Instead of being cute and loveable, they each have biting personalities, that make fun of their creator, Jeff, mercilessly. There's a certain way of learning to scream where you don't kill your voice, so I've done that, but yeah, he's the one that's most taxing. ", complete with hand motions to indicate that a joke went over someone's head. He's been married for several decades. Then the actual new new character, I try and create things that people can relate to and respond to, and we all are stuck on our smart devices a little too much of the time. They have two children. He has a brash, negative and often sarcastic view on today's world. I think PT Barnum said, "Any publicity is good publicity." [11] Dunham began practicing for hours in front of a mirror, studying the routines of Edgar Bergen, and the how-to record Jimmy Nelson's Instant Ventriloquism,[1] finding ventriloquism to be a learned skill, similar to juggling, that anyone with a normal speaking voice can acquire. You can also make your own version of this greatest Jeff Dunham roles list by re-ranking it and putting it in your own order. Then vote it up so that it can be number one. Walter appeared in every Comedy Central special. [39][40][41], In 2003, Dunham released Dear Walter, a collection of questions asked of Dunham's fictional curmudgeon at live performances, authored by Dunham and Walter Cummings. He appears to have no other powers, however: When Dunham asks how far he can fly, he responds, "How far can you throw me? Grant Hermanns is a News Editor, Interviewer and Hiring Manager for Screen Rant, having joined the team in early 2021. ", "How Jeff Dunham's offensive puppets became the voice of Trump's America", "Jeff Dunham extends his Las Vegas residency four more months", "Q+A: Jeff Dunham brings 'Not Playing With a Full Deck' to Planet Hollywood", "Comedian Jeff Dunham Announces Perfectly Unbalanced Tour", "Famed Ventriloquist Jeff Dunham Announces 60-City Passively Aggressive Tour: Exclusive", "Walk of Fame Honoree Jeff Dunham Opens Up About His Constant Reinvention", "Jeff Dunham brings his 'Passively Aggressive' tour to Yum Center", "Comic ventriloquist Dunham bringing 'Seriously?' [4][30], In 2008, a TV commercial for a ringtone which featured Dunham's character Achmed the Dead Terrorist (see Characters below) was banned by the South African Advertising Standards Authority after a complaint was filed by a citizen stating that the ad was offensive to Muslims, and portrayed all Muslims as terrorists. See more ideas about jeff dunham, jeff dunham walter, sarcastic quotes funny. Because that's the perfect time for it again. All structured data from the file namespace is available under the. Jeff Dunham's "Minding the Monsters" brings together Walter, Peanut, Bubba J, Jose Jalapeno, and Achmed the Dead Terrorist as you've never seen them before! By the mid-1990s, however, his television appearances had dwindled, and with them, so did his stage audiences. [citation needed] As of November 2009, he has sold over four million DVDs, an additional $7 million in merchandise sales,[4] and received more than 350 million hits on YouTube as of October 2009; his introduction of Achmed the Dead Terrorist in Spark of Insanity was ranked as the ninth most watched YouTube video at the time. The ONLY official place to purchase tickets is Jeffdunham.com & Ticketmaster. Trust us, even the hardest core fans won't be disappointednothing . Walter is a retired, grumpy old man with arms always crossed in discontent. When asked about his superhuman powers, he indicates that he has X-ray vision, adding, "I love looking at boobies!" Then, we had a naming contest from the fans, and some guy brilliantly named him Url, but it's spelled URL, so that's the new guy in the show. The ventriloquist, Jeff Dunham, taped his second Netflix special in his hometown of Dallas, TX in the American Airlines Center. So, I decided to embrace that, and during the pandemic, I created a new character, I also did Facebook Lives and YouTube lives, showing how I build the dummies myself, and came up with this new guy who's stuck on his smart device a little too much of the time, a younger guy. Much to his father's consternation, he expresses an attraction to Dunham's male stage hand, Marnell, appears on stage to address Achmed's loss of balance. [11], On July 18, 2003, Dunham appeared on Comedy Central Presents, his first solo appearance on Comedy Central. {{Information |Description=Jeff Dunham at the comedy night sponsored by Image Entertainment. Buy Jeff Dunham - Animatronic Talking Walter | Moves a Little and Complains a Lot (20"): . to Dunham and people laughing in the audience. Jeff_Dunham_and_Walter_(2007).jpg: Cameron Yee derivative work: User:Zscout370 (Return fire) This is a retouched picture , which means that it has been digitally altered from its original version. This image is a derivative work of the following images: Click on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. By his middle school years, he began to perform for banquets attended by local celebrities such as Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach, having developed his style of lampooning those he performed for, using the puppets to say things too risque for him to say without them. [15] Critics, such as Randee Dawn of The Hollywood Reporter, accused Dunham's characters of being racist caricatures, sexist, and homophobic. Search instead in Creative? It says 'Made in China'!" He caught a break in 1985 when he was asked to join the Broadway show Sugar Babies with Mickey Rooney and Ann Miller, replacing an outgoing variety act. The characters are ordered by the number of votes from funny folks like you, so only the greatest roles played by Jeff Dunham are at the top of the list. You can also listen to the album on. Show Slide Information His fifth special, Minding the Monsters, which was taped in Savannah, premiered on Comedy Central on October 7, 2012. All shows at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada. Breakout Character: He stars in his own spin-off animated movie, Achmed Saves America, and is along with Walter the most popular part of Dunham's act, despite starting as no more prominent than half a dozen other characters. Related: Best Comedy Stand Up Specials On Amazon Prime Right Now. Before he. [2][48] The large, round, articulated eyes of puppets such as Achmed and Achmed Junior are constructed by the same effects artist who created the dinosaur eyes for the Jurassic Park films. For example, he accidentally blew the legs off of a young Achmeds dog because he mistook the phrase "blowing up" balloons. His second special, Jeff Dunham: Spark of Insanity, was taped at the Warner Theater in Washington, D.C. that same year. or "What are the top Jeff Dunham performances of all time?" He was also the subject of TWO Biography documentaries on A&E: Birth of a Dummy 2011, and Talking Heads, 2019. I don't get nervous anymore, when I go on stage, it's more trepidation, there's a real responsibility to give those people a great evening of fun, because they spent a lot of money, and a lot of time, to get there. Dunham sculpted the current version of Melvin's head himself, and hired an effects company called Renegade Effects Groups to create the rubber mold and complete the puppet, before then installing the mechanics himself. So, I used that same design, altered it a little bit, so he's not sole troll like, and he became this younger guy that looks a little bit like a troll. As revealed in the DVD release, this signifies that he will no longer be used. ", "Comedy Central: 'No plans' to renew Jeff Dunham", "New Jeff Dunham Special 'Minding The Monsters' Coming in October", "CMT to Premiere Jeff Dunham's 'Achmed Saves America', 3/28", "Jeff Dunham Books Primetime Special for NBC", "Comedian Defends 'Achmed the Dead Terrorist' Puppet Routine Against South African Ban", "How to Woo the TV Critics? [1] By his junior year in college (198384), Dunham was making $70,000 a year, and as word spread of his act, he landed featured spots opening for Bob Hope and George Burns, though he still perceived his act as raw, as he did not have any knowledge of standup comedy beyond his Bill Cosby albums.[11]. [5] Forbes ranked Dunham as the third highest-paid comedian in the United States behind Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock[4] and reported that he was one of the highest-earning comics from June 2008 to June 2009, earning approximately $30 million during that period. [46], Bubba J is a beer-drinking redneck that Dunham describes in Arguing with Myself and A Very Special Christmas Special as "white trash trailer park", and whom Dunham uses for humor centered on such stereotypes. When Dunham asks him if he remembers the happiest moment of his life after Walter tells him he has been married for forty-six years, Walter responds, "Forty-seven years ago!" Can we expect to see him back for this one, or is he sitting out this special? [11] The character starred in Achmed Saves America, an animated film that premiered on Country Music Television in March 2014. Time described his characters as "politically incorrect, gratuitously insulting and ill tempered. He was nominated "Comedian of the Year" by the TNN Music City News Country Awards,[15] and has drawn praise from the Dallas Morning News for his technique and timing. [11], By the end of 1988, Dunham felt his career had gone as far as it could go in Texas, and he moved to Los Angeles, California,[10][11] never having, as he has commented, "a real job". To teenagers, hes cool, hip, and irreverent. By 2002, Dunham was hoping to obtain more TV work to raise his profile and ease his standup schedule. Jeff Dunham: Years ago, this was back in 2015, I came up with the idea of having an internet troll. |Source=*, Flash did not fire, compulsory flash suppression. Show Walter some love in the comments below.Stream my comedy special, \"Jeff Dunham: Beside Himself\" on Netflix NOW! One of his biggest jokes is his wife, who he calls in Controlled Chaos as overweight and small. Jeffrey Douglas Dunham (born April 18, 1962) is an American ventriloquist, stand-up comedian and actor who has also appeared on numerous television shows, including Late Show with David Letterman, Comedy Central Presents, The Tonight Show and Sonny With a Chance. He calls himself a "pimp", which he says stands for "Player In the Management Profession." [1] Dunham's television debut came in 1976 when the still prepubescent performer caught the attention of Dallas reporters like Bill O'Reilly, who interviewed Dunham for a local news story. So, he puts on the sunglasses, and he has the suit on, and the background in the special is the Oval Office. He also seems befuddled and sometimes happy by different cultures. Comedian Jeff Dunham's puppets include the old curmudgeon Walter, Achmed the Dead Terrorist, Jose Jalapeno on a Stick, the high energy Peanut and redneck Bubba J, as of 2015. Peanut named the doll "Little Ugly Ass-Jeff", and uses him to insult Dunham. . McCawley informed Dunham on the day of the scheduled taping that he had been wrong in his initial assessment of Dunham, whom he now said was not ready for The Tonight Show. These early experiences, in which he used characters like Jos Jalapeo on a Stick, taught him the value of modifying his act regionally, as the jalapeo jokes that worked well in Texas were not as well received by audiences in Long Island. A few Guinness Book of World Records set for good measure. Jeff Dunham was born on 18 April 1962 in Dallas, Texas, USA. When Dunham says that Achmed must be dead because he's a skeleton, Achmed responds, "It's a flesh wound." Comedy Central, they want people that will create ratings for them, and I have some great records there, and I think I might not be their first choice in brand of entertainment, but I think they have some executives in there now who recognize that numbers are numbers, and it doesn't matter where those numbers are coming from. Okay, so he cant count, but Bubba J is very proud of his redneck heritage. With headline-generating performances in over 20 countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Australia, China, South Africa, and the Middle East, Dunham understands what connects people regardless of culture, gender, age or political beliefs. The latest stand-up special from the acclaimed comedian sees him tackling everything from the current President of the United States, Joe Biden, to today's youth and cancel culture. This file contains additional information such as Exif metadata which may have been added by the digital camera, scanner, or software program used to create or digitize it. Send all your fan mail to: fanmail@jeffdunham.com, Matthew Blake Creative Artists Agency Matt.BlakeAsst@caa.com 424-288-2000, If you need to make an inquiry about merchandise from the Official Jeff Dunham Store, please email: storehelp@jeffdunham.com, Judi MarmelLevity Entertainment GroupRobert HartmannLevity Entertainment GroupFor management inquiries please email:jeffdunhamtourinfo@gmail.com. But he has on typical clothing, and stuff, and not a big tuft of hair like a troll would. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Luckily for Dunhamand the millions of fans who continue to be entertained by his suitcase posse worldwidethose early wooden characters were a hint of the spectacular career to come. [1][33] In October 2009 The Jeff Dunham Show enjoyed good initial ratings, but was not well liked by critics,[34] some of whom questioned the wisdom of translating his act into a series, or cited Dunham, his previous specials, or ventriloquism itself as reasons for disliking the show. He is known for yelling, "Silence! Files are available under licenses specified on their description page. [59] In October, she gave birth to James Jeffrey and Jack Steven. So, that's the only thing I dread right before I walk on stage is that there's a big responsibility, and don't screw this up. Dunham portrays Melvin as unimpressed with other superheroes: When told Superman can leap tall buildings in a single bound, Melvin dismisses him as a "showoff," arguing that he can simply walk around them, observes that Aquaman has the same powers as SpongeBob SquarePants, asserts that the Flash's super speed is derived from methamphetamine, that the Hulk's vaunted ability to get stronger as he gets angrier merely mirrors "every white trash guy on COPS," and makes innuendo about the questionable relationship between Batman and the underage Robin. ( Controlled Chaos) Baby Seamus (Relative Disaster) Bubba J (every special except for Spark of Insanity and Controlled Chaos) Dunham also establishes Seamus as a fan of United States President Donald Trump in order to poke fun at Trump, Hillary Clinton, and the 2016 United States presidential election. [13] Dunham has explained that, as an only child, he enjoyed being alone, likening his solitude to a "warm blanket" with which he could explore his own thoughts and ideas, which prepared him for the solitude of living alone when he later moved to Los Angeles as a struggling comedian. Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2023. The hyperactive Peanut, with purple skin and white fur, is classified as a "woozle" and delights. Jeff and his characters Walter, Peanut, Jos Jalapeo, Bubba J, and Sweet Daddy Dee for a live show. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Walter_(Jeff_Dunham_Character,_2007).jpg. We're talking about every puppet from Walter to Peanut. Dunham has been named Billboards Top Comedy Tour three years in a row, cited by Forbes as the third highest paid comedian behind Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock, and has been profiled in virtually every publication, platform and late night variety show, including The Los Angeles Times, ABCs Nightline, Variety, The New York Times, People, The Today Show, The Tonight Show and Late Night with David Letterman. Dunham has nine record-breaking comedy specials to his credit two were Comedy Centrals most viewed specials of their respective years (Minding the Monsters, 2012; Controlled Chaos, 2011), and his Jeff Dunhams Very Special Christmas Special, 2008; remains the networks highest rated program of all time. Hes frenzied and fast, naughty but lovable, manic and unendingly energetic. A best-selling author. [16] Dunham would appear on The Tonight Show a total of four times, as well as similar TV venues such as Hot Country Nights, appearing in one segment with Reba McEntire. What first started out as just Jeff and the puppet, Achmed, is now a set of at least six puppets. He revealed on \"Windy City LIVE\" that there's a new character named URL joining the gang during his 10th Comedy Central special, \"Jeff Dunham's Completely Unrehearsed Last-Minute Pandemic Holiday Special.\" Dunham shared the origin story for the special's lengthy name and how he got his start in ventriloquism and Walter shared something about Jeff that no one else would know.Subscribe: https://bit.ly/2VSUX6H \r\rFacebook: https://bit.ly/2sslv1a\r\rTwitter: https://bit.ly/2CmuqWw\r\rInstagram: https://bit.ly/2QNVRgU\r\rWatch Windy City LIVE at 1pm CT on ABC 7 Chicago! Famed ventriloquist Jeff Dunham has mastered this skill, and his appearances with characters like Peanut, Walter and Achmed the Dead Terrorist have earned him legions of fans. He has six specials that run on Comedy Central: Arguing with Myself, Spark of Insanity, Jeff Dunham's Very Special Christmas Special, Controlled Chaos, Minding the Monsters, and All Over the Map. I love the bit in the trailer about Walter looking like Joe Biden already. Larry is constantly on edge and is implied to be unnerved for having worked with Trump for "four hours". [11] During this period he became so associated with his craft that he and one of his dummies "cowrote" a column in the school paper, and he would pose with his dummies for yearbooks[1] as an inexpensive way to acquire professional photos of his act for promotional purposes. And Jos hopped the border into the U.S., only to find out his parents were born in Los Angeles, but gave birth to him while vacationing in Mexico. [2][18], In September 2008, his career reached new heights as he began performing in arenas filled with tens of thousands of people. Now that Biden is in office, I think he's fair game, and I have the luxury of having had a lot of time on stage, and a lot of fans have grown with me, so I have a really loyal fan base, and they know what they're getting. [11], Dunham moved back to clubs, more than 200 appearances a year. He was eliminated on "Vegas Night" alongside Montell Jordan as "Panther". By the time he attended Baylor University, he was earning $70,000 a year for having public conversations with himself. ", and when asked if he can stop a bullet like Superman, he responds, "Yeah. [11], When Dunham was in the sixth grade, he began attending the Vent Haven ConVENTion in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky, an annual international meeting of ventriloquists that includes competitions, where he met Jimmy Nelson in person. Director: Manny Rodriguez | Star: Jeff Dunham. When Dunham introduced this boggle-eyed skeleton, he set the world on fire actually, he set himself on fire, then he accidentally blew himself up, and within no time he became the worlds only beloved dead terrorist. Walter has appeared in all four Comedy Central specials. The latest stand-up special from the acclaimed comedian sees him tackling everything from the current President of the United States, Joe Biden, to today's youth and cancel culture. [35][36][37][38], J. P. Williams, the producer of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, has opined that Dunham's act is not funny on its own merits, and that his material gets a greater reaction because of the puppet characters than it would otherwise garner by itself. Jeff Dunham at the comedy night sponsored by Image Entertainment. Jeff and his characters Walter, Peanut, Jos Jalapeo, Bubba J, and Sweet Daddy Dee for a live show. The Vent Haven Museum devotes a section to Dunham, alongside Seor Wences and Dunham's idol, Edgar Bergen. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! Dunham was somewhat wary of such large venues, but adapted by adjusting the timing of his often rapid exchanges with the puppets so that audience members farthest from the stage could have time to react. If you're asking yourself, "Who is the best Jeff Dunham puppet?" By the fourth grade, Dunham decided he not only wanted to be a professional ventriloquist, but the best one ever. This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to create or digitize it. Jeff Dunham: Beside Himself: Directed by Troy Miller. He speaks with a British accent because he was raised in Britain after the accident.