His television specials have been the highest rated programming in Comedy Central history, his DVD sales have reached seven million units, his videos have received a half a billion views on YouTube, and his live concerts have become mega-events played in front of sold-out arenas worldwide. No wonder TIME magazine wrote that he is "the most popular comedian in the United States" and Forbes named him to its "Celebrity 100 List of Most Powerful Entertainers" three years running. Today, Jeff Dunham is a phenomenally successful global entertainment brand.

Dunham has, of course, plenty of help on-stage: his entourage of signature characters who are there to challenge and chastise his every sentence. They may have all been conceived and hand crafted by Dunham, but his characters, who are anything but dummies, have now taken on a life of their own, each with their own legion of fans.

Dunham's fascination with ventriloquism began at age eight. By the time he was ten, Jeff was performing anywhere he could find an audience. After graduating, he moved to Los Angeles and soon became a sensation on the national comedy club circuit. Multiple performances on just about every stand-up comedy show known to man followed, as well as frequent guest appearances on The Tonight Show and Late Night with David Letterman.

Jeff's stand-up special, Controlled Chaos, made an unprecedented multi-territory broadcast and DVD release in a dozen countries upon its U.S. bow on Comedy Central on September 25, 2011. 5.5 million people tuned in to watch the special on Comedy Central, making it the third most watched program in the channel's history.

Today, Dunham's global appeal is undeniable. He was named top-grossing live comedy act in the world in 2009 and 2010 by Pollstar, the concert industry trade magazine. He has sold-out stadium-sized shows across three continents.

Just as Dunham has maintained full control over the world of characters that he has created, he has built an independent company that produces and finances all Dunham projects across all distribution platforms. He maintains a highly interactive relationship with his fans via JeffDunham.com and many social networking platforms, including over 8.9 million fans on Facebook.

In late 2010, Dunham released his highly anticipated autobiography, All By My Selves: Walter, Peanut, Achmed and Me, which immediately landed on the New York Times bestseller list. Dunham's personal story is often interrupted by his characters who are quick to dispute Dunham's recollection of their history together.

2014 kicked off with Jeff lending his voice to the feature animated film Nut Job and Jeff and crew continue to pack arena-sized venues around the globe on his "Disorderly Conduct" live show. In November 2014 Jeff began his first ever residency in Las Vegas at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino with his show "Jeff Dunham: Not Playing with a Full Deck."

As an entertainer, Jeff Dunham has truly impacted popular culture, and his character catchphrases, such as Achmed's "Silence! I Keel You!" and Jose Jalapeno's "On A Steek!" are now part of our vernacular, much to the delight of multi-generational audiences worldwide.