| Jeffrey Lebowski | |
|---|---|
| |
| Portrayed by | David Huddleston |
| Details | |
| Gender | Male |
Jeffrey Lebowski (played by David Huddleston) is also known as the "Big Lebowski" of the movie's title and the main antagonist. He is a wheelchair-bound, multi-millionaire. He is married to Fawn Knutsen, b.k.a Bunny Lebowski, who is a much younger woman. At one point in his life he was married to a woman closer to his age and that marriage produced a daughter named Maude Lebowski. The first Mrs. Lebowski died prior to the film's events.
He is aided by a man named Brad. It was through Brad that the Dude contacted the Big Lebowski concerning the micturation of his rug through goons who had erroneously intimidated him, when in fact they were supposed to collect from the Big Lebowski, who was in debt to them due to Bunny's shopaholic habits.
Although it's never proven within the confines of the film, Jeffrey Lebowski placed two yellow pages phone books in the briefcase in lieu of the cash which he had allegedly been embezzling via this kidnapping.
Jeffrey Lebowski met with once first lady Nancy Reagan, unfortunately Ronald Reagan was not available for the photo opportunity. Nancy, according to The Dude is "pretty good".
Jeffrey Lebowski's legs were taken from him by a Chinaman in Korea so he appears throughout the movie in a wheelchair, despite this he went out and achieved anyway. Convinced that The Big Lebowski is a "phony", Walter lifts him from his chair and releases him expecting to prove his masquarade. The Big Lebowski falls to the floor and begins to weep, to which the others remark Walter did not think that through.
According to Maude Lebowski, the Big Lebowski's greatest flaw is vanity, through his marriage to Bunny and his refusal to admit his financial woes. Maude explains to the Dude that her father did not make much money through his own efforts, having married into an old money family for his first marriage. Maude's mother, who was a philanthropist, specified in her will that her money was to go into a trust fund to provide school tuitions for disadvantaged children, which was known as the "Little Lebowski Achievers" charity. The Big Lebowski, largely through Brad, was embezzling money from the charity to cover his debts, and emptied the trust fund to pay for the supposed kidnapping of Bunny. Once both were out of the way, he could keep the money and avoid scrunity from the authorities.