The Real Lebowski: The Inspiration for The Dude in the Movie The Big Lebowski, Jeff Dowd, Tells His Story.

Jeff “The Dude” Dowd is an American film producer and political activist . He was a member of the " Seattle Seven ," who were jailed for contempt of court following a violent protest against the Vietnam War . He later moved to Los Angeles and became an independent movie producer and promoter, producing such films as Zebrahead . He met the Coen brothers while they were promoting their first film, Blood Simple . He was subsequently a key inspiration for their character Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski from the acclaimed movie The Big Lebowski . In 2011, Dowd was the subject of an 18-minute documentary short directed by Jeff Feuerzeig , which was broadcast on the USA Network as part of its "Character" series.