Jim Henson
Born
24 September 1936 (89)
Place of Birth
Greenville, Mississippi, USA
Also known as
James Maury Henson
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 ...
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.
Filmography (40)
The Muppet Script
2025
Joan Rivers at the BBC
2024
Jim Henson Idea Man
2024
Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street
2021
Sesame Street: 50 Years and Counting
2019
In Their Own Words: Jim Henson
2015
I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story
2015
Jim Henson: Behind the Seams
2014
Muppets Most Wanted
2014
Jim Henson: His Sesame Street Story
2009
Jim Henson's Tales from Muppetland
2009
Reflections of 'The Dark Crystal'
2007
A Sesame Street Christmas Carol
2006
Muppet History 101
2004
Jim Henson: Commercials and Experiments
2004
Muppet Music Moments
2004
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Songs: America's Greatest Music in the Movies
2004
Sesame Street: Cookie Monster's Best Bites
2004
Muppets Magic from 'The Ed Sullivan Show!'
2003
Sesame Street: Bert & Ernie's Word Play
2002
The Very Best of the Muppet Show: Volume 3
2001
The Very Best of the Muppet Show
1999
The Very Best of the Muppet Show: Volume 2
1999
The Best of Kermit on Sesame Street
1998
Sesame Street: Elmo Says BOO!
1997
Sesame Street: Quiet Time
1997
Sesame Street: Do the Alphabet
1996
Sesame Street: Imagine That!
1996
The World of Jim Henson
1994
Sesame Street | All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever!
1994
Sesame Street: 25 Wonderful Years: A Musical Celebration!
1993
Sesame Street Jam: A Musical Celebration
1993
A Classic Christmas from The Ed Sullivan Show
1992
Getting Ready to Read
1992
The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson
1990
Jim Henson: In Performance
1990
Sing! Sesame Street Remembers Joe Raposo and His Music
1990
The Muppets at Walt Disney World
1990
Sesame Street: Sing Yourself Silly!
1990
The Earth Day Special
1990