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Jim Henson never thought that he would make a name of himself in puppetry; it was merely a way of getting himself on television. The vehicle that achieved it was Sam and Friends (1955), a late-night puppet show that was on after the 11:00 news in Washington DC. It proved to be very popular and inspired Jim to continue using puppets for his work. He made many commercials, developing the signature humor that Henson Productions is known for. A key reason for the success of his puppets is that Jim realized he didn't need to hide puppeteers behind a structure when they were in front of a camera. All he had to do was instruct the camera operators to focus on the puppets and keep the puppeteers out of the frame. This allowed the puppets to dominate the image and make them more lifelike. This work on puppets and television would lead to separate projects that had different goals. The first one was his work on the The Jimmy Dean Show (1963) with the character Rowlf the Dog, the oldest clearly identified character that Henson Productions still uses. This show provided an income that allowed Jim to work on a pet project. That project was Time Piece (1965), a surrealistic short about time which was nominated for best live-action short Oscar. Henson shot to prominence when he was approached to use his muppets for the revolutionary educational show Sesame Street (1969). The show was a smash hit and his characters have become staples on public television. Unforetunately, this also led to Henson being typecast as only an entertainer for children. He sought to disprove that by being part of the initial crew of Saturday Night Live (1975), but his style and that of the creative staff simply didn't jibe. It was this circumstance that encouraged him to develop a variety show format that had the kind of sophisticated humor that "Sesame Street (1969)" didn't work with. No American broadcaster was interested, but British producer Lew Grade was. This led to The Muppet Show (1976). It initially struggled both in the ratings and in the search for guest stars, but in the second season it became a smash hit and would eventually become the most widely watched series in television history. Hungry for a new challenge, Henson made The Muppet Movie (1979), defying the popular industry opinion that his characters would never work in a movie. The film became a hit and spawned a series of features which included the moody fantasy The Dark Crystal (1982), which was a drastic and bold departure from the amiable tone of his previous work. The most successful TV work in the 1980s was Fraggle Rock (1983), a fantasy series specifically designed to appeal to as many cultural groups as possible. During this time he also established the Creature Shop, a puppet studio that became renowned for being as brilliant with puppetry as ILM was at special effects. When he died all too soon in 1990, he was indisputably one of the geniuses of puppetry. More importantly, he was a man who achieved his phenomenal success while still retaining his social conscience and artistic integrity as his work in promoting environmentalism and his brilliant The Storyteller (1987) series respectively attest to.Characters- Kermit the Frog
- Ernie
- Guy Smiley
- Rowlf
- Waldorf
- Swedish Chef
- Dr. Teeth
- Link Hogthrob
- Newsman
- Mahna Mahna
- Convincing John
- Cantus the Minstrel
- Harrison Fox (Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas)
- Harvey Beaver (Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas)
- Howard Snake (Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas)
- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Director
Frank Richard Oznowicz was born in Hereford, England to puppeteers Frances and Isidore Oznowicz. His family moved to Montana in 1951, eventually settling in Oakland, California. As a teenager, he worked as an apprentice puppeteer at Children's Fairyland amusement park. He is one of the primary puppeteers responsible for the development of Jim Henson's Sesame Street (1969) and The Muppet Show (1976) as well as over 75 other Muppet productions. George Lucas originally contacted Henson to play the part of Yoda in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), but he recommended Oz for the part instead. He developed the character's trademark syntax, returning to voice and puppet the Jedi Master in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) and Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999).
Oz voiced the computer-generated Yoda in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005), supporting the transition of the character's rendering to digital. In 2011, the Blu-Ray edition of The Phantom Menace replaced the puppet Yoda with CGI to match the other prequel films.
He began a career of behind-the-camera puppet and live action filmmaking by co-directing The Dark Crystal (1982) with Henson. He went on to direct The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984), Little Shop of Horrors (1986), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988), What About Bob? (1991), The Indian in the Cupboard (1995), Bowfinger (1999), The Score (2001), The Stepford Wives (2004) and Death at a Funeral (2007).Characters
SESAME STREET:- Bert
- Cookie Monster
- Grover
- Miss Piggy
- Fozzie Bear
- Animal
- Sam the Eagle
- George the Janitor
- Marvin Suggs
- The Mighty Favog (Saturday Night Live)
- Chuck Stoat (Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas)
- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Music Department
Puppeteer, actor, musician, and master of voices, Jerry Nelson originally joined Henson & Company as a temporary replacement for Frank Oz, who had been drafted into the armed services in the 60's. He later re-joined the crew as a full-time performer in the 70's, and has since been heavily involved in almost every major Muppet project, including Sesame Street (1969), The Muppet Show (1976), Fraggle Rock (1983) and feature films. Memorable characters include "The Count", "Herry Monster", "Mumford the Magician", "Robin the Frog", "Crazy Harry" and "Gobo". Come the late 1990s, Nelson has begun to focus more on his musical career but continues his involvement in The Muppets.Characters
SESAME STREET:- Count von Count
- Mr. Snuffleupagus (1971-1980)
- Herry Monster
- Sherlock Hemlock
- Two-Headed Monster (left head)
- Camilla
- Crazy Harry
- Floyd Pepper
- Julius Strangepork
- Lew Zealand
- Pops
- Robin
- Statler (1992-2003)
- Ghost of Christmas Present (The Muppet Christmas Carol)
- Blind Pew (Muppet Treasure Island)
- Ubergonzo (Muppets from Space)
- Gobo Fraggle
- Marjory the Trash Heap
- Pa Gorg
- Emmet Otter (Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas)
- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Producer
A longtime puppet designer and performer, Goelz was picked up by Jim Henson and company to design Muppets for various television projects in the early 70's. By the time Jim Henson and Frank Oz were beginning work on "The Muppet Show", they managed to convince Dave to come work as a puppeteer. He soon began to perform and develop such memorable characters as the Great Gonzo and Dr. Bunsen Honeydew. He has gone on to become a principal Muppeteer and one of the major talents of the Jim Henson Company.Characters
MUPPETS:- Gonzo
- Bunsen Honeydew
- Zoot
- Beauregard
- Waldorf (since 1992)
- Bill (The Muppets Take Manhattan)
- Kermoot (The Muppets (2011))
- Boober Fraggle
- Uncle Traveling Matt
- Philo
- World's Oldest Fraggle
- Wrench Doozer
- Large Marvin
- Wendell Porcupine (Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas)
- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Director
Richard Hunt did not have a face known to many -- his voice was known more than anything else. He was a major stronghold behind Jim Henson's "Muppets". 'Scooter', 'Janice', 'Sweetums' and a few others, were some of the "Muppets" that Richard was a performer and puppeteer of. He helped pave the way for Jim Henson and his company from the 1970s through the early 90s, until his surprising death in 1992 of AIDS.Characters
SESAME STREET:- Don Music
- Forgetful Jones
- Gladys the Cow
- Sully
- Two-Headed Monster (right head)
- Scooter
- Statler
- Janice
- Beaker
- Sweetums
- Junior Gorg
- Gunge
- Charlie Muskrat (Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas)
- Snowman (A Muppet Family Christmas)
- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Steve Whitmire was born on 24 September 1959 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Fraggle Rock (1983), The Muppets (2011) and Muppet Treasure Island (1996). He has been married to Melissa Whitmire since June 1978.MUPPETS:- Kermit the Frog (1990-2017)
- Beaker (1992-2017)
- Statler (2003-2017)
- Newsman (2008-2017)
- Link Hogthrob (2000-2017)
- Rizzo the Rat
- Bean Bunny
- Gil (The Muppets Take Manhattan)
- Belinda Cratchit (The Muppet Christmas Carol)
- Walleye Pike (Muppet Treasure Island)
- Cosmic Fish #1 (Muppets from Space)
- Turkey (A Muppet Family Christmas)
- Sprocket
- Wembley Fraggle
- Flange Doozer
- Marlon
- Ernie (1993-2014
- Actor
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Caroll Spinney was born on 26 December 1933 in Waltham, Massachusetts, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Sesame Street (1969), The Muppet Movie (1979) and The Great Muppet Caper (1981). He was married to Debra Spinney and Janice Spinney. He died on 8 December 2019 in Woodstock, Connecticut, USA.Characters
SESAME STREET:- Big Bird
- Oscar the Grouch
- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Fran Brill was born on 30 September 1946 in Chester, Pennsylvania, USA. She is an actress, known for Sesame Street (1969), What About Bob? (1991) and Midnight Run (1988). She has been married to Robert Kelly since 1988. She was previously married to Clinton Edward Ramsden Jr.Characters
SESAME STREET:- Little Bird
- Zoe
- Prairie Dawn
- Vicki (The Jim Henson Hour)
- Actress
- Producer
- Animation Department
Karen Prell was born on 26 July 1959 in Florida, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Fraggle Rock (1983), The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) and Labyrinth (1986). She was previously married to Mike Quinn.Characters
FRAGGLE ROCK:- Red Fraggle
- Yolanda (The Muppets Take Manhattan)
- Mink (A Muppet Family Christmas)
- Mouse (The Muppet Christmas Carol)
- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Writer
Kathryn Mullen was born on 10 February 1940 in New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Fraggle Rock (1983), Between the Lions (1999) and The Muppet Movie (1979). She is married to Michael K. Frith.Characters
FRAGGLE ROCK:- Mokey Fraggle
- Cotterpin Doozer
- Jill (The Muppets Take Manhattan)
- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Bill Barretta was born on 19 June 1964 in Yardley, Pennsylvania, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for The Muppets (2011), Muppet Treasure Island (1996) and Muppets Most Wanted (2014). He is married to Cristina Campbell. They have one child.Characters
MUPPETS:- Pepé the King Prawn
- Bobo the Bear
- Johnny Fiama
- Rowlf (since 1996)
- Dr. Teeth (since 2005)
- Swedish Chef (since 1996)
- Bubba the Rat (Muppets from Space)
- Clueless Morgan (Muppet Treasure Island)
- Croaker (Kermit's Swamp Years)
- Louie
- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Producer
Kevin Clash was born on 17 September 1960 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Sesame Street (1969), Muppet Treasure Island (1996) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990). He was previously married to Genia Loving.Characters
SESAME STREET:- Elmo
- Hoots the Owl
- Natasha
- Benny the Rabbit
- Clifford
- Sam the Eagle (It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie)
- Bad Polly (Muppet Treasure Island)
- Spa'am (Muppet Treasure Island)
- Uncle Traveling Matt (puppetry only in select episodes)
- Producer
- Actor
- Director
Brian, the son of Jim Henson, grew up with his parents who had created The Muppets, Playing with puppets alongside his brother and 3 sisters was natural to him. By the time he was 17 he had enough skill as a puppeteer to perform with his father in The Great Muppet Caper but he didn't think the muppet life was for him and wanted to do something different. He decided to go to college and either become an engineer or go into the aerospace industry. After a few months at the University of Colorado he found the pull of puppeteering stronger than he thought so he decided to take a year out and return to New York to re consider things. During that time he picked up one puppeteering credit after another including supervising the performers manipulating Audrey II, the man eating plant in Little Shop of Horrors and being chief puppeteer on The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles followed by directing Jim Henson's Mother Goose Stories which were aired on the Disney Channel. He started directing under his father who had him directing background performers while he directed the foreground. He advanced further becoming co executive producer for the television series Dinosaurs and becoming president of Jim Henson Productions.Characters
MUPPETS:- Sal Minella
- Seymour
- Nigel
- Dr. Phil van Neuter
- Hoggle (Labyrinth)
- Dog (The Storyteller)
- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Director
Eric Jacobson was born on 15 January 1971 in Fort Worth, Texas, USA. He is an actor and director, known for The Muppets (2011), Muppets Most Wanted (2014) and Sesame Street (1969). He is married to Mary Hardy. They have two children.Characters
MUPPETS:- Miss Piggy (since 2001)
- Fozzie Bear (since 2002)
- Animal (since 2002)
- Sam the Eagle (since 2005)
- Marvin Suggs (since 2011)
- Newsman (since 2017)
- Bert (since 1999)
- Grover (since 1999)
- Oscar the Grouch (since 2015)
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
David Rudman was born on 1 June 1963 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is an actor and director, known for The Muppets (2011), Muppets Most Wanted (2014) and Donkey Hodie (2021).Characters
SESAME STREET:- Baby Bear
- Cookie Monster (since 2001)
- Scooter (since 2008)
- Janice (since 2008)
- Beaker (since 2017)
- Miss Poogy (The Muppets (2011))
- Peter Cratchit (The Muppet Christmas Carol)
- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Matt Vogel was born on 6 October 1970 in Kansas City, Kansas, USA. He is an actor and director, known for Sesame Street (1969), Muppets Haunted Mansion (2021) and Muppets Now (2020). He has been married to Kelly C. McDonnell since 31 August 1997. They have five children.Characters
SESAME STREET:- Big Bird (since 1997)
- Count von Count (since 2012)
- Kermit the Frog (since 2017)
- Camilla (since 2008)
- Floyd Pepper (since 2008)
- Lew Zealand (since 2008)
- Robin (2008-2017)
- Julius Strangepork (since 2009)
- Sweetums (since 2009)
- Pops (since 2011)
- Uncle Deadly (since 2011)
- '80s Robot (The Muppets (2011))
- Constantine (Muppets Most Wanted)
- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Special Effects
Peter Linz was born on 28 June 1967 in Decatur, Georgia, USA. He is an actor, known for The Muppets (2011), Muppets Most Wanted (2014) and The Puzzle Place (1994). He has been married to Alice Dinnean since 2023. He was previously married to Marlene E. Rudy.Characters
MUPPETS:- Walter
- Gloria Estefan (The Muppets (2015))
- Joe the Legal Weasel
- Statler (since 2017)
- Lips (since 2023)
- Herry Monster (since 2015)
- Ernie (since 2017)