Dunham was born April 18, 1962, and was raised in Dallas, Texas, as an only child. At the age of 8, he received his first puppet, Mortimer Snerd, as a Christmas gift.
Jeff Dunham has three daughters, Bree, Ashlyn and Kenna. His wife, Paige, appeared briefly in his stand-up comedy show, ''Spark of Insanity.'' The Dunhams filed for divorce in 2009.
In 1985, Dunham's public career began with performances in ''Sugar Babies" on Broadway. His comedy act is performed and perfected on stage, in comedy clubs and on television. Dunham's popularity stems from his interactions with various puppets, such as Nascar-loving Bubba J, grumpy Walter, naughty Peanut, spicy-pepper Jose Jalapeno and Achmed, the dead terrorist.
In 1992, Dunham impressed Johnny Carson during his performance on ''The Tonight Show" and the television host asked to him to join in a chat. When Carson asked Dunham if he would return as a repeat guest, curmudgeon-puppet Walter told Carson, "It'll be a cold day in hell before I come back here." The audience and Carson loved his response, which escalated Dunham's career.
The American Comedy Awards named Dunham the "Funniest Male Stand-Up Comic," and the fan vote won him the Comedy Central "Stand-Up Showdown" award in 2008. His popularity and success continued with the hit 'Comedy Central' specials, ''Jeff Dunham: Arguing With Myself,'' ''Jeff Dunham: Spark of Insanity'' and ''Jeff Dunham's Very Special Christmas.''