Jeff Altman

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 41 times. Altman mesmerized contemporaries like David Letterman and Jerry Seinfeld, and inspired future comedians like Judd Apatow. Altman 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, Clint Mullet on Mork and Mindy, and is perhaps best known for his recurring role as Hughie Hogg, the nephew of Jefferson Davis Hogg, on The Dukes of Hazzard. Altman, along with Letterman, 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 on 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. In the mid-1980s he was the spokesman for Arby's restaurants, and by 1990 he was a Budweiser spokesman. He also has been the (uncredited) host of the defensive driving course available through Blockbuster Video. In 1989 Altman released his one and only comedy record album entitled "I'll Flip You Like A Cheese Omelette" (Mercury 842 070-1). 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 Altman continued to find his Nixon impression humorous well into the 1980s.