Jeff Dunham
A prolific and versatile wordsmith who has built a unique career translating the worlds of Star Trek, Marvel, and Doctor Who into hundreds of licensed novels and comics.
Born 1962 (age 64)·American ventriloquist and comedian·Birthday: April 18·Baby Boomers
Biography
Keith DeCandido operates in the expansive universe of media tie-in fiction, a specialist who brings beloved screen worlds to the printed page. With a work ethic as formidable as his output, he has authored or contributed to hundreds of novels, comic books, and role-playing games, most notably within the Star Trek franchise, where he is a familiar and respected name. His approach is less about imitation and more about expansion, filling in backstories, exploring secondary characters, and maintaining the canonical voice of series from 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' to 'Supernatural'. Beyond licensed work, he creates original fantasy and urban fiction, and his life as a martial artist and musician informs the rhythm and physicality of his writing, making him a multifaceted creator in a niche often overlooked by literary critics.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Jeff was born in 1962, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Jeff Was Born
The biggest hits of 1962
#1 Movie
Lawrence of Arabia
Best Picture
Lawrence of Arabia
#1 TV Show
Beverly Hillbillies
Jeff's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1962Born
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1967Started school
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1975Became a teenager
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Could drive
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1980Could vote
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1983Turned 21
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1992Turned 30
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 40
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 50
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2022Turned 60
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2026Age 64 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Has written over 50 novels and a vast number of short stories, primarily in the science fiction and fantasy media tie-in genres.
- Served as a editor for the successful 'Star Trek: Starfleet Corps of Engineers' eBook series.
- Created original fantasy works like the 'Dragon Precinct' series, blending police procedural and fantasy tropes.
- Received a Scribe Award from the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers for his novel 'Supernatural: Heart of the Dragon'.
Did You Know?
He is a fourth-degree black belt in karate and has taught martial arts.
He is also a musician, having played bass in the band The Don't Quit Your Day Job Players.
He frequently writes in-depth, scholarly analyses of pop culture, including a book on the music of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Many of his Star Trek novels are noted for weaving together characters and events from different series into a cohesive universe.
“I'm not a comedian, I'm a ventriloquist who tells jokes.”
