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 t ...

Biography

He was a member of the "

Seattle Seven The Seattle Seven is a group of seven seafood companies, operating in the city of Seattle, known for negotiating a secret agreement with Exxon Corporation in 1991, relating to punitive damages resulting from the Exxon Valdez oil spill. The compa ...

," who were jailed for contempt of court following a violent protest against the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

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

Zebrahead Zebrahead is an American rap-punk band from La Habra, California. Formed in 1996, the band has released thirteen studio albums to date. History 1996–2001: Formation and early years Zebrahead was formed in La Habra, California in summer ...

''. He met the

Coen brothers Joel Daniel Coen (born November 29, 1954) and Ethan Jesse Coen (born September 21, 1957),State of Minnesota. ''Minnesota Birth Index, 1935–2002''. Minnesota Department of Health. collectively known as the Coen brothers (), are American film ...

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 who ...

'', and is the basis for their character Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski from ''

The Big Lebowski ''The Big Lebowski'' () is a 1998 crime comedy film written, produced, and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. It stars Jeff Bridges as Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski, a Los Angeles slacker and avid bowler. He is assaulted as a result of mistaken i ...

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

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

, after Anderson panned ''

Dirt! The Movie ''Dirt! The Movie'' is a 2009 American documentary film directed by filmmakers Gene Rosow and Bill Benenson and narrated by Jamie Lee Curtis. It was inspired by the book ''Dirt: The Ecstatic Skin of the Earth'' by William Bryant Logan. The documen ...

'', a film Dowd produced. 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 (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madison ...

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. 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 surgeon, move ...

'' (2008) (executive producer)

References

External links

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