Jeff Dunham (born 1960 in Dallas, Texas) is an American ventriloquist and stand-up comedian. A graduate from Baylor University, he has performed on numerous comedy shows, including Comedy Central Presents in 2003. His usual puppets include a woozle named Peanut; a bitter old man named Walter; José Jalapeño, a talking jalapeño pepper on a stick; Achmed the Dead Terrorist; and an unusual superhero named Melvin.

His first DVD, Jeff Dunham: Arguing With Myself, was released in April 2006. In this stand-up offering, Jeff 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 comedy special "Jeff Dunham: Spark of Insanity" was available at Redbox stands on September 4, 2007, and was released to buy on DVD September 18, 2007. A Christmas special was taped at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee and will premiere on Comedy Central as Jeff Dunham's Very Special Christmas Special on Sunday, November 16, 2008 and be available on DVD and Blu-ray on Tuesday, November 18, 2008.

Jeff has been married since 1990 to Paige Brown Dunham. He has three daughters: Bree, Ashlyn, and Kenna. He owns one male golden retriever named Bill, and three chihuahuas named Darby, Jake, and Rusty, all of whom he often talks about in his stand-up. In his show "Spark of Insanity" (2007) he says that his daughters are 9, 11 and 15 years of age. He also played a small part in Delta Farce with José Jalapeño on a Stick, and has a hobby of building Rotorway helicopters and flying them himself. He has built three helicopters since college. He designs puppets during his free time as well. He was voted the number one comedian by Comedy Central in 2008's Stand-Up Showdown.