Jeff Altman Biography

Jeff Altman (born August 13, 1951) is an American stand-up comedian and actor who has appeared as a guest on Late Show with David Letterman 40 times, most recently on April 1, 2013. He has also had numerous acting roles in movies and television such as Dr. Gene Splicer in Tiny Toon Adventures, Professor Dweeb in Slimer and The Real Ghostbusters, and is perhaps best known for his recurring role as Hughie Hogg, the nephew of Jefferson Davis Hogg, on the popular television series The Dukes of Hazzard.

Altman was a TV cast member in the 1977 Starland Vocal Band Show, and later appeared as sleazy record promoter Lennie Richfield in the movie American Hot Wax in 1978. Altman also had a starring role as the host of the short-lived NBC variety show Pink Lady and Jeff in 1980, which TV Guide has ranked #35 on its "50 Worst TV Shows of All Time" list. Later in the decade, he became the in-house comedian of Solid Gold, where his characters included Al Punker, fast-talking proprietor of "Al Punker's Music Barn," the "music vampire Count Downula," and the ex-boxer Leonard Moon, the last of whom would state "I don't have the brains of a ice cube" and claim, "I am the Solid Gold music critic. Tonight, my subject is music."

Altman has directed many sitcoms, and in the mid-1980s he was the spokesman for Arby's restaurants. He also has been the (uncredited) host of the defensive driving course available through Blockbuster Video.

In the 1990s, Altman was on the NBC series Nurses during its first season (1991"1992). He was written out as the show was re-worked for its second season.

A regular feature of his stand-up act has typically included a comical impression of his father, and he continued to find his Nixon impression humorous well into the 1980s.

Personal life

Altman was born in Syracuse, New York. At Nottingham Senior High School in Syracuse, he played third singles on the school's tennis team and was on the wrestling team. He graduated from Johns Hopkins University in the early 1970s, showcasing his early show business flair to fellow members of the Tau Epsilon Phi fraternity. Altman is a drummer, and a longtime fan of Buddy Rich, whom he once enticed to appear at Hopkins for one of his classes.

Jeff is also an accomplished magician. A much admired "card man", one of his effects has been included in the famous Tarbell Course in Magic.