Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski is the protagonist of The Big Lebowski, a 1998 crime comedy film written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. The Dude, played by Jeff Bridges, is a single, unemployed slacker living in Venice, California who enjoys marijuana, White Russians and bowling. The Dude is mostly inspired by Jeff Dowd, a member of the anti-war radical group the Seattle Liberation Front (The Dude tells Maude Lebowski during the film that he was one of the Seattle Seven, who were members of the SLF). A friend of the Coen brothers, Vietnam War veteran Pete Exline, also inspired aspects of the character.
P.S. “Where’s the money, Lebowski?” The Dude’s response, with his head in the toilet bowl, is the best.
