Jeff Dowd (born November 20, 1949) is an American film producer and

political activist A political movement is a collective attempt by a group of people to change government policy or social values. Political movements are usually in opposition to an element of the status quo, and are often associated with a certain ideology. Some ...

Biography

He was a member of the " Seattle Seven", who were jailed for contempt of court following a violent protest against the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. He later moved to Los Angeles and became an independent movie producer and promoter, producing such films as ''

Zebrahead Zebrahead is an American rock band from La Habra, California, formed in 1996. The group's current line-up comprises rapper Ali Tabatabaee, bassist Ben Osmundson, drummer Ed Udhus, lead guitarist Dan Palmer and lead vocalist and rhythm guita ...

''. He met the

Coen brothers Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, together known as the Coen brothers (), are an American filmmaking duo. Their films span many genres and styles, which they frequently subvert or parody. Among their most acclaimed works are '' Blood Simple'' (198 ...

while they were promoting their first film, ''

Blood Simple ''Blood Simple'' is a 1984 American independent neo-noir crime film written, edited, produced and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, and starring John Getz, Frances McDormand, Dan Hedaya and M. Emmet Walsh. Its plot follows a Texas bartender ...

'', and was a key (though not the only) inspiration for their character Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski from ''

The Big Lebowski ''The Big Lebowski'' () is a 1998 crime comedy film written, directed, produced and co-edited by Joel and Ethan Coen. It follows the life of Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski (Jeff Bridges), a Los Angeles slacker and avid bowler. He is assaulted ...

''. In 2009, Dowd was involved in an altercation with movie critic John Anderson at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

, after Anderson panned '' Dirt! The Movie'' (Dowd was the film's sales agent). Anderson was eating breakfast when Dowd reportedly confronted him, and then incited a food fight and brief melee at the Yarrow Hotel Restaurant. Dowd did not press charges. In 2011, Dowd was the subject of an 18-minute documentary-short directed by

Jeff Feuerzeig Jeff Feuerzeig (born 1964) is an American film director and screenwriter best known for ''The Devil and Daniel Johnston'', his profile of cult musician and outsider artist Daniel Johnston, for which he was awarded the Directing prize for Document ...

and broadcast on the

USA Network USA Network (or simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It was launched in 1977 as Madison Square Garden Sports Network, one of the first national sports ...

as part of its "Character" series.

Filmography

*'' FernGully: The Last Rainforest'' (1992) (co-executive producer) *''

'' (1992) (producer) *''Cement'' (1999) (co-executive producer) *''The Last Game'' (2002) (TV) (executive producer) *''

Ocean of Pearls ''Ocean of Pearls'' is a movie released in 2008 in film, 2008. It is the first film directed by Sarab Singh Neelam, a Sikh gastroenterologist from Troy, Michigan. It was written by Neelam and Veerendra Prasad. Plot Dr. Amrit Singh, A young Sikh ...

'' (2008) (executive producer)

References

External links

*
The Dude's Film School
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dowd, Jeff 1949 births Living people Film producers from Washington (state) American anti–Vietnam War activists