archytele The Vault

Jim Henson

Directing Born Sep 24, 1936 Greenville, Mississippi, USA 24 credits

Biography

James Maury Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was an American puppeteer, actor, animator, creative producer, and director who achieved worldwide notability as the creator of the Muppets. Henson was also well known for creating Fraggle Rock (1983–1987) and as the director of The Dark Crystal (1982) and Labyrinth (1986), as well as creating the puppets for Sesame Street (1969).

Born in Greenville, Mississippi, and raised in both Leland, Mississippi, and University Park, Maryland, Henson began developing puppets in high school. He created Sam and Friends (1955–1961), a short-form comedy television program on WRC-TV, while he was a freshman at the University of Maryland, College Park, in collaboration with fellow student Jane Nebel. Henson and Nebel co-founded Muppets, Inc. – now The Jim Henson Company – in 1958, and married less than a year later in 1959. Henson graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in home economics.

In 1969, Henson joined the children's television program Sesame Street (1969–present) where he helped to develop Muppet characters for the series. He and his creative team also appeared on the first season of the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (1975–present). He produced the sketch comedy television series The Muppet Show (1976–1981) during this period. Henson revolutionized the way puppetry is captured and presented in video media, and he won fame for his characters – particularly Kermit the Frog, Rowlf the Dog, and the characters on Sesame Street. During the later years of his life, he founded the Jim Henson Foundation and Jim Henson's Creature Shop. He won the Emmy Award twice for his involvement in The Storyteller (1987–1988) and The Jim Henson Hour (1989).

Henson died in New York City from toxic shock syndrome caused by Streptococcus pyogenes. At the time of his death, he was in negotiations to sell his company to The Walt Disney Company, but talks fell through after his death. He was posthumously awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1991, and was named a Disney Legend in 2011.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Jim Henson, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Ask the Vault

Ask anything about Jim Henson.

Known for

Sesame Street

1969

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

as Self (archive footage)

Saturday Night Live

as King Ploobis (voice)

The Mike Douglas Show

as Self

Full filmography

  • Sesame Street (1969)
  • The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962) as Self (archive footage)
  • Saturday Night Live (1975) as King Ploobis (voice)
  • The Mike Douglas Show (1961) as Self
  • Great Performances (1971) as Kermit the Frog (voice)
  • Wogan (1982) as Self
  • The Muppet Show (1976) as Kermit the Frog, Waldorf, Rowlf the Dog, Link Hogthrob, The Swedish Chef, Dr. Teeth, The Newsman (voice)
  • The Dick Cavett Show (1968) as Self - Guest
  • The Oscars (1953) as Self / Kermit The Frog / Waldorf
  • Reading Rainbow (1983) as Kermit the Frog
  • Labyrinth (1986) as Goblins (uncredited)
  • Fraggle Rock (1983) as Cantus
  • Fraggle Rock (1983) as Convincing John
  • Fraggle Rock (1983) as Gobo Fraggle, Convincing John, Cantus (voice)
  • Fraggle Rock (1983) as Convincing John (voice)
  • Fraggle Rock (1983) as Cantus the Minstrel (voice)
  • Fraggle Rock (1983) as Cantus the Minstrel, Convincing John, Additional Muppets (voice)
  • Fraggle Rock (1983) as Convincing John (voice, uncredited)
  • Einer wird gewinnen (1964) as Self
  • The Wonderful World of Disney (1954) as Self
  • The Jim Henson Hour (1989) as Self / Various
  • The Muppets (2011) as Kermit the Frog (archive voice) (uncredited)
  • The Muppet Movie (1979) as Kermit the Frog / Rowlf / Dr. Teeth / Waldorf / Doc Hopper's Men / Link Hogthrob / Swedish Chef (voice)
  • The Dark Crystal (1982) as Jen / High Priest, Ritual Master