself' was the first significant work in Jeff Dunham’s career. Taped in Santa Ana, California, the DVD was released on April 11, 2006. Later it was aired on Comedy Central Network.
‘The Jeff Dunham Show’ which premiered on 22 October 2009, featured Dunham interacting with several characters that he used in his ventriloquism acts, such as Walter, Achmed the Dead Terrorist, and Peanut. The show earned much popularity initially, but because it received poor reviews later and the production costs were found to be high, the show was cancelled after only one season. On May 2010, the entire series was released in a DVD ‘The Jeff Dunham Show DVD’.
Awards & Achievements
Jeff Dunham has won the ‘Ventriloquist of the Year’ Award twice, and has also been nominated once for ‘Comedian of the Year’ by the TNN Music City News Country Awards.
He was voted Funniest Male Standup at the American Comedy Awards in 1998.
Personal Life & Legacy
Jeff Dunham married Paige Brown in 1994 and adopted her one-and-half year old daughter, Bree. They had two more daughters, Ashlyn, born in 1995, and Kenna, born in 1997. Later, because of personal and professional reasons, the couple divorced.
In 2012, he got married to Audrey Murdick, a nutritionist and physical trainer. In October 2015, three years after their marriage, Audrey gave birth to twins, who were named James Jeffrey and Jack Steven.
// Famous Comedians
Meghan Rienks
Check out all that you wanted to know about Meghan Rienks, the famous American YouTuber & vlogger; her birthday, her family and personal life, her boyfriends, fun trivia facts and more.
Desmond English
Check out all that you wanted to know about Desmond English, the famous YouTuber and Viner; his birthday, his family and personal life, his wife, fun trivia facts and more.
Meital Dohan
Meital Dohan is an award-winning Israeli theater, film, and television actress, comedian and singer. Check out this biography to know about her birthday, childhood, family life, achievements and fun facts about her.
Jeff Dunham biography timelines
- // 18th Apr 1962Jeff Denham was born on 18 April 1962, in Dallas, Texas, in the US. A few months after his birth, he was adopted by real estate appraiser Howard Dunham and his homemaker wife Joyce. He was raised as an only child.
- // 1988During his early years as a ventriloquist, he performed for the Broadway Show ‘Sugar Babies,’ and later in events such as the ‘Westbury Music Fair’. Later in 1988, he went to Los Angeles, California, after which he started making appearances on several television programs.
- // 1998He was voted Funniest Male Standup at the American Comedy Awards in 1998.
- // 2003In 2003, he made his first solo appearance on the Comedy Central TV network, on the show ‘Comedy Central Presents’ in a half hour piece. Though his appearance turned out to be successful and was appreciated, the network refused to give him more time.
- // 2006Jeff Dunham finally decided to produce his own comedy DVD, and with his own finances, he produced his comedy DVD ‘Jeff Dunham: Arguing with Myself’. It was aired by Comedy Central in late 2006, and it turned out to be a huge success, attracting more than two million viewers, which made the network want to book him again.
- // 11th Apr 2006'Jeff Dunham: Arguing with myself' was the first significant work in Jeff Dunham’s career. Taped in Santa Ana, California, the DVD was released on April 11, 2006. Later it was aired on Comedy Central Network.
- // 2008After his success, his next work was ‘Spark of Insanity’, which was released the next year. It attracted more than 140 million hits on YouTube, as well as sold more than a million DVDs. Then in 2008, he released ‘A Very Special Christmas Special’, which like his other works, became a huge success.
- // 2009In 2009, he signed a deal with Comedy Central, after which he worked on his own television series called ‘The Jeff Dunham Show’. The show’s premiere became the most-watched in the history of Comedy Central, and Dunham’s fame reached an international level. However, later, after receiving poor reviews, and because of high production costs, the show was cancelled after just one season.
- // 2009Jeff Dunham has attracted numerous controversies throughout his career. During a press tour to promote his upcoming show in 2009, he received criticism for making fun of TV critics.
- // 22nd Oct 2009 To May 2010‘The Jeff Dunham Show’ which premiered on 22 October 2009, featured Dunham interacting with several characters that he used in his ventriloquism acts, such as Walter, Achmed the Dead Terrorist, and Peanut. The show earned much popularity initially, but because it received poor reviews later and the production costs were found to be high, the show was cancelled after only one season. On May 2010, the entire series was released in a DVD ‘The Jeff Dunham Show DVD’.
- // 2012 To 2015In 2012, he got married to Audrey Murdick, a nutritionist and physical trainer. In October 2015, three years after their marriage, Audrey gave birth to twins, who were named James Jeffrey and Jack Steven.
// Famous Aries Celebrities peoples
Skai Jackson
Skai Jackson is an American child actress with huge fan following. Find more about her family & personal life, relationships, facts and more.
Shemar Moore
Shemar Moore is a model turned actor best known for his role in the television series ‘The Young and the Restless’. This biography of Shemar Moore provides detailed information about his childhood, life, achievements, works & timeline.
Vasily Zaytsev
Vasily Zatysev was a Russian sniper who served during the World War II. Check out this biography to know about his childhood, family life, achievements and fun facts about him.
Ivey Meeks
Ivey Meeks is an American YouTube star and model. Let’s have a look at her family and personal life including age, date of birth, net worth, boyfriends and fun facts.
Tobi Lerone
Check out all that you wanted to know about Tobi Lerone, the famous YouTube Personality and gamer; his birthday, his family and personal life, his girlfriends, fun trivia facts and more.
Simone Signoret
Simone Signoret was a French actress who became the first French person to win an Academy Award. Check out this biography to know about her childhood, family life, achievements and other facts related to her life.
Jeff Dunham's FAQ
What is Jeff Dunham birthday?
Jeff Dunham was born at 1962-04-18
Where is Jeff Dunham's birth place?
Jeff Dunham was born in Dallas, Texas, U.S.
What is Jeff Dunham nationalities?
Jeff Dunham's nationalities is American
Who is Jeff Dunham spouses?
Jeff Dunham's spouses is Audrey Murdick (m. 2012), Paige Dunham (m. 1994–2010)
Who is Jeff Dunham childrens?
Jeff Dunham's childrens is Ashlyn Dunham, Bree Dunham, Jack Steven Dunham, James Jeffrey Dunham, Kenna Dunham
How tall is Jeff Dunham?
Jeff Dunham's height is 183
What is Jeff Dunham's sun sign?
Jeff Dunham is Aries
How famous is Jeff Dunham?
Jeff Dunham is famouse as Comedian, Ventriloquist