Larry the Cable Guy

Early life

Dan Whitney was born in Nebraska to Tom and Shirley Whitney, and grew up on an 80-acre farm outside Pawnee City, Nebraska. His father was a Christian minister. When he was 16, his family moved to West Palm Beach, Florida. Whitney attended high school at The King's Academy in West Palm Beach, Florida, from the late 1970s through 1980 where his father was the elementary school principal. He graduated from Berean Christian School in West Palm Beach in 1982 where he played football. He went to college at Baptist University of America in Georgia, and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. He majored in drama and speech. He credits his roommates from Texas and Georgia for inspiring his Southern accent impression. He dropped out after his junior year after trying his hand at comedy.

Career

Radio career

Whitney started his career in radio in the early 1990s when he made regular radio appearances on the nationally syndicated program, The Ron and Ron Show, as well as other radio shows such as The Bob & Tom Show, Wakin' Up with the Wolf on WPDH, The Chris Baker Show on KDGE and KEZO's The Todd and Tyler Radio Empire in Omaha, Nebraska, as well as the Kirk, Mark, and Lopez morning show on WIYY in Baltimore, Maryland. He was also a frequent guest on The Johnny Dare Morning Show on 98.9/KQRC, Kansas City, Missouri.

He also appeared on WJRR in Orlando Florida. He was also on the WHTQ 96.5 morning show in Orlando Florida. He was brought to New England on Greg and the Morning Buzz on WHEB 100.3 and WGIR-FM 101.1 in Portsmouth and Manchester, New Hampshire, respectively, doing two commentaries a week.

Stand-up career

Initially performing stand-up under his real name with limited success, he became famous after developing the Cable Guy character, a personality that he now maintains throughout his stage act. The Cable Guy character has a stereotypical redneck appearance and a thick Southern accent, recounts stories about his "family", and uses, among other common expressions, his own catchphrase "Git-R-Done!"

He says in interviews and in his autobiographical book GIT-R-DONE that he deliberately "turns on" the accent both on and off stage, because he may forget it if he kept his normal accent intact. He uses catchphrase humor, including "Lord, I apologize for that, there, and be with the starvin' Pygmies in New Guinea. Amen," after telling jokes of questionable taste; and, "I don't care who ya are, that's funny right there," after jokes that evoke raucous laughter.

He became well-known as one of the members of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, a comedy troupe which included Bill Engvall, Ron White, and Jeff Foxworthy (with whom he has starred on Blue Collar TV). The tour also spawned three films and a satellite radio show.

His first two comedy albums, Lord, I Apologize (2001) and The Right to Bare Arms (2005), have both been certified gold by the RIAA. A third album, Morning Constitutions, and its accompanying TV special were released in 2007.

Other work

Whitney starred in the films Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector (2006), Delta Farce (2007) and Witless Protection (2008). He provided the voice of Tow Mater, a rusty blue tow truck, in the Disney/Pixar film Cars (2006) and its sequels, Cars 2 (2011), and Cars 3 (2017), as well as the short-form Cars series Tales from Radiator Springs and Cars on the Road, and several video games in the franchise.

Whitney was roasted in a Comedy Central special on March 15, 2009.

On February 8, 2011, the premiere of his newest travelogue series, Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy, was broadcast on the History Channel. A total of 4.1 million viewers, 1.7 million adults 25–54, tuned in, nearly doubling the total for the "Top Shot" season 2 opener. During season two in the episode "Larry Goes To Washington", Whitney was the first on-air talent from a non-news crew allowed in the War Room, also known as the Command Center, as he explained during the program. The series finale aired August 28, 2013.

In June 2012, Disneyland's California Adventure theme park's "Cars Land" opened a ride called "Mater's Junkyard Jamboree" that features Whitney's voice as his character Mater from the Disney/Pixar Cars films.

Bektrom Foods of North Dakota developed a line of Larry the Cable Guy food products, such as boxed hamburger dinners, with some of the proceeds from its sales benefiting the "Git-R-Done Foundation".

Whitney's later films include Tooth Fairy 2 (2012), A Madea Christmas (2013), and Jingle All the Way 2 (2014). He competed in season six of The Masked Singer as the wild card contestant "Baby" which was the show's first human character.

Personal life

Whitney and his wife Cara married in 2005. They have a son, Wyatt, and a daughter, Reagan. The Whitney family resides in Lincoln, Nebraska, on a 180-acre (73 ha) farm. The couple started the Git-R-Done Foundation in 2009 to provide assistance to those that have experienced hardships beyond their control. Whitney is a Christian who re-committed to his faith in 2014.

Whitney's hometown of Pawnee City, Nebraska, has a street named after him. Whitney also donated money to buy new theatrical equipment for the local high school.

Whitney is a fan of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) circuit and has co-owned some bucking bulls over the years. Among them was Chicken on a Chain, who was the 2007 PBR World Champion Bull.

Whitney is also an avid Nebraska Cornhuskers football fan. His signature camouflage hat has the University of Nebraska–Lincoln nickname "HUSKERS" emblazoned on it, as seen in the 2007 film Delta Farce. He is also frequently seen with a gold Nebraska "N" on a chain around his neck. On October 1, 2016, in his luxury suite at Memorial Stadium during the Nebraska vs. Illinois football game, Whitney was challenged to an arm wrestling match by an Army veteran and Nebraska Army National Guard member, John O'Connell, who lost the match in less than one minute with his arm (humerus) broken by Whitney.

In September 2010, Whitney donated $5 million to the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando, Florida. The gift was for further development of the International Hip Dysplasia Institute at the Orlando hospital. After Dr. Chad Price at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children helped cure their son, Wyatt, of his dysplasia when he was an infant, Whitney and his wife, Cara, made private donations to the hospital and Whitney raised money through appearances on Family Feud and Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?. The hospital opened a new wing called the Wyatt Whitney Wing in May 2012.

Whitney is also an avid REO Speedwagon fan. In 2013, he appeared with the band, including a benefit concert in Bloomington, Illinois, for tornado disaster relief.

Whitney is also the proud owner of a George Strait neon sign that he bought backstage at Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth, Texas.

Whitney endorsed Donald Trump for the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Radio shows

Whitney currently works as a radio personality for Sirius XM's Jeff & Larry's Comedy Roundup channel.

Discography

• A Box set consisting of The Right to Bare Arms, Christmastime in Larryland, and Morning Constitutions.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Theme park attractions

Book

Awards and nominations

References

References

1. (2008). "Country music humorists and comedians". [[University of Illinois Press]].
2. (2007). "Larry the Cable Guy". [[The New York Times]].
3. "Gold & Platinum".
4. Kobelik, Jeff. (2005-10-07). "Larry the Cable Guy Returns to Nebraska to Kick off His 'Right to Bare Arms Tour'". [[Lincoln Journal Star]].
5. "Larry The Cable Guy Biography".
6. "For Pig Farmer-Turned Superstar, Life is All About Faith, Family and Football - Huskers.com - Nebraska Athletics Official Web Site".
7. "5 Reasons to See Larry the Cable Guy at the Kravis".
8. "The King's Academy 1980 Yearbook, page 59".
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10. "The King's Academy 1980 Yearbook, page 23".
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12. William Booth. (September 5, 2004). "Guffaw Guys". [[The Washington Post]].
13. [http://www.dead-frog.com/blog/entry/an_interview_with_larry_the_cable_guy/ An Interview with Larry the Cable Guy] {{Webarchive. link. (May 3, 2016 , Dead-Frog.com, June 15, 2005)
14. (May 26, 2011). "Comedy Central To Rip More Than Flannel Sleeves – Network To Roast Larry The Cable Guy".
15. [https://web.archive.org/web/20110213050741/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/02/09/only-in-america-with-larry-the-cable-guy-premieres-to-4-1-million-viewers-top-shot-s2-premieres-to-2-8-million/82138 'Only In America with Larry the Cable Guy' Premieres to 4.1 Million Viewers; 'Top Shot' S2 Premieres to 2.8 Million]. Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com (February 9, 2011). Retrieved on July 23, 2012.
16. [http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneys-california-adventure/maters-junkyard-jamboree/ Mater's Junkyard Jamboree] {{webarchive. link. (May 9, 2012. Disneyland.disney.go.com. Retrieved on July 23, 2012.)
17. (January 14, 2012). "Bektrom Foods, Inc.: Larry the Cable Guy".
18. Hatt, Elizabeth Louise. (January 4, 2012). "Store Brands Stay Strong".
19. Schilling, Dave. (December 2, 2014). "'Jingle All the Way 2' Is the Pinnacle of Larry the Cable Guy's Career". [[Vice (magazine).
20. "Larry the Cable Guy gives $5 million to hospital".
21. "Madison Biography". [[Internet Movie Database]].
22. (March 8, 2008). "Larry the Cable Guy and family at home". [[Meredith Corporation]].
23. Weiss, Michelle. (2011-06-24). "Git-R-Done Foundation's wide reach".
24. (2016-11-11). "Larry the Cable Guy shares jokes and his heart at special Veterans Day Convocation » Liberty News".
25. (April 29, 2016). "Larry the Cable Guy Shares Love for the Bible With Pastor David Jeremiah".
26. Jeff Korbelik / Gzo. (July 3, 2009). "Larry the Cable Guy still has hometown pride".
27. (April 12, 2024). "Larry the Cable Guy brings bounty bull to Lincoln PBR event".
28. Ernst, Douglas. (October 7, 2016). "Larry the Cable Guy breaks Army vet's humerus while arm wrestling: 'I'm retiring from arm wrestling after this'". [[Washington Times]].
29. Huff, Steve. (October 8, 2016). "Arm-Wrestling Larry the Cable Guy". [[Maxim (magazine).
30. Matteson, Cory. (March 30, 2017). "Larry the Cable Guy recounts arm wrestling that went awry". [[Lincoln Journal Star.
31. "Dan Whitney sheds Larry the Cable Guy persona for Q&A | Charlotte Observer".
32. (September 3, 2016). "Larry the Cable Guy on Fox and Friends Weighs in on Trump, Hillary".
33. (November 30, 2016). "Listen to What Larry the Cable Guy Had to Say About Donald Trump".
34. "Jeff & Larry's Comedy Roundup".
35. (1995). "''Law and Disorder''". Discogs.
36. (1997). "''Salutations and Flatulations''". Discogs.
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39. "Cars Toon: Mater's Tall Tales".
40. "Cars Toon: Mater's Tall Tales".