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IMDbPro

Jim Henson(1936-1990)

  • Actor
  • Writer
  • Producer
IMDbProStarmeter
See rank
Jim Henson at an event for The 41st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1989)
Official Trailer
Play trailer2:15
Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street (2021)
80 Videos
81 Photos
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.
BornSeptember 24, 1936
DiedMay 16, 1990(53)
BornSeptember 24, 1936
DiedMay 16, 1990(53)
IMDbProStarmeter
See rank
  • Nominated for 1 Oscar

Photos81

Frank Oz, Jim Henson, Dave Goelz, Richard Hunt, Jerry Nelson, and The Muppets in The Great Muppet Caper (1981)
Jim Henson in The Muppet Show (1976)
Frank Oz, Jim Henson, and Richard Hunt in The Muppet Movie (1979)
Jim Henson and Richard Hunt in The Muppet Movie (1979)
Jim Henson in The Muppet Movie (1979)
Frank Oz and Jim Henson in The Muppet Movie (1979)
Frank Oz, Jim Henson, Dave Goelz, Richard Hunt, and Jerry Nelson in The Muppet Movie (1979)
Frank Oz, Jim Henson, Dave Goelz, Richard Hunt, Jerry Nelson, and The Muppets in The Muppet Movie (1979)
LeVar Burton, Jim Henson, and Kermit the Frog in Reading Rainbow (1983)
Jim Henson, Percy Edwards, Stephen Garlick, Dave Goelz, Lisa Maxwell, and Kathryn Mullen in The Dark Crystal (1982)
Jim Henson, Percy Edwards, Stephen Garlick, Dave Goelz, Lisa Maxwell, and Kathryn Mullen in The Dark Crystal (1982)
Frank Oz, Jim Henson, Barry Dennen, Percy Edwards, Stephen Garlick, Dave Goelz, Lisa Maxwell, and Kathryn Mullen in The Dark Crystal (1982)

Known for

The Great Gonzo, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and Fozzie Bear in The Muppet Show (1976)
The Muppet Show
8.4
TV Series
  • Kermit the Frog
  • Waldorf
  • Rowlf
  • Link Hogthrob
  • The Swedish Chef
  • Muppet Newsman
  • Dr. Teeth
  • The Newsman
  • Swedish Chef
  • Rowlf the Dog
  • Gloat
  • Jim
  • Zeke
  • Pig
  • Whatnot Dancers
  • Accordion Player
  • Beaver
  • Ernie
  • Jugband Member
  • Newsman
  • Prairie Dog
  • Australian
  • Baby
  • Beaker clones
  • Beautiful Day Monster
  • Black Rooster
  • Blue Frackle
  • Boppity
  • Boston Pops Conductor
  • Brown Bear
  • Bug
  • Bun-Bun Brother
  • Butch the Tiger
  • Cantaloupe
  • Clodhopper
  • Construction Worker
  • Dancers
  • Doglion
  • Droop
  • Eel
  • Fazoob
  • Flower-Eating Monster
  • Gills Brother
  • Gingerbread Man
  • Girl Dancer
  • Gypsy
  • Hillbilly Singer
  • King Rupert the Second
  • Lefty
  • Lenny the Lizard
  • Leo
  • Link Hoghrob
  • Link Hogthtrob
  • Mahna Mahna
  • Marvin
  • Mary Louise
  • Mean Mama
  • Miss Kitty
  • Miss Kitty's Dancing Partner
  • Muppaphones
  • Muppet Newspig
  • Nigel
  • Old Man Singer
  • One of the Students
  • Piano
  • Pigs
  • Pretty Monster
  • Rat
  • Robot Kermit
  • Rover Joe
  • Rowlf's Dancing Partner
  • Scientist
  • Shaky Sanchez
  • Silver Beak
  • Singer
  • Singing Fireman
  • Slim Wilson
  • Tennis Balls
  • The Muppaphones
  • The Muppet Newsman
  • Timmy Monster
  • Turkish Whatnot
  • Viking Pig
  • Villager
  • Villain
  • Wally Whoopie
  • Whatnot
  • Whatnot Dancer(voice)
Leslie Carrara-Rudolph, David Rudman, Matt Vogel, and Ryan Dillon in Sesame Street (1969)
Sesame Street
8.1
TV Series
  • Ernie
  • Kermit the Frog
  • Guy Smiley
  • The Baker
  • Thomas Twiddlebug
  • Harvey Monster
  • Anything Muppets
  • Sinister Sam
  • Bad Bart
  • Bip Bippadotta
  • Blue Martian
  • Tony
  • Cowboy
  • Jester
  • Kermit
  • Baker
  • Boy
  • Roberta
  • Spaceship Surprise Captain
  • The King of Eight
  • Additional Anything Muppets
  • Barry Rhymie
  • City Hipster
  • Father
  • Frances's Last Line
  • Juggler
  • Lance
  • Lavender Alien
  • Mahna Mahna
  • Mr. Nose
  • Rowlf the Dog
  • Salvador Dada
  • The King
  • Bartender
  • Ben
  • Blue Man
  • Boater
  • Captain
  • Captain Vegetable
  • City Boy
  • Fat Blue Cheerleader
  • Fat Blue Guy
  • Fat Blue J Friend
  • Fat Blue Victim
  • Fenwick
  • Flakey
  • Granny Fanny Nesselrode
  • Green Cowboy
  • Lavender Vocalist
  • Mailman
  • Pokey
  • Prime Minister
  • Prince Charming
  • Royal Cook
  • Store Clerk
  • Additional Muppets
  • Baby Monster
  • Beginning
  • Bip BIppadotta
  • Bip Bipadotta
  • Blue Victim
  • Blue Villager
  • Boy in Circle
  • Bread
  • Bruce
  • Casanova
  • Court Jester
  • Dan
  • Fred the Monster
  • Frog
  • Garbageman
  • Geefle
  • George Washington
  • Goldfish
  • Green Man
  • Green Monster
  • Guitarist
  • Head Cheerleader
  • Janitor
  • Kermit The Frog
  • King Peter the Persnickety
  • King Richard the Chicken-Hearted
  • King of 8
  • L-Sweater Man
  • Lavender Cowboy
  • Lavender Singer
  • Lead Singer 'Listen to the Bells'
  • Lead Singer 'One Banana'
  • Lead Singer 'Street Garden Cooperation'
  • Lord Lester
  • Marvin
  • Maurice
  • Monsters
  • Mr. Essex
  • Nature Lover
  • Nose
  • Officer Stan
  • Pat Playjacks
  • Royal Fireman
  • Sam
  • Sam the Snake
  • Sammy the Snake
  • Scudge
  • Sneaky
  • Stagehand
  • The Young Son
  • Zizzy Zoomer #1
  • Anything Muppet
  • Aristocrat
  • Attendant
  • Baker (segment "Song of Two")
  • Banker
  • Baritone
  • Bats
  • Beatnik
  • Billy
  • Bip Bippadota
  • Blue Cheerleader
  • Blue Guy
  • Blue J Friend
  • Bruce Monster
  • Bumble Ardy
  • Bus Driver
  • Carpenter
  • City Man
  • Clerk
  • Diver
  • Doc
  • Drippy
  • Elmo Monderporg
  • Elmo Mondiporg
  • Employer
  • Fat Blue Dentist
  • Fat Blue King
  • Fat Blue Man
  • Fat Blue Man ('ET Family')
  • Fat Blue Man (Sun Sketch)
  • Fat Blue P Lover
  • Fat Blue VIctim
  • Fat Blue Witch
  • Father ('Five People in My Family')
  • Father (Pumpkin)
  • Fiddler 1
  • Fireman
  • Freddy Smith
  • Garbage Man
  • Gato
  • Genie
  • Grandmother Happy
  • Green Boy
  • Green Man 'Exercise'
  • Grocer
  • Harold Happy
  • Harry
  • Henry
  • Herry Monster
  • Hipster
  • Jack
  • Juggler (on-camera)
  • King
  • King Digitus
  • King Gerry the Generous
  • King of Eight
  • Lead Singer 'Bells'
  • Lead Singer'Listen to the Bells'
  • Lefty
  • Little Bird
  • Lost and Found Clerk
  • Man
  • Marius Monderporg
  • Marshal McClean
  • Marvin (music store owner)
  • Masked Man
  • Motorperson
  • Moving Man
  • Mr. Jenkins
  • Newsdealer
  • Orange Gold Subject
  • Pedestrian
  • Postman
  • Pumpkin AM Cowboy
  • Purple Boy
  • Purple Monster
  • Radiator Mover
  • Rancher Ernie
  • Royal Bass Player
  • Sheldon the Turtle
  • Short Branch Cafe Bartender
  • Soldier
  • Sonny Friendly
  • Storekeeper
  • Swedish Man
  • Taxi Driver
  • The Baler
  • The Emperor
  • The Geefle
  • The Juggler
  • The Letter W
  • The Mailman
  • Tom Smith
  • Tuba Player
  • Two-Headed Monster's Mom
  • Uncle (Fat Blue)
  • Unicorn
  • Various Monsters
  • Various Muppets
  • Villager
  • Villagers
  • W
  • Woman
The Dark Crystal (1982)
The Dark Crystal
7.1
  • Jen, a Gelfling (performer)
  • High Priest, Ritual Master (performer)
  • 1982
Frank Oz, Jim Henson, Dave Goelz, Richard Hunt, and Jerry Nelson in The Muppet Movie (1979)
The Muppet Movie
7.6
  • Kermit the Frog
  • Rowlf
  • Dr. Teeth
  • Waldorf
  • Swedish Chef
  • Link Hogthrob
  • Doc Hopper's Men(voice)
  • 1979

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actor

  • Leslie Carrara-Rudolph, David Rudman, Matt Vogel, and Ryan Dillon in Sesame Street (1969)
    Sesame Street
    • ...
  • Sesame Street: Numbers (1991)
    Sesame Street: Numbers
  • Muppet*vision 3-D (1991)
    Muppet*vision 3-D
    • (voice)
  • Shalom Sesame (1987)
    Shalom Sesame
    • (voice) ...
  • The Magical World of Disney (1954)
    The Magical World of Disney
    • (voice) ...
  • Dustin Hoffman and Robin Williams in The Earth Day Special (1990)
    The Earth Day Special
    • (voice, as The Muppets)
  • Jim Henson and Dave Goelz in Muppet Studios Presents: You're the Director (1988)
    Muppet Studios Presents: You're the Director
    • (voice, uncredited) ...
  • Muppet Madness (1988)
    Muppet Madness
    • (voice)
  • Jim Henson, Pam Arciero, Camille Bonora, Rickey Boyd, Kevin Clash, Richard Hunt, Noel MacNeal, Jim Martin, Martin P. Robinson, and David Rudman in Sing-Along, Dance-Along, Do-Along (1988)
    Sing-Along, Dance-Along, Do-Along
    • (voice)
  • Hey, You're as Funny as Fozzie Bear (1988)
    Hey, You're as Funny as Fozzie Bear
    • (voice)
  • Caroll Spinney in Let's Learn to Play Together (1988)
    Let's Learn to Play Together
    • (voice)
  • Free to Be... a Family (1988)
    Free to Be... a Family
    • (voice)
  • Jim Henson and Tatyana Ali in Wow, You're a Cartoonist! (1988)
    Wow, You're a Cartoonist!
    • (voice)
  • John Ritter, Tom Selleck, Jim Henson, Greg Berg, Barbara Billingsley, Dave Coulier, Peter Cullen, Stan Lee, Katie Leigh, Jeffrey Scott, Laurie O'Brien, Russi Taylor, Frank Welker, and Lon Zimmet in Muppet Babies (1984)
    Muppet Babies
  • Sesame Street: Oscar's Letter Party (1988)
    Sesame Street: Oscar's Letter Party
    • (voice)

Writer

  • The Power of the Dark Crystal
    • Abandoned
  • The Muppets Mayhem
    • Post-production
  • Bill Barretta, Dave Goelz, Matt Vogel, and Eric Jacobson in Muppets Haunted Mansion (2021)
    Muppets Haunted Mansion
  • Tim Niverth in Childhood Thoughts (2015)
    Childhood Thoughts
  • The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019)
    The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance
    • ...
  • Dee Bradley Baker, Matt Danner, Jessica DiCicco, Ben Diskin, Eric Bauza, Melanie Harrison, and Jenny Slate in Muppet Babies (1984)
    Muppet Babies
  • Akasta: The Salvation of Thra (2016)
    Akasta: The Salvation of Thra
  • Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, and Eric Jacobson in The Muppets. (2015)
    The Muppets.
  • Jim Henson's Turkey Hollow (2015)
    Jim Henson's Turkey Hollow
  • Conan O'Brien in Conan (2010)
    Conan
  • Bill Barretta, Ty Burrell, Tina Fey, Ricky Gervais, Dave Goelz, Peter Linz, David Rudman, Matt Vogel, Steve Whitmire, and Eric Jacobson in Muppets Most Wanted (2014)
    Muppets Most Wanted
    • (as Disney's Muppet properties and characters)
  • Amy Adams, Bill Barretta, Dave Goelz, Peter Linz, David Rudman, Jason Segel, Matt Vogel, Steve Whitmire, Rowlf, Eric Jacobson, and The Muppets in The Muppets (2011)
    The Muppets
    • (as Disney's Muppet properties and characters)
  • Alexander the Grape
  • Muppets TV (2006)
    Muppets TV
  • 5, rue Sésame (2005)
    5, rue Sésame
    • (creator)
  • Muppets: Time Travel (1999)
    Muppets: Time Travel
    • (uncredited)
  • Construction Site (1999)
    Construction Site

Producer

  • It's the Muppets! More Muppets, Please! (1993)
    It's the Muppets! More Muppets, Please!
  • It's the Muppets! Meet the Muppets! (1993)
    It's the Muppets! Meet the Muppets!
  • The Storyteller: Greek Myths (1991)
    The Storyteller: Greek Myths
  • The Magical World of Disney (1954)
    The Magical World of Disney
  • Anjelica Huston, Jasen Fisher, and Mai Zetterling in The Witches (1990)
    The Witches
  • The Ghost of Faffner Hall (1989)
    The Ghost of Faffner Hall
  • Lighthouse island (1989)
    Lighthouse island
  • MuppeTelevision (1989)
    MuppeTelevision
  • John Ritter, Tom Selleck, Jim Henson, Greg Berg, Barbara Billingsley, Dave Coulier, Peter Cullen, Stan Lee, Katie Leigh, Jeffrey Scott, Laurie O'Brien, Russi Taylor, Frank Welker, and Lon Zimmet in Muppet Babies (1984)
    Muppet Babies
  • Frank Oz, Jim Henson, Kevin Clash, and Caroll Spinney in Sesame Street: 20 Years & Still Counting! 1969-1989 (1989)
    Sesame Street: 20 Years & Still Counting! 1969-1989
  • Jim Henson Presents the World of International Puppeteering
  • Jim Henson and Dave Goelz in Muppet Studios Presents: You're the Director (1988)
    Muppet Studios Presents: You're the Director
  • Hey, You're as Funny as Fozzie Bear (1988)
    Hey, You're as Funny as Fozzie Bear
  • The Storyteller (1987)
    The Storyteller
  • Frank Oz and Jim Henson in A Muppet Family Christmas (1987)
    A Muppet Family Christmas
  • In-development projects at IMDbPro

Videos80

Prequels, Sequels, and How the New "Dark Crystal" Fits In
Clip 3:54
Prequels, Sequels, and How the New "Dark Crystal" Fits In
Top Gun! Terminator! The '80s Live at SDCC
Clip 2:29
Top Gun! Terminator! The '80s Live at SDCC
The Muppet Movie: The Nearly 35th Anniversary Edition
Clip 1:05
The Muppet Movie: The Nearly 35th Anniversary Edition
The Muppet Movie: The Nearly 35th Anniversary Edition
Clip 1:14
The Muppet Movie: The Nearly 35th Anniversary Edition
The Muppet Movie: The Nearly 35th Anniversary Edition
Clip 1:21
The Muppet Movie: The Nearly 35th Anniversary Edition
The Muppet Movie: The Nearly 35th Anniversary Edition
Clip 1:33
The Muppet Movie: The Nearly 35th Anniversary Edition
Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas
Clip 2:00
Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas
Christmas Eve On Sesame Street
Clip 3:13
Christmas Eve On Sesame Street
The Muppet Show: The Complete First Season
Clip 0:40
The Muppet Show: The Complete First Season
The Muppet Show: The Complete First Season
Clip 1:12
The Muppet Show: The Complete First Season
The Muppet Show: The Complete First Season
Clip 1:36
The Muppet Show: The Complete First Season
The Muppet Show: The Complete First Season
Clip 1:08
The Muppet Show: The Complete First Season

Personal details

Edit
    • Jim Henson Company
    • Jim Henson's Creature Shop
    • September 24, 1936
    • Greenville, Mississippi, USA
    • May 16, 1990
    • New York City, New York, USA(bacterial pneumonia)
    • Jane HensonMay 28, 1959 - 1986 (separated, 5 children)
    • Brian Henson
    • Katrina Henson(Grandchild)
  • Other works
    Founded (1973) the "UNIMA Citations of Excellence in the Art of Puppetry" (sometimes denoted as "UNIMA Citation-founded by Jim Henson) as a founding member of the American Chapter (1966) of the Union Internationale de la Marionnette.
  • Publicity listings
    • 2 Print Biographies
    • 3 Interviews
    • 9 Articles
    • 2 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Was good friends with George Lucas, who originally offered him the role of Yoda in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980). He declined and suggested Frank Oz for the role.
  • Quotes
    When I was young, my ambition was to be one of the people who made a difference in this world. My hope still is to leave the world a little bit better for my having been here. It's a wonderful life and I love it.
    • Characters include: Kermit, Ernie, Swedish Chef, Rowlf the Dog

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