ladbible logo

To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

This Is The Real-Life Inspiration Behind 'The Dude' From The Big Lebowski

This Is The Real-Life Inspiration Behind 'The Dude' From The Big Lebowski

Meet Jeff Dowd.

Matthew Cooper

Matthew Cooper

We don't actually know much about 'The Dude' from The Big Lebowski. It's one of the factors that makes him such a memorable character.

It is a mystery that is never solved. All we really know is what we see play out in front of our eyes during the movie... and that he loves White Russians and bowling.

But what if a character as 'individual' as The Dude was based on a real person? Well, thanks to this Uproxx documentary, we know that a man named Jeff Dowd was the inspiration behind The Big Lebowski's main character, and that he was an acquaintance of both Joel and Ethan Coen.

Dowd is a movie producer the duo met when they were trying to market Blood Simple. He seemingly made such a large impression he was the spark for an idea that would become one of the brother's most defining movies.

"It just seemed interesting to us to thrust that character into the most confusing situation possible. The person who would seem - on the face of it - least equipped to deal with it. That's sort of the conceit of the movie," as Ethan Coen famously described it.


Credit: Gramercy Pictures

Even more interesting is that Uproxx reports that Dowd claims he has been called The Dude since back in the sixth grade.

It really is a fascinating watch for anyone with even a passing interest in cinema. If you're trying to kill time on a Friday, this is your best bet.

Words by Matthew Cooper

Lead Image Credit: Gramercy Pictures

Featured Image Credit: