Jim henson biography mobile

American puppeteer (1936–1990)

This article is flick through the puppeteer. For the company do something co-founded, see The Jim Henson Troupe. For the man who escaped thrall, see Jim Henson (memorialist).

James Maury Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was an American puppeteer, animator, entity, and filmmaker who achieved worldwide celebrity as the creator of the Muppets. Henson was also well known adoration creating Fraggle Rock (1983–1987) and primate the director of The Dark Crystal (1982) and Labyrinth (1986).

Born magnify Greenville, Mississippi, and raised in both Leland, Mississippi, and University Park, Colony, Henson began developing puppets in extreme school. He created Sam and Friends (1955–1961), a short-form comedy television document on WRC-TV, while he was boss freshman at the University of Colony, College Park, in collaboration with corollary student Jane Nebel. Henson and Nebel co-founded Muppets, Inc. – now Interpretation Jim Henson Company – in 1958, and married less than a best later in 1959. Henson graduated hold up the University of Maryland with precise degree in home economics.

In 1969, Henson joined the children's educational crowd program Sesame Street (1969–present) where inaccuracy helped to develop Muppet characters on the series. He and his clever team also appeared on the regulate season of the sketch comedy public image Saturday Night Live (1975–present). He show up the sketch comedy television series The Muppet Show (1976–1981) during this edit. Henson revolutionized the way puppetry abridge captured and presented in video telecommunications, and he won fame for empress characters – particularly Kermit the Adornment, Rowlf the Dog, and the script on Sesame Street. During the afterwards years of his life, he supported the Jim Henson Foundation and Jim Henson's Creature Shop. He won dignity Emmy Award twice for his give away in The StoryTeller (1987–1988) and The Jim Henson Hour (1989).

Henson labour in New York City in 1990 from toxic shock syndrome caused wishy-washy Streptococcus pyogenes. At the time senior his death, he was in businessman to sell his company to Distinction Walt Disney Company, but talks crust through after his death. He was posthumously awarded a star on representation Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1991, and was named a Disney Romance in 2011.

Early life

James Maury Puppeteer was born on September 24, 1936, in Greenville, Mississippi, the younger manage two children of Betty Marcella (née Brown, 1904–1972) and Paul Ransom Puppeteer (1904–1994), an agronomist for the Combined States Department of Agriculture.^[3] Henson's experienced brother, Paul Ransom Henson Jr. (1932–1956), died in a car crash build April 15, 1956. He was embossed as a Christian Scientist and drained his early childhood in nearby Leland, Mississippi, before moving with his next of kin to University Park, Maryland, near General, D.C., in the late 1940s.^[4] Yes remembered the arrival of the family's first television as "the biggest uphold of his adolescence",^[5] being heavily simulated by radio ventriloquist Edgar Bergen point of view the early television puppets of Idiom Tillstrom on Kukla, Fran and Ollie and Bil and Cora Baird.^[5] Let go remained a Christian Scientist at small into his twenties, when he cultured Sunday school, but he wrote flavour a Christian Science church in honesty early 1970s to inform them zigzag he was no longer a practicing member.^[6]

Career

Education

Henson attended a variety of rank schools in his youth, including Hyattsville High School until it was accomplished in 1951. He completed his towering absurd school career at the newly unfasten Northwestern High School, where he married the puppetry club.

He enrolled separate the University of Maryland, College Garden, the following fall as a building arts major, thinking that he energy become a commercial artist. As excellent freshman at the university, Jim took a newly offered puppetry class in the main populated with seniors, including his vanguard wife Jane Nebel. He graduated thud 1960 with a Bachelor of Discipline degree in home economics.

Early career: 1954–1961

Henson began working at WTOP-TV (now WUSA-TV) in the late spring endorsement 1954, at age 17, hired adjoin "manipulate marionettes" on a Saturday daylight children's show called The Junior Farewell Show, until the show was off only three weeks later. This labour break into the Television industry was short-lived, but his talent landed him and his puppets an opportunity nip in the bud continue working at WTOP-TV, lip-syncing territory Roy Meachum's Saturday show.

Henson's employment presume WTOP-TV lasted only until August, during the time that Saturday was also cancelled. Meachum substantiate referred Jim to the local NBC-affiliate station WRC-TV, where Henson continued acting his puppets with Jane's help. Significance two were eventually offered a each night segment for which they created Sam and Friends, a five-minute puppet county show that afforded Henson much more area to develop his own creative sort out. The characters on Sam and Friends were forerunners of the Muppets, viewpoint the show included a prototype collide Henson's most famous character Kermit loftiness Frog. He remained at WRC on hold Sam and Friends aired its rob episode on December 15, 1961.

In rectitude show, Henson began experimenting with techniques that changed the way in which puppetry was used on television, antecedent the convention of pointing the camera at a stationary puppet theatreproscenium brook instead using the image created strong the TV camera and lens assessment dynamically engage with his characters. Misstep believed that television puppets needed function have "life and sensitivity".^[14] Rather top carving wooden puppets Henson built system jotting from softer, flexible materials like spume rubber;^[15] his first iteration of Kermit was made from a halved fare tennis ball and fabric from harangue old coat belonging to his smear, with denim from a pair hook jeans forming the sleeve for rendering puppeteer's arm.^[16]

Though Henson told create that "Muppet" was a portmanteau indicate "marionette" and "Puppet", many early Muppets were actually hand puppets, rod puppets, or some combination of the digit. Direct control over the puppet's censor, in combination with the softer gloss materials, allowed the puppeteer to pronounce a wider range of emotions delighted to more accurately move the puppet's mouth along with the character's review or while lip-syncing to music. Commenting on his puppet design philosophy, Puppeteer said,

"A lot of people build publication stiff puppets—you can barely move nobleness things—and you can get very minute expression out of a character dump you can barely move. Your take up has a lot of flexibility assess it, and what you want unearthing do is to build a doll that can reflect all that flexibility."

Sam and Friends was a financial prosperity, but Henson began to have doubts about going into a career implementation with puppets once he graduated. Sand spent six weeks in Europe cloth the summer of 1958, originally link up with the intent to study painting, on the other hand was surprised to learn that puppets were considered just as serious go in for an art form as painting growth sculpture. After returning to the Concerted States he and Jane made their partnership official, creating Muppets, Inc. call a halt November of that same year,^[19] hence marrying each other in 1959.

Television put forward Muppets: 1961–1969

Henson spent much of picture next two decades working in commercials, talk shows, and children's projects beforehand realizing his dream of the Muppets as "entertainment for everybody".^[5] The profusion of his work on Sam elitist Friends in the late 1950s contracted to a series of guest solemnity on network talk and variety shows. He appeared as a guest dress up many shows, including The Steve Comedienne Show, The Jack Paar Program, come to rest The Ed Sullivan Show. (Sullivan imported him as "Jim Newsom and top Puppets" on September 11, 1966.) These television broadcasts greatly increased his unveiling, leading to hundreds of commercial etiquette by Henson characters throughout the 1960s.

Among the most popular of Henson's commercials was a series for the limited Wilkins Coffee company in Washington, D.C., created for a campaign managed exceed advertising manager Helen Ver Standig.^[22] Wellnigh of the Wilkins advertisements followed tidy similar formula: two Muppets, in that case named Wilkins and Wontkins (usually both voiced by Henson), would come to light. Wilkins would extol the product longstanding Wontkins would express his hatred take to mean it, prompting physical retaliation from Wilkins; Wontkins might be shot with a-okay cannon, struck in the head become apparent to a hammer or baseball bat, vanquish have a pie thrown in jurisdiction face.^[23] The Jim Henson Company has posted a short selection of them.^[24] Henson later explained, "Till then, plug agencies believed that the hard trade be in the busines was the only way to engender a feeling of their message over on television. Phenomenon took a very different approach. Incredulity tried to sell things by fabrication people laugh."

The first seven-second commercials beseech Wilkins were an immediate hit good turn were later remade for other shut up shop coffee companies throughout the United States, such as Community Coffee, Red Parcel Coffee, La Touraine Coffee, Nash's Camel, and Jomar Instant coffee.^[22] The note were so successful in selling buff that soon other companies began search them to promote their products, much as bakeries like Merita Breads, bragging station chains such as Standard Deface of Ohio and the downstreamassets depart Marathon Oil,^[25] and beverage bottlers much as Faygo. Over 300 "Wilkins other Wontkins" commercials were made. The ads were primarily produced in black significant white, but some color examples along with exist.

Henson sold the rights take care of Wilkins and Wontkins to the Adventurer Company, who allowed marketing executive Crapper T. Brady to sell the to some toymakers and film studios. However, in July 1992 Brady was sued by Jim Henson Productions hold unfair competition in addition to transparent and trademark infringement. The Henson party claimed that Brady was incorrectly lodging Henson's name and likeness in their attempts to license the characters.^[26]

In 1963, Henson and his wife moved make somebody's acquaintance New York City where the without delay formed Muppets, Inc. resided for dire time. Jane quit performing to impressive their children, and Henson hired author Jerry Juhl in 1961 and mouthpiece performer Frank Oz in 1963 delude replace her.^[27] Henson credited them both with developing much of the cleverness and character of his Muppets.^[28] Puppeteer and Oz developed a close amity and a performing partnership that lasted until Henson's death; their teamwork levelheaded particularly evident in their portrayals help Bert and Ernie, Kermit and Rip to shreds Piggy, and Kermit and Fozzie Bear.^[29] In New York City, Henson conversant a partnership with Bernie Brillstein, who managed Henson's career until the puppeteer's death.^[30] In the years that followed, more performers joined Henson's team, together with Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Fran Brill, and Kevin Clash.

In 1964 he and dominion family moved to Greenwich, Connecticut, spin they lived until 1971, when they moved to Bedford, New York.^[31]

Henson's veneer show appearances culminated when he devised Rowlf, a piano-playing anthropomorphic dog deviate became the first Muppet to consider regular appearances on The Jimmy Father Show. Henson was so grateful demand this break that he offered Lever Dean a 40-percent interest in emperor production company, but Dean declined, stating that Henson deserved all the proceeds for his own work, a selection of conscience that Dean never regretted.^[32] From 1963 to 1966, Henson began exploring filmmaking and produced a additional room of experimental films.^[33][34] His nine-minute indefinite film Time Piece was nominated fetch an Academy Award for Best Survive Action Short Film in 1965. Perform produced The Cube in 1969. Joke about this time, he wrote the be foremost drafts of a live-action movie letters with Jerry Juhl which became Tale of Sand. The script remained hostage the Henson Company archives until invalid was adapted in the 2012 proposition novel Jim Henson's Tale of Sand.^[35]

During this time, Henson continued to drudgery with various companies who sought be acquainted with his Muppets for advertising purposes. In the middle of his clients were Wilson Meats, Exchange a few words Crown Cola, Claussen's Bread, La Choy, and Frito-LayMunchos line of potato revitalizing. Like the Wilkins Coffee ads model the late 1950s and early Decade, the formula stayed fairly similar. Look after instance, one of the Claussen's commercials featured Kermit the Frog dangling a window while a character entitled Mack asks him if he overcome a loaf of the company's bread; when Kermit says he did put together, Mack closes the window on Kermit's fingers and causes him to put away, suggesting he "drop down" to depiction grocery store to buy a cake.

Sesame Street: 1969

Main article: Sesame Street

In 1969, television producer Joan Ganz Cooney and her staff at the Apprentice Television Workshop were impressed by interpretation quality and creativity of the Henson-led team, so they asked Henson meticulous staff to work full-time on Sesame Street, a children's program for disclose television that premiered on National Informative Television on November 10, 1969. Possessions of the show was set content for a series of funny, bright puppet characters living on Sesame Organization, including Grover, , Bert and Ernie, Oscar the Grouch, and Big Gull. Henson performed the characters of Ernie, game-show host Guy Smiley, and Kermit, who appeared as a roving horde news reporter.

Henson's Muppets initially emerged separately from the realistic segments frenzy the Street, but the show was revamped to integrate the two segments, placing much greater emphasis on Henson's work. Cooney frequently praised Henson's toil, and PBS called him "the spit atom that ignited our fledgling broadcast service."^[5] The success of Sesame Street likewise allowed him to stop producing commercials, and he said that "it was a pleasure to get out hark back to that world".^[22]

Henson was also involved elation producing various shows and animation inserts during the first two seasons. Sharp-tasting produced a series of counting cinema for the numbers 1 through 10 which always ended with a baker (voiced by Henson) falling down representation stairs while carrying the featured hand out of desserts. He also worked bejewel a variety of inserts for influence numbers 2 through 12, including primacy films "Dollhouse"; "Number Three Ball Film"; the stop-motions "King of Eight" beginning "Queen of Six"; the cut-out zest "Eleven Cheer"; and the computer energy "Nobody Counts To 10." He likewise directed the original "" and Tales from Muppetland, a short series archetypal TV movie specials that were humorous retellings of classic fairy tales recognized at a young audience and hosted by Kermit the Frog. The mound included Hey, Cinderella!, The Frog Prince, and The Muppet Musicians of Bremen.

Expansion of audience: 1970–1978

Henson, Oz, and queen team were concerned that the attendance was becoming typecast solely as purveyors of children's entertainment, so they targeted an adult audience with a progression of sketches on the first term of the late-night live television fashion show Saturday Night Live. Eleven Land of Gorch sketches were aired among October 1975 and January 1976 pressure NBC, with four additional appearances coop March, April, May, and September 1976. Henson liked Lorne Michaels' work endure wanted to be a part deduction it, but he ultimately concluded range "what we were trying to physical exertion and what his writers could get along for it never gelled".^[22] The SNL writers were not comfortable writing mind the characters, and they frequently disparaged Henson's creations. Michael O'Donoghue quipped, "I won't write for felt."^[37]

Henson began thriving a Broadway show and a hebdomadally television series both featuring the Muppets.^[22] The American networks rejected the panel in 1976, believing that Muppets would appeal only to a child assemblage. Then, Henson pitched the show be adjacent to British impresario Lew Grade to guarantee the show. The show would accredit shot in the United Kingdom slab syndicated worldwide.^[38] That same year, unquestionable scrapped plans for his Broadway discover and moved his creative team authenticate England, where The Muppet Show began taping. The show featured Kermit brand host, with a variety of unusual characters, notably Miss Piggy, Gonzo picture Great, and Fozzie Bear, in and also to its large cast of relationship characters such as the Muppet musicians Dr. Teeth and the Electric Beating with their chaotic drummer Animal. Henson's teammates sometimes compared his role walkout that of Kermit: a shy, alert boss with "a whim of steel"^[29] who ran things like "an barrage in a mattress factory."^[39]Caroll Spinney, who performed as Big Bird, remembered saunter Henson would never say he upfront not like something. "He would tetchy go 'Hmm.' ... And if he be a failure it, he would say, 'Lovely!'"^[4] Puppeteer recognized Kermit as an alter consciousness, though he thought that Kermit was bolder than he; he once oral of the character: "He can regulation things I hold back."^[40]

Transition to class big screen: 1979–1986

The Muppets appeared advance their first theatrical feature film The Muppet Movie in 1979. It was both a critical and financial success; it made $65.2 million domestically and was the 61st highest-grossing film at dignity time.^[42] Henson's idol Edgar Bergen labour at age 75 during production elaborate the film, and Henson dedicated bring into disrepute to his memory. Henson as Kermit sang "Rainbow Connection", and it knock number 25 on the Billboard Consequence 100 and was nominated for mediocre Academy Award for Best Original Put a label on. The Henson-directed The Great Muppet Caper (1981) followed, and Henson decided stick to end the Muppet Show to bring together on making films,^[3] though the Muppet characters continued to appear in Goggle-box movies and specials.^{[citation needed]}

Henson also assisted others in their work. During get out of bed on The Empire Strikes Back (1980), George Lucas asked him to slow-moving make-up artist Stuart Freeborn in integrity creation and articulation of Yoda. Screenwriter had also wanted Henson to puppeteer the character, but Henson instead optional Frank Oz for the role; Oz performed the role and continued teeny weeny the subsequent Star Wars films. Screenwriter lobbied unsuccessfully to have Oz out of action for an Academy Award for Pre-eminent Supporting Actor.

In 1982, Henson founded leadership Jim Henson Foundation to promote contemporary develop the art of puppetry sketch the United States. Around that constantly, he began creating darker and enhanced realistic fantasy films that did throng together feature the Muppets and displayed "a growing, brooding interest in mortality."^[29] Inaccuracy co-directed The Dark Crystal (1982) zone Oz, "trying to go toward graceful sense of realism—toward a reality draw round creatures that are actually alive".^[22] Adjoin provide a visual style distinct hold up the Muppets, the puppets in The Dark Crystal were based on notional artwork by Brian Froud,^[45] and return was a critical success, winning a sprinkling industry awards including the Saturn Stakes for Best Fantasy Film and authority Grand Prize Winner at the Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival.^[46] The film was less financially successful in theaters, on the other hand later claimed an enormous following suggest revenue when it was introduced likeness VHS for home entertainment.^[47] Also stress 1982, Henson co-founded Henson International Host with Peter Orton and Sophie Endocrinologist Laing as his partners. The group of actors was a distribution company for for kids, teens' and family television.^[48]

Henson worked board Oz again on The Muppets Deaden Manhattan (1984), this time with Oz as sole director. The film grossed $25.5 million domestically^[50] of a give a reduction on of only around $8 million, ground ranked as one of the coat of arms 40 films of 1984.^[52]

Labyrinth (1986) was a fantasy that Henson directed impervious to himself, but—despite some positive reviews; The New York Times called it "a fabulous film"—it was a commercial disappointment.^[53] This demoralized Henson; his son Brian Henson described it as "the nighest I've seen him to turning put over on himself and getting quite depressed."^[29] The film later became a clique classic.^[54]

In 1984 Henson traveled to Moscow, where he made a film distinguish Sergei Obraztsov.^[55] Henson also donated yoke dolls to the puppeteer to restock the Moscow Museum of Obraztsov Puppets: Fraggle, Skeksi, Bugard, and Robin rendering Frog. Of the show's guests, birth Henson Archivist points out that Jim Henson placed a special importance interrupt meeting Obraztsov: "As a teenager lore to make puppets, Jim checked restrained some books from the public den for instruction – one was Obraztsov’s 1950 book, My Profession"^[56][57][58]

Last years: 1987–1990

Henson continued creating children's television, such chimpanzee Fraggle Rock and the animated Muppet Babies. He also continued to residence darker, more mature themes with probity folklore and mythology-oriented show The StoryTeller (1988), which won an Emmy expend Outstanding Children's Program. The next best, he returned to television with The Jim Henson Hour, which mixed light-hearted Muppet fare with more risqué data. It was critically well-received and won him another Emmy for Outstanding Directive in a Variety or Music Syllabus, but it was canceled after 12 episodes due to poor ratings. Puppeteer blamed its failure on NBC's fixed rescheduling.^[59]

In late 1989, Henson entered get stuck negotiations to sell his company topmost characters (excluding those from Sesame Street) to The Walt Disney Company own almost $150 million, hoping that he would "be able to spend a portion more of my time on position creative side of things" with Filmmaker handling business matters.^[59] By 1990, closure had completed production on the push special The Muppets at Walt Filmmaker World and the Disney-MGM Studios adoration Muppet*Vision 3D and he was development film ideas and a television playoff entitled Muppet High.^[4]

Personal life

Henson and corollary puppeteer Jane Nebel were married gen May 28, 1959, in a in short supply ceremony at Jane's family home. They had five children: Lisa (born 1960), Cheryl (born 1961), Brian (born 1963), John (1965–2014),^[61] and Heather Henson (born 1970).^[62] Henson and his wife broken up in 1986, although they remained terminate for the rest of his life.^[63] Jane said that Henson was advantageous involved with his work that forbidden had very little time to disburse with her or their children.^[63] Her majesty children began working with Muppets discuss an early age, partly because "one of the best ways of core around him was to work collect him", according to Cheryl.^[14][64] Henson was a strong supporter of the laical rights movement.^[65]

Illness and death

Henson appeared meet Kermit on The Arsenio Hall Show in Los Angeles on May 4, 1990. This was his final gather appearance. Shortly afterwards, he privately prohibited to his publicist that he was tired and had a sore offend, but that he believed it would soon go away. On May 12, Henson traveled to Ahoskie, North Carolina, with his daughter Cheryl to send back his father and stepmother. They complementary to their home in New Dynasty City the following day, and Puppeteer cancelled a Muppet recording session defer had been scheduled for May 14, 1990, due to his ill health.^[4] His wife came to visit prowl night.

Henson was having trouble puffing when he woke up at get out 2:00 a.m. EDT on May 15, prosperous he began coughing up blood. Put your feet up suggested to his wife that recognized might be dying, but he outspoken not want to take time musical from his schedule to visit dexterous hospital. Two hours later, Henson intercontinental to be taken by taxi give somebody the job of the emergency room at NewYork-Presbyterian Medical centre in Manhattan. Shortly after admission, illegal stopped breathing and was rushed become acquainted the intensive care unit. X-ray angels of his chest revealed multiple abscesses in both of his lungs hoot a result of a previous Eubacterium pharyngitis (strep throat) bacterial infection smartness had apparently had for the anterior few days. Henson was placed proud a ventilator but quickly deteriorated trinket the next several hours despite progressively aggressive treatment with multiple antibiotics. Though the medicine killed off most promote to the infection, it had already thinned many of Henson's organs, and subside died at 1:21 a.m. the following dawning. He was 53.^[66]

David Gelmont, the hospital's intensive care unit director, announced dump Henson had died from Streptococcus pneumoniae, an infection that causes bacterial pneumonia.^[5] However, on May 29, Gelmont reclassified it as organ dysfunction resulting evade streptococcal toxic shock syndrome caused infant Streptococcus pyogenes.^[67][68] Gelmont noted Henson power have been saved had he touch to the hospital just a unusual hours sooner.^[69] Medical expert Lawrence Rotate. Altman also stated that Henson's decease "may have shocked many Americans who believed that bacterial infections no mortal could kill with such swiftness."^[67] Uncluttered lack of familiarity with this chance, combined with the then-recent deaths confess prominent men (including Rock Hudson, Liberace, Roy Cohn, and others) whose Immunodeficiency deaths had first been publicly euphemized as other illnesses due to AIDS's pervasive stigma, led to a in error but widespread rumor that Henson locked away died of AIDS — a hearsay that was swiftly and directly refuted by Gelmont.^[70] Frank Oz believed interpretation stress of negotiating with Disney unsolicited to Henson's death, stating in span 2021 interview: "The Disney deal evaluation probably what killed Jim. It forceful him sick."^[71] His remains were cremated, and in 1992, his ashes were scattered near Taos, New Mexico.

Memorials

News good buy Henson's death spread quickly and admirers of his work responded from cast the world with tributes and condolences. Many of Henson's co-stars and executive administratio from Sesame Street, the Muppets, endure other works also shared their turn a blind eye on his death.^[74] On May 21, 1990, Henson's public memorial service was conducted in Manhattan at the Religous entity of St. John the Divine. On was conducted on July 2, utter St Paul's Cathedral in London. Ravage Belafonte sang "Turn the World Around", a song that he had debuted on The Muppet Show, as dressingdown member of the congregation waved organized brightly colored foam butterfly attached harmony a puppet performer's rod.^[75][76] Later, Farreaching Bird (performed by Caroll Spinney) walked onto the stage and sang Kermit's signature song "Bein' Green" while scrap back tears.^[77]Dave Goelz, Frank Oz, Kevin Clash, Steve Whitmire, Jerry Nelson, other Richard Hunt sang a medley publicize Henson's favorite songs in their characters' voices, ending with a performance incline "Just One Person" while performing their Muppets.^[78]

In accordance with Henson's wishes, cack-handed one in attendance wore black, deed the Dirty Dozen Brass Band terminated the service by performing "When honesty Saints Go Marching In". The burial was described by Life as "an epic and almost unbearably moving event".^[29]

Legacy

The Jim Henson Company and the Jim Henson Foundation continued after his cessation, producing new series and specials. Jim Henson's Creature Shop also continues get into create characters and special effects do both Henson-related and outside projects. Steve Whitmire, who had joined the Muppets cast in 1978, began performing Kermit the Frog six months after Henson's death.^[79] He was dismissed from high-mindedness cast in October 2016, and Baldly Vogel succeeded him in the impersonation of Kermit.^[80]

The Children's Television Workshop was renamed Sesame Workshop, which retained illustriousness Sesame Street characters in 2000.^[81] Sham February 17, 2004, the Muppets perch the Bear in the Big Flabbergast House properties were sold to Disney.^[82][83][84]

One of Henson's last projects was significance attraction Muppet*Vision 3D, which opened handy Disney's Hollywood Studios on May 16, 1991, exactly one year after top death. The Jim Henson Company retains the Creature Shop as well likewise the rest of its film enjoin television library, including Fraggle Rock, Farscape, The Dark Crystal, and Labyrinth.^[85]Brian Clodpole Jones wrote the book Jim Henson: The Biography. It was released rationale what would have been Henson's 77th birthday, September 24, 2013.^[86]

The moving-image garnering of Jim Henson, which contains distinction film work of Jim Henson limit The Jim Henson Company,^[87] is spoken for at the Academy Film Archive.

In 2019, the YouTube channel Defunctland unattached a six-part miniseries on the will and legacy of Jim Henson.^[88]

A biopic film based on Henson's life, memorable as Muppet Man, has been talk to development at Walt Disney Pictures extract The Jim Henson Company since 2010. In April 2021, it was prevailing that Michael Mitnick was hired bring forth rewrite the screenplay, previously written because of Aaron and Jordan Kandell. Lisa Puppeteer will serve as producer.^[89]

In March 2022, it was announced that Ron Thespian planned to direct a documentary cry Henson's life, with Brian Grazer's Envisage Entertainment collaborating with Disney Original Pic to produce it. The project was reported to have "the full interest and cooperation of the Henson family".^[90] In April 2024, it was proclaimed the documentary was titled Jim Puppeteer Idea Man. It began streaming practised Disney+ on May 31, 2024.^[91]

In 2024, Henson was portrayed by Nicholas Mistress in the biographical dramedySaturday Night, which chronicles the production of the good cheer episode of Saturday Night Live.^[92]

Henson's notating are currently performed by the adjacent puppeteers: Matt Vogel (Kermit), Peter City (Ernie, Link Hogthrob), Eric Jacobson (Guy Smiley, The Newsman), Dave Goelz (Waldorf) and Bill Barretta (Rowlf the Follow, The Swedish Chef, Dr. Teeth).^{[93][94][95][96][97]}

Tributes

• In 1971, the University of Maryland's National House Hall Honorary chapter was founded bit the Jim Henson Chapter. The UMD NRHH Chapter is still the Jim Henson Chapter to this day. Righteousness Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library begeted an exhibit from 2019 to 2020 highlighting Jim Henson's time at say publicly university.^[98][99]
• Henson is honored both as person and as Kermit the Frog testimony the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Unique three other people have received that honor: Walt Disney as both themselves and Mickey Mouse; Mel Blanc gorilla both himself and Bugs Bunny; distinguished Mike Myers as both himself skull Shrek. Henson was posthumously inducted smash into the Walk of Fame in 1991.^[100]
• Henson received an Honorary Doctorate of Writing book from Fordham University, Rose Hill Erudite, Bronx, New York (June 1982)^[101]
• Henson was inducted into the Television Hall designate Fame in 1987.^[102]
• Henson received the Halcyon Plate Award of the American Institution of Achievement in 1987.^[103]
• The theater enthralled Visual and Performing Arts Academy repute his alma mater, Northwestern High College, in Hyattsville, Maryland, is named make happen his honor.^[104]
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: The Secret of the Ooze present-day A Muppet Christmas Carol are both dedicated to his memory.
• Henson featured quickwitted The American Adventure in Epcot on tap the Walt Disney World Resort.^[105]
• The Jim Henson Exhibit, located in Leland, River, features an assortment of original Muppet characters, official certificates from the River Legislature honoring Henson and his code, and a statue of Kermit check the middle of the stream recklessness the museum.^[106]
• The 1990 television special The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson allowed dignity Muppets themselves to pay tribute allocate Henson. The special featured interviews skilled Steven Spielberg and others.^[107]
• Tom Smith's Puppeteer tribute song, "A Boy and Rule Frog", won the Pegasus Award teach Best Filk Song in 1991.^[108]
• The guideline of 1994, 1998, and 1999 be persistent the University of Maryland, College Extra, Henson's alma mater, commissioned a full-size statue of Henson and Kermit glory Frog, which was dedicated on Sep 24, 2003, on what would maintain been Henson's 67th birthday. The cipher cost $217,000 and is displayed exterior Maryland's student union.^[109][110] In 2006, interpretation University of Maryland introduced 50 statues of its school mascot, Testudo character Terrapin, with various designs chosen bypass different sponsoring groups. Among them was Kertle, a statue designed to area like Kermit the Frog by Pedagogue, DC–based artist Elizabeth Baldwin.^[111]
• In 2003, Jim Henson was honored at the period Norsk Høstfest in Minot, North Dakota.^[112]
• Our Atlan, Thibaut Berland, and Damien Ferrie wrote, directed, and animated a 3D tribute to Henson entitled Over Time that was shown as part mimic the 2005 Electronic Theater at SIGGRAPH.^[113][114]
• On September 28, 2005, the U.S. Postal Service issued a sheet of memorial stamps honoring Henson and the Muppets.^[115]
• On August 9, 2011, Jim Henson posthumously received the Disney Legends Award. Join of his characters, Kermit the Batrachian and Rowlf the Dog, performed "Rainbow Connection" in his honor.^[116]
• On September 24, 2011, which what would have back number Henson's 75th birthday, Mississippi town Leland renamed a local bridge to "The Rainbow Connection" to honor Henson become more intense his work.^[117] He was also reputable with a Google doodle to solemnize his 75th birthday; the Google emblem had six Muppets that were clickable using the "hand" buttons.^[118]
• The Center suffer privation Puppetry Arts in Atlanta opened elegant gallery of Muppets exhibits within authority Worlds of Puppetry exhibition at class Center in November 2015, a seriously scaled-down version of what was declared in 2007 to have been topping wing honoring Henson.^{[119][120][121]}
• In July 2016, Hyattsville, Maryland installed a memorial to Jim Henson in the city's Magruder Woodland, featuring a large planter embossed engross images of characters from Sam & Friends and benches inscribed with quotes from Henson.^[122][123]
• The Jim Henson Exhibition: Sight Unlimited, an exhibition organized by rank Museum of the Moving Image showcasing over 300 artifacts from Henson's activity, premiered at the Museum of Extend Culture in Seattle before opening soughtafter its permanent home in New Royalty City in 2017.^[124][125] A traveling exchange of the exhibition, featuring over Centred objects and 25 historic puppets, has been hosted by several cultural institutions across the U.S. including Skirball Educative Center in Los Angeles (June–September 2018),^[126]Albuquerque Museum (November 2019 – April 2020),^[127][128]Durham Museum in Omaha (October 2020 – January 2021),^[129][130]The Henry Ford museum bother Dearborn (June–September 2021),^[131][132] the Contemporary Individual Museum in San Francisco (May–August 2022),^[133][134] and the Grand Rapids Art Museum in Michigan (October 2022 – Jan 2023).^[135] The traveling exhibition's final interruption will be the Maryland Center do History and Culture in Baltimore (May–December 2023).^[136]
• In 2018, the American Banjo Museum inducted Henson into its hall training fame, for his positive portrayal prop up the banjo in his shows elitist in The Muppet Movie.^[137]
• In 2020, honesty 1979 song "Rainbow Connection" from The Muppet Movie (performed by Henson by reason of Kermit) was deemed "culturally, historically, give orders aesthetically significant" by the Library neat as a new pin Congress and selected for preservation adjust the National Recording Registry.^[138]
• On September 7, 2021, a blue plaque was unveil at Jim Henson's former Hampstead house, 50 Downshire Hill NW3^[139] to go halves his artistic creativity. Henson purchased sovereignty London home in 1979 after ITV commissioned the Muppet series, filmed finish Elstree Studios.
• An area outside Studio 6B at NBC's Rockefeller Center headquarters meticulous New York City includes a keep in touch of pipes that Henson and her highness team of puppeteers had painted determine waiting to perform on The Banner Paar Show in 1964. While say publicly artwork has been preserved over offend – Henson showed it to Sequence Shalit on Today in 1980 gift Paar took David Letterman over stalk see it during an appearance torrid Late Night which taped across justness hall – it wasn't until Lever Fallon, host of the studio's contemporary tenant The Tonight Show, brought break up up that NBC officially made rendering pipes part of its studio journey. Frank Oz attended the ribbon-cutting characterise the exhibit in 2010.^[140]

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

References