Jim Henson

Directing

Born Sep 24, 1936

From Greenville, Mississippi, USA

Died May 16, 1990

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.

Jim Henson

Known For

Labyrinth

The Dark Crystal

The Muppet Movie

Muppets Most Wanted

Jim Henson Idea Man

Into the Night

Night of 100 Stars II

The Earth Day Special

The Muppets Take Manhattan

The Great Muppet Caper

Filmography — Acting

Labyrinth

The Dark Crystal

The Muppet Movie

Muppets Most Wanted

Jim Henson Idea Man

Into the Night

Night of 100 Stars II

The Earth Day Special

The Muppets Take Manhattan

The Great Muppet Caper

Follow That Bird

The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson

Sesame Street | All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever!

The Muppets Go Hollywood

Mickey's 50

The World of Jim Henson

Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas

Sesame Street Jam: A Musical Celebration

Dog City: The Movie

Sesame Street: Put Down the Duckie

I Love Liberty

A Sesame Street Christmas Carol

Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street

A Muppet Family Christmas

The Very Best of the Muppet Show

Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi

The Muppet Script

The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years

I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story

Sesame Street: Quiet Time

Free to Be... a Family

A Walking Tour of Sesame Street

Gonzo Presents Muppet Weird Stuff

Joan Rivers at the BBC

The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show

Sesame Street: Elmo Says BOO!

AFI's 100 Years... 100 Songs: America's Greatest Music in the Movies

Sesame Street: Monster Hits!

Time Piece

Out to Lunch

Hey Cinderella!

Don't Eat the Pictures: Sesame Street at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Sesame Street: Sing Yourself Silly!

Jim Henson's Tales from Muppetland

The Best of Kermit on Sesame Street

Sesame Street: Sing Along

The Christmas Toy

The Muppet Musicians of Bremen

Henson's Place: The Man Behind the Muppets

The Muppets Go to the Movies

Muppets Magic from 'The Ed Sullivan Show!'

The Orson Welles Show

The Bells of Fraggle Rock

The Muppet Introduction

Jim Henson: Commercials and Experiments

John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together

Muppet Video: The Kermit and Piggy Story

Rocky Mountain Holiday with John Denver and the Muppets

Big Bird in China

Sesame Street: Bert & Ernie's Word Play

50 Years of Television: A Golden Celebration

In Their Own Words: Jim Henson

Inside the Labyrinth

The Great Santa Claus Switch

The Muppets at Walt Disney World

Sesame Street: Learning About Letters

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