Larry the Cable Guy

Dan Whitney was born in Nebraska to Tom and Shirley Whitney, and grew up on an 80-acre farm outside Pawnee City, Nebraska.[3][4] His father was a Christian minister. When he was 16, his family moved to West Palm Beach, Florida.[5] Whitney attended high school at The King's Academy in West Palm Beach, Florida, in the late 1970s through 1980[6][7][8] where his father was the elementary school principal.[9] He graduated from Berean Christian School in West Palm Beach in 1982 where he played football.[10] 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.[11] He dropped out after his junior year after trying his hand at comedy.[11]

Whitney and his wife Cara married in 2005.[18][19] They have a son, Wyatt and a daughter, Reagan.[20] 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.[21][22] Whitney is a Christian who re-committed to his faith in 2014.[22][23]

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.[24]

Whitney is 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.[25][26][27]

Whitney is also an avid REO Speedwagon fan. In 2013, he appeared with the group, including a benefit concert in Bloomington, Illinois, for tornado disaster relief.[28]

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 the proud owner of a George Strait neon sign that he bought backstage at Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth, Texas.[18]

Whitney endorsed Gary Johnson for the 2016 U.S. presidential election.[29]

In June 2023, claims that Whitney had died at age 60 had surfaced. This was later confirmed to be a hoax.[30]

Whitney formerly worked as a radio personality on Blue Collar Radio on Sirius XM Radio.

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

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• Official website
• Larry the Cable Guy at IMDb