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The Dead TerroristJeff Dunham, born in 1968[citation needed] in Dallas, Texas, is an American ventriloquist and stand-up comedian. A graduate of Baylor University, he has performed at comedy clubs across the U.S. since the late 1980s. He has also appeared on numerous television shows, including The Tonight Show, where on his 1990 debut he was invited to sit on Johnny Carsons couch,[1] Late Show with David Letterman, and Comedy Central Presents in 2003. In January 2008 Dunham was voted #1 comedian in Comedy Central's Stand-Up Showdown.[2]
Contents [hide]
1 Personal life
2 Cast
3 Comedy Central specials
4 References
5 External links
Personal life
Dunham is married to his wife Paige and has three daughters, Kenna, Ashlyn, and Bree. Paige made a cameo appearance in the intro of Spark of Insanity. His youngest daughters made a cameo appearance in the special feature "Ask Santa" on the Very Special Christmas Special DVD. He owns one male golden retriever, Bill, and three chihuahuas, Darby, Jake, and Rusty. He also owns the original Hummer and a blue Toyota Prius. He makes fun of the latter as a running gag in his Spark of Insanity special.
When not touring, he resides in Los Angeles, California.
Cast
Main article: List of Jeff Dunham puppets
Dunham's ventriloquist act includes seven puppets, known by his fans as the "Suitcase Posse"[3]:
Peanut, the purple woozle[4]
Walter, a bitter old curmudgeon
José Jalapeño on a Stick, a talking jalapeño pepper on a stick
Achmed the Dead Terrorist, the skeleton of a dead suicide bomber
Bubba J, a beer drinking redneck.
Melvin, the Superhero [5]
Sweet Daddy D, Jeff's "manager"
Comedy Central specials
His first special, Jeff Dunham: Arguing With Myself, was taped in Santa Ana, California. It was released on DVD in April 2006. In this stand-up offering, Dunham opens his show playing straight-man to his usual crew and includes two other characters: Sweet Daddy D and Bubba J, in place of Achmed and Melvin.
His second special "Jeff Dunham: Spark of Insanity" was taped at the Warner Theater in Washington, D.C.. It was available at Redbox stands on September 4, 2007, and was released on DVD on September 18, 2007.
A Christmas special was taped at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and premiered on Comedy Central as Jeff Dunham's Very Special Christmas Special on Sunday, November 16, 2008. It became available on DVD and Blu-Ray on November 18, 2008.[6] The special's premiere was the highest rated telecast in Comedy Centrals history. [7]
In addition to these specials, Dunham also released his first music album, Don't Come Home for Christmas, on November 4, 2008. It contains original Christmas songs as well as a parody of "Jingle Bells" by Achmed entitled "Jingle Bombs". All the songs, with the exception of "Jingle Bombs", were written and accompanied by Brian Haner, who has recently joined Dunham's act as "Guitar Guy".
