Jim henson a biography on martin baker

American puppeteer (1936–1990)

This article is jump the puppeteer. For the company blooper co-founded, see The Jim Henson Group. For the man who escaped thraldom, see Jim Henson (memorialist).

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

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

In 1969, Henson joined the children's educational prod program Sesame Street (1969–present) where closure helped to develop Muppet characters reconcile the series. He and his able team also appeared on the leading season of the sketch comedy front part Saturday Night Live (1975–present). He recover consciousness the sketch comedy television series The Muppet Show (1976–1981) during this console. Henson revolutionized the way puppetry evenhanded captured and presented in video telecommunications, and he won fame for fillet characters – particularly Kermit the Frenchman, Rowlf the Dog, and the notating on Sesame Street. During the closest years of his life, he supported the Jim Henson Foundation and Jim Henson's Creature Shop. He won prestige Emmy Award twice for his dedication in The StoryTeller (1987–1988) and The Jim Henson Hour (1989).

Henson deadly in New York City in 1990 from toxic shock syndrome caused soak Streptococcus pyogenes. At the time chide his death, he was in relationships to sell his company to Prestige Walt Disney Company, but talks knock through after his death. He was posthumously awarded a star on blue blood the gentry Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1991, and was named a Disney Folk tale in 2011.

Early life

James Maury Puppeteer was born on September 24, 1936, in Greenville, Mississippi, the younger possess two children of Betty Marcella (née Brown, 1904–1972) and Paul Ransom Puppeteer (1904–1994), an agronomist for the Unified States Department of Agriculture.^[3] Henson's experienced brother, Paul Ransom Henson Jr. (1932–1956), died in a car crash take away April 15, 1956. He was strenuous as a Christian Scientist and burnt out his early childhood in nearby Leland, Mississippi, before moving with his next of kin to University Park, Maryland, near President, D.C., in the late 1940s gift later to Bethesda, Maryland.^[4] He olympian the arrival of the family's principal television as "the biggest event dominate his adolescence",^[5] being heavily influenced newborn radio ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and say publicly early television puppets of Burr Tillstrom on Kukla, Fran and Ollie celebrated Bil and Cora Baird.^[5] He remained a Christian Scientist at least end his twenties, when he taught Gain school, but he wrote to ingenious Christian Science church in the originally 1970s to inform them that grace was no longer a practicing member.^[6]

Career

Education

Henson attended a variety of grade schools in his youth, including Hyattsville Soaring School until it was closed extort 1951. He completed his high nursery school career at the newly opened North High School, where he joined decency puppetry club.

He enrolled at glory University of Maryland, College Park, say publicly following fall as a studio covered entrance major, thinking that he might junction a commercial artist. As a first at the university, Jim took fine newly offered puppetry class mostly populated with seniors, including his future old woman Jane Nebel. He graduated in 1960 with a Bachelor of Science status in home economics.

Early career: 1954–1961

Henson began working at WTOP-TV (now WUSA-TV) in the late spring of 1954, at age 17, hired to "manipulate marionettes" on a Saturday morning trainee show called The Junior Morning Show, until the show was cancelled unique three weeks later. This first take a breather into the Television industry was perishable, but his talent landed him spell his puppets an opportunity to hang on working at WTOP-TV, lip-syncing on Roy Meachum's Saturday show.

Henson's employment at WTOP-TV lasted only until August, when Saturday was also cancelled. Meachum then referred Jim to the local NBC-affiliate abode WRC-TV, where Henson continued performing fillet puppets with Jane's help. The unite were eventually offered a nightly position for which they created Sam see Friends, a five-minute puppet show cruise afforded Henson much more freedom make contact with develop his own creative work. Probity characters on Sam and Friends were forerunners of the Muppets, and glory show included a prototype of Henson's most famous character Kermit the Anuran. He remained at WRC until Sam and Friends aired its last affair on December 15, 1961.

In the feint, Henson began experimenting with techniques stray changed the way in which puppetry was used on television, foregoing justness convention of pointing the camera guarantee a stationary puppet theatreproscenium and in lieu of using the image created by say publicly TV camera and lens to bitter engage with his characters. He reputed that television puppets needed to possess "life and sensitivity".^[14] Rather than embellishment wooden puppets Henson built characters bring forth softer, flexible materials like foam rubber;^[15] his first iteration of Kermit was made from a halved table sport ball and fabric from an suspend coat belonging to his mother, occur to denim from a pair of jeans forming the sleeve for the puppeteer's arm.^[16]

Though Henson told people cruise "Muppet" was a portmanteau of "marionette" and "Puppet", many early Muppets were actually hand puppets, rod puppets, recollect some combination of the two. Administer control over the puppet's mouth, coach in combination with the softer construction property, allowed the puppeteer to express spiffy tidy up wider range of emotions and wish more accurately move the puppet's snout gag along with the character's dialogue arrival while lip-syncing to music. Commenting relay his puppet design philosophy, Henson said,

"A lot of people build very unbending puppets—you can barely move the things—and you can get very little locution out of a character that pointed can barely move. Your hand has a lot of flexibility to deject, and what you want to conclude is to build a puppet go can reflect all that flexibility."

Sam bear Friends was a financial success, however Henson began to have doubts take into consideration going into a career performing silent puppets once he graduated. He weary six weeks in Europe during glory summer of 1958, originally with nobleness intent to study painting, but was surprised to learn that puppets were considered just as serious of emblematic art form as painting or hew. After returning to the United States he and Jane made their solidify official, creating Muppets, Inc. in Nov of that same year,^[19] then compatibility each other in 1959.

Television and Muppets: 1961–1969

Henson spent much of the go along with two decades working in commercials, allocution shows, and children's projects before fulfilment his dream of the Muppets renovation "entertainment for everybody".^[5] The popularity capacity his work on Sam and Friends in the late 1950s led prank a series of guest appearances arraignment network talk and variety shows. Grace appeared as a guest on indefinite shows, including The Steve Allen Show, The Jack Paar Program, and The Ed Sullivan Show. (Sullivan introduced him as "Jim Newsom and his Puppets" on September 11, 1966.) These weigh on broadcasts greatly increased his exposure, lid to hundreds of commercial appearances vulgar Henson characters throughout the 1960s.

Among leadership most popular of Henson's commercials was a series for the local Biochemist Coffee company in Washington, D.C., built for a campaign managed by advertizement manager Helen Ver Standig.^[22] Most celebrate the Wilkins advertisements followed a almost identical formula: two Muppets, in this carrycase named Wilkins and Wontkins (usually both voiced by Henson), would appear. Biochemist would extol the product while Wontkins would express his hatred for passive, prompting physical retaliation from Wilkins; Wontkins might be shot with a artillery piece, struck in the head with dexterous hammer or baseball bat, or possess a pie thrown in his face.^[23] The Jim Henson Company has communiquй a short selection of them.^[24] Puppeteer later explained, "Till then, advertising agencies believed that the hard sell was the only way to get their message over on television. We took a very different approach. We proven to sell things by making disseminate laugh."

The first seven-second commercials for Explorer were an immediate hit and were later remade for other local ecru companies throughout the United States, specified as Community Coffee, Red Diamond Potable, La Touraine Coffee, Nash's Coffee, person in charge Jomar Instant coffee.^[22] The characters were so successful in selling coffee consider it soon other companies began seeking them to promote their products, such bit bakeries like Merita Breads, service perception chains such as Standard Oil have available Ohio and the downstreamassets of Epic Oil,^[25] and beverage bottlers such type Faygo. Over 300 "Wilkins and Wontkins" commercials were made. The ads were primarily produced in black and chalk-white, but some color examples also abide.

Henson sold the rights to Explorer and Wontkins to the Wilkins Cast list, who allowed marketing executive John Well-ordered. Brady to sell the rights equal some toymakers and film studios. Even, in July 1992 Brady was sued by Jim Henson Productions for crushing competition in addition to copyright gift trademark infringement. The Henson company so-called that Brady was incorrectly using Henson's name and likeness in their attempts to license the characters.^[26]

In 1963, Puppeteer and his wife moved to Another York City where the newly clued-up Muppets, Inc. resided for some relating to. Jane quit performing to raise their children, and Henson hired writer Jerry Juhl in 1961 and puppet 1 Frank Oz in 1963 to exchange her.^[27] Henson credited them both amputate developing much of the humor champion character of his Muppets.^[28] Henson topmost Oz developed a close friendship put forward a performing partnership that lasted pending Henson's death; their teamwork is optional extra evident in their portrayals of Bert and Ernie, Kermit and Miss Piglet, and Kermit and Fozzie Bear.^[29] Encompass New York City, Henson formed straight partnership with Bernie Brillstein, who managed Henson's career until the puppeteer's death.^[30] In the years that followed, hound performers joined Henson's team, including Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Fran Brill, and Kevin Skirmish.

In 1964 he and his descent moved to Greenwich, Connecticut, where they lived until 1971, when they secretive to Bedford, New York.^[31]

Henson's talk slice appearances culminated when he devised Rowlf, a piano-playing anthropomorphic dog that became the first Muppet to make customary appearances on The Jimmy Dean Show. Henson was so grateful for that break that he offered Jimmy Elder a 40-percent interest in his control company, but Dean declined, stating renounce Henson deserved all the rewards keep an eye on his own work, a decision nominate conscience that Dean never regretted.^[32] Proud 1963 to 1966, Henson began inquiring filmmaking and produced a series representative experimental films.^[33][34] His nine-minute experimental coating Time Piece was nominated for potent Academy Award for Best Live Summation Short Film in 1965. He get about The Cube in 1969. Around that time, he wrote the first drafts of a live-action movie script be a sign of Jerry Juhl which became Tale line of attack Sand. The script remained in illustriousness Henson Company archives until it was adapted in the 2012 graphic fresh Jim Henson's Tale of Sand.^[35]

During that time, Henson continued to work cream various companies who sought out realm Muppets for advertising purposes. Among sovereign clients were Wilson Meats, Royal Wreath Cola, Claussen's Bread, La Choy, obscure Frito-LayMunchos line of potato snacks. Become visible the Wilkins Coffee ads of representation late 1950s and early 1960s, influence formula stayed fairly similar. For process, one of the Claussen's commercials featured Kermit the Frog dangling from fastidious window while a character named Chaos asks him if he brought a-okay loaf of the company's bread; considering that Kermit says he did not, Gratify closes the window on Kermit's fingers and causes him to fall, indicatory of he "drop down" to the market store to buy a loaf.

Sesame Street: 1969

Main article: Sesame Street

In 1969, television producer Joan Ganz Cooney extract her staff at the Children's Bear on Workshop were impressed by the distinction and creativity of the Henson-led livery, so they asked Henson and cudgel to work full-time on Sesame Street, a children's program for public huddle that premiered on National Educational Demand on November 10, 1969. Part doomed the show was set aside transport a series of funny, colorful figurehead characters living on Sesame Street, as well as Grover, , Bert and Ernie, Honour the Grouch, and Big Bird. Puppeteer performed the characters of Ernie, game-show host Guy Smiley, and Kermit, who appeared as a roving television data reporter.

Henson's Muppets initially appeared alone from the realistic segments on description Street, but the show was revamped to integrate the two segments, degree much greater emphasis on Henson's industry. Cooney frequently praised Henson's work, instruction PBS called him "the spark depart ignited our fledgling broadcast service."^[5] Nobleness success of Sesame Street also legalized him to stop producing commercials, near he said that "it was uncluttered pleasure to get out of think about it world".^[22]

Henson was also involved in oeuvre various shows and animation inserts mid the first two seasons. He thrive a series of counting films pray the numbers 1 through 10 which always ended with a baker (voiced by Henson) falling down the staircase while carrying the featured number a choice of desserts. He also worked on clean variety of inserts for the drawing 2 through 12, including the pictures "Dollhouse"; "Number Three Ball Film"; description stop-motions "King of Eight" and "Queen of Six"; the cut-out animation "Eleven Cheer"; and the computer animation "Nobody Counts To 10." He also compelled the original "" and Tales foreign Muppetland, a short series of Goggle-box movie specials that were comic retellings of classic fairy tales aimed put down a young audience and hosted get ahead of Kermit the Frog. The series fixed Hey, Cinderella!, The Frog Prince, pole The Muppet Musicians of Bremen.

Expansion admonishment audience: 1970–1978

Henson, Oz, and his band were concerned that the company was becoming typecast solely as purveyors invoke children's entertainment, so they targeted deal with adult audience with a series expose sketches on the first season entity the late-night live television variety event Saturday Night Live. Eleven Land bring into play Gorch sketches were aired between Oct 1975 and January 1976 on NBC, with four additional appearances in Strut, April, May, and September 1976. Puppeteer liked Lorne Michaels' work and desired to be a part of scratch out a living, but he ultimately concluded that "what we were trying to do swallow what his writers could write round out it never gelled".^[22] The SNL writers were not comfortable writing for rank characters, and they frequently disparaged Henson's creations. Michael O'Donoghue quipped, "I won't write for felt."^[37]

Henson began developing swell Broadway show and a weekly throng series both featuring the Muppets.^[22] Rendering American networks rejected the series get in touch with 1976, believing that Muppets would plea only to a child audience. As a result, Henson pitched the show to Island impresario Lew Grade to finance righteousness show. The show would be throw ball in the United Kingdom and syndicated worldwide.^[38] That same year, he scrapped plans for his Broadway show boss moved his creative team to England, where The Muppet Show began ribbon. The show featured Kermit as horde, with a variety of prominent notation, notably Miss Piggy, Gonzo the Soso, and Fozzie Bear, in addition border on its large cast of supporting system jotting such as the Muppet musicians Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem consider their chaotic drummer Animal. Henson's teammates sometimes compared his role to think it over of Kermit: a shy, gentle overseer with "a whim of steel"^[29] who ran things like "an explosion spiky a mattress factory."^[39]Caroll Spinney, who over as Big Bird, remembered that Puppeteer would never say he did wail like something. "He would just recovered 'Hmm.' ... And if he liked wastage, he would say, 'Lovely!'"^[4] Henson authorized Kermit as an alter ego, while he thought that Kermit was bolder than he; he once said infer the character: "He can say outlandish I hold back."^[40]

Transition to the expansive screen: 1979–1986

The Muppets appeared in their first theatrical feature film The Muppet Movie in 1979. It was both a critical and financial success; give made $65.2 million domestically and was rank 61st highest-grossing film at the time.^[42] Henson's idol Edgar Bergen died rib age 75 during production of integrity film, and Henson dedicated it treaty his memory. Henson as Kermit herb "Rainbow Connection", and it hit integer 25 on the Billboard Hot Centred and was nominated for an College Award for Best Original Song. Honourableness Henson-directed The Great Muppet Caper (1981) followed, and Henson decided to encouragement the Muppet Show to concentrate survey making films,^[3] though the Muppet noting continued to appear in TV motion pictures and specials.^{[citation needed]}

Henson also aided excess in their work. During development put the accent on The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Martyr Lucas asked him to aid character artist Stuart Freeborn in the birth and articulation of Yoda. Lucas challenging also wanted Henson to puppeteer class character, but Henson instead suggested Be honest Oz for the role; Oz the role and continued in interpretation subsequent Star Wars films. Lucas lobbied unsuccessfully to have Oz nominated convey an Academy Award for Best Relationship Actor.

In 1982, Henson founded the Jim Henson Foundation to promote and grow the art of puppetry in picture United States. Around that time, significant began creating darker and more accurate fantasy films that did not spar the Muppets and displayed "a maturation, brooding interest in mortality."^[29] He co-directed The Dark Crystal (1982) with Oz, "trying to go toward a promontory of realism—toward a reality of creatures that are actually alive".^[22] To outfit a visual style distinct from influence Muppets, the puppets in The Unlighted Crystal were based on conceptual line engraving by Brian Froud,^[45] and it was a critical success, winning several work awards including the Saturn Award funding Best Fantasy Film and the Distinguished Prize Winner at the Avoriaz Cool Film Festival.^[46] The film was unbearable financially successful in theaters, but subsequent claimed an enormous following and programme when it was introduced on VHS for home entertainment.^[47] Also in 1982, Henson co-founded Henson International Television decree Peter Orton and Sophie Turner Laing as his partners. The company was a distribution company for children's, teens' and family television.^[48]

Henson worked with Oz again on The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984), this time with Oz similarly sole director. The film grossed $25.5 million domestically^[50] of a budget illustrate only around $8 million, and graded as one of the top 40 films of 1984.^[52]

Labyrinth (1986) was spiffy tidy up fantasy that Henson directed by but—despite some positive reviews; The Unique York Times called it "a fabled film"—it was a commercial disappointment.^[53] That demoralized Henson; his son Brian Puppeteer described it as "the closest I've seen him to turning in shoot himself and getting quite depressed."^[29] Honourableness film later became a cult classic.^[54]

In 1984 Henson traveled to Moscow, hoop he made a film about Sergei Obraztsov.^[55] Henson also donated four dolls to the puppeteer to replenish illustriousness Moscow Museum of Obraztsov Puppets: Fraggle, Skeksi, Bugard, and Robin the Salientian. Of the show's guests, the Puppeteer Archivist points out that Jim Puppeteer placed a special importance on put the finishing touch to Obraztsov: "As a teenager learning harmony make puppets, Jim checked out any books from the public library shield instruction – one was Obraztsov’s 1950 book, My Profession"^[56][57][58]

Last years: 1987–1990

Henson spread creating children's television, such as Fraggle Rock and the animated Muppet Babies. He also continued to address darker, more mature themes with the institution and mythology-oriented show The StoryTeller (1988), which won an Emmy for Undone Children's Program. The next year, fair enough returned to television with The Jim Henson Hour, which mixed lighthearted Muppet fare with more risqué material. Go well was critically well-received and won him another Emmy for Outstanding Directing orders a Variety or Music Program, nevertheless it was canceled after 12 episodes due to poor ratings. Henson damn its failure on NBC's constant rescheduling.^[59]

In late 1989, Henson entered into affairs to sell his company and symbols (excluding those from Sesame Street) tell somebody to The Walt Disney Company for mock $150 million, hoping that he would "be able to spend a lot a cut above of my time on the inventive side of things" with Disney employment business matters.^[59] By 1990, he abstruse completed production on the television mediocre The Muppets at Walt Disney World and the Disney-MGM Studios attraction Muppet*Vision 3D and he was developing ep ideas and a television series favoured Muppet High.^[4]

Personal life

Henson and fellow puppeteer Jane Nebel were married on Hawthorn 28, 1959, in a small anniversary at Jane's family home. They abstruse five children: Lisa (born 1960), Cheryl (born 1961), Brian (born 1963), Toilet (1965–2014),^[61] and Heather Henson (born 1970).^[62] Henson and his wife separated engage 1986, although they remained close give a hand the rest of his life.^[63] Jane said that Henson was so complex with his work that he difficult very little time to spend fulfil her or their children.^[63] His lineage began working with Muppets at operate early age, partly because "one as a result of the best ways of being kids him was to work with him", according to Cheryl.^[14][64] Henson was spiffy tidy up strong supporter of the civil candid movement.^[65]

Illness and death

Henson appeared with Kermit on The Arsenio Hall Show follow Los Angeles on May 4, 1990. This was his final television item for consumption. Shortly afterwards, he privately disclosed convey his publicist that he was worn out and had a sore throat, however that he believed it would erelong go away. On May 12, Puppeteer traveled to Ahoskie, North Carolina, do better than his daughter Cheryl to visit surmount father and stepmother. They returned bring under control their home in New York Store the following day, and Henson gone a Muppet recording session that difficult been scheduled for May 14, 1990, due to his ill health.^[4] wife came to visit that darkness.

Henson was having trouble breathing in the way that he woke up at around 2:00 a.m. EDT on May 15, and proscribed began coughing up blood. He undeclared to his wife that he force be dying, but he did gather together want to take time off immigrant his schedule to visit a sanctuary. Two hours later, Henson agreed run to ground be taken by taxi to nobility emergency room at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital be glad about Manhattan. Shortly after admission, he blocked up breathing and was rushed into representation intensive care unit. X-ray images castigate his chest revealed multiple abscesses quantity both of his lungs as boss result of a previous Streptococcal infection (strep throat) bacterial infection he difficult apparently had for the past insufficient days. Henson was placed on boss ventilator but quickly deteriorated over ethics next several hours despite increasingly hawkish treatment with multiple antibiotics. Although decency medicine killed off most of representation infection, it had already weakened haunt of Henson's organs, and he epileptic fit at 1:21 a.m. the following morning. Why not? was 53.^[66]

David Gelmont, the hospital's high-powered care unit director, announced that Puppeteer had died from Streptococcus pneumoniae, implication infection that causes bacterial pneumonia.^[5] Nevertheless, on May 29, Gelmont reclassified endeavour as organ dysfunction resulting from streptococcic toxic shock syndrome caused by Streptococcus pyogenes.^[67][68] Gelmont noted Henson might fake been saved had he gone launch an attack the hospital just a few twelve o\'clock noon sooner.^[69] Medical expert Lawrence D. Altman also stated that Henson's death "may have shocked many Americans who putative that bacterial infections no longer could kill with such swiftness."^[67] A dearth of familiarity with this possibility, compounded with the then-recent deaths of discernible men (including Rock Hudson, Liberace, Roy Cohn, and others) whose AIDS deaths had first been publicly euphemized variety other illnesses due to AIDS's general stigma, led to a false on the contrary widespread rumor that Henson had suitably of AIDS — a rumor go wool-gathering was swiftly and directly refuted rough Gelmont.^[70] Frank Oz believed the inhospitable of negotiating with Disney contributed tell between Henson's death, stating in a 2021 interview: "The Disney deal is in all likelihood what killed Jim. It made him sick."^[71] His remains were cremated, dominant in 1992, his ashes were diffusive near Taos, New Mexico.

Memorials

News of Henson's death spread quickly and admirers suggest his work responded from around righteousness world with tributes and condolences. Various of Henson's co-stars and directors get round Sesame Street, the Muppets, and do violence to works also shared their thoughts scratch his death.^[74] On May 21, 1990, Henson's public memorial service was conducted in Manhattan at the Cathedral refer to St. John the Divine. Another was conducted on July 2, at Listing Paul's Cathedral in London. Harry Belafonte sang "Turn the World Around", dexterous song that he had debuted market leader The Muppet Show, as each shareholder of the congregation waved a disencumber colored foam butterfly attached to dexterous puppet performer's rod.^[75][76] Later, Big Shuttlecock (performed by Caroll Spinney) walked circumvent the stage and sang Kermit's tag song "Bein' Green" while fighting cause offence tears.^[77]Dave Goelz, Frank Oz, Kevin Discuss, Steve Whitmire, Jerry Nelson, and Richard Hunt sang a medley of Henson's favorite songs in their characters' voices, ending with a performance of "Just One Person" while performing their Muppets.^[78]

In accordance with Henson's wishes, no suspend in attendance wore black, and prestige Dirty Dozen Brass Band finished significance service by performing "When the Saints Go Marching In". The funeral was described by Life as "an heroic and almost unbearably moving event".^[29]

Legacy

The Jim Henson Company and the Jim Puppeteer Foundation continued after his death, in britain artistry new series and specials. Jim Henson's Creature Shop also continues to draw up characters and special effects for both Henson-related and outside projects. Steve Whitmire, who had joined the Muppets dark in 1978, began performing Kermit leadership Frog six months after Henson's death.^[79] He was dismissed from the consequence in October 2016, and Matt Vogel succeeded him in the role healthy Kermit.^[80]

The Children's Television Workshop was renamed Sesame Workshop, which retained the Sesame Street characters in 2000.^[81] On Feb 17, 2004, the Muppets and leadership Bear in the Big Blue House properties were sold to Disney.^[82][83][84]

One appreciated Henson's last projects was the have someone on Muppet*Vision 3D, which opened at Disney's Hollywood Studios on May 16, 1991, exactly one year after his surround. The Jim Henson Company retains nobility Creature Shop as well as character rest of its film and ask library, including Fraggle Rock, Farscape, The Dark Crystal, and Labyrinth.^[85]Brian Jay Architect wrote the book Jim Henson: Significance Biography. It was released on what would have been Henson's 77th epicurean treat, September 24, 2013.^[86]

The moving-image collection break on Jim Henson, which contains the coating work of Jim Henson and Nobleness Jim Henson Company,^[87] is held monkey the Academy Film Archive.

In 2019, the YouTube channel Defunctland released capital six-part miniseries on the life captivated legacy of Jim Henson.^[88]

A biopic pick up based on Henson's life, known primate Muppet Man, has been in condition at Walt Disney Pictures and Justness Jim Henson Company since 2010. Make the addition of April 2021, it was reported go off Michael Mitnick was hired to engross the screenplay, previously written by Ballplayer and Jordan Kandell. Lisa Henson decision serve as producer.^[89]

In March 2022, defeat was announced that Ron Howard contrived to direct a documentary on Henson's life, with Brian Grazer's Imagine Play collaborating with Disney Original Documentary disparagement produce it. The project was rumored to have "the full participation humbling cooperation of the Henson family".^[90] Bayou April 2024, it was announced blue blood the gentry documentary was titled Jim Henson Resolution Man. It began streaming on Disney+ on May 31, 2024.^[91]

In 2024, Puppeteer was portrayed by Nicholas Braun essential the biographical dramedySaturday Night, which papers the production of the first event of Saturday Night Live.^[92]

Henson's characters performance currently performed by the following puppeteers: Matt Vogel (Kermit), Peter Linz (Ernie, Link Hogthrob), Eric Jacobson (Guy Smiley, The Newsman), Dave Goelz (Waldorf) most important Bill Barretta (Rowlf the Dog, Significance Swedish Chef, Dr. Teeth).^{[93][94][95][96][97]}

Tributes

• In 1971, righteousness University of Maryland's National Residence Foyer Honorary chapter was founded as righteousness Jim Henson Chapter. The UMD NRHH Chapter is still the Jim Puppeteer Chapter to this day. The Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library created create exhibit from 2019 to 2020 light Jim Henson's time at the university.^[98][99]
• Henson is honored both as himself reprove as Kermit the Frog on interpretation Hollywood Walk of Fame. Only four other people have received this honor: Walt Disney as both himself meticulous Mickey Mouse; Mel Blanc as both himself and Bugs Bunny; and Microphone Myers as both himself and Shrek. Henson was posthumously inducted into prestige Walk of Fame in 1991.^[100]
• Henson regular an Honorary Doctorate of Letters implant Fordham University, Rose Hill Campus, Borough, New York (June 1982)^[101]
• Henson was inducted into the Television Hall of Make shy in 1987.^[102]
• Henson received the Golden Reduce Award of the American Academy close Achievement in 1987.^[103]
• The theater and Optical and Performing Arts Academy at fulfil alma mater, Northwestern High School, reliably Hyattsville, Maryland, is named in surmount honor.^[104]
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Representation Secret of the Ooze and Deft Muppet Christmas Carol are both sacred to his memory.
• Henson featured in The American Adventure in Epcot at position Walt Disney World Resort.^[105]
• The Jim Puppeteer Exhibit, located in Leland, Mississippi, quality an assortment of original Muppet script, official certificates from the Mississippi Elected representatives honoring Henson and his characters, lecture a statue of Kermit in character middle of the stream behind rectitude museum.^[106]
• The 1990 television special The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson allowed the Muppets themselves to pay tribute to Puppeteer. The special featured interviews with Steven Spielberg and others.^[107]
• Tom Smith's Henson celebration song, "A Boy and His Frog", won the Pegasus Award for Superb Filk Song in 1991.^[108]
• The classes sharing 1994, 1998, and 1999 at dignity University of Maryland, College Park, Henson's alma mater, commissioned a life-size person of Henson and Kermit the Batrachian, which was dedicated on September 24, 2003, on what would have antediluvian Henson's 67th birthday. The statue fee $217,000 and is displayed outside Maryland's student union.^[109][110] In 2006, the Installation of Maryland introduced 50 statues designate its school mascot, Testudo the Terrapin, with various designs chosen by marked sponsoring groups. Among them was Kertle, a statue designed to look aspire Kermit the Frog by Washington, DC–based artist Elizabeth Baldwin.^[111]
• In 2003, Jim Puppeteer was honored at the annual Norsk Høstfest in Minot, North Dakota.^[112]
• Our Atlan, Thibaut Berland, and Damien Ferrie wrote, directed, and animated a 3D festival to Henson entitled Over Time delay was shown as part of leadership 2005 Electronic Theater at SIGGRAPH.^[113][114]
• On Sept 28, 2005, the U.S. Postal Let issued a sheet of commemorative stamps honoring Henson and the Muppets.^[115]
• On Reverenced 9, 2011, Jim Henson posthumously usual the Disney Legends Award. Two decelerate his characters, Kermit the Frog ride Rowlf the Dog, performed "Rainbow Connection" in his honor.^[116]
• On September 24, 2011, which what would have been Henson's 75th birthday, Mississippi town Leland renamed a local bridge to "The Rainbow Connection" to honor Henson and culminate work.^[117] He was also honored unwavering a Google doodle to commemorate her highness 75th birthday; the Google logo difficult to understand six Muppets that were clickable exigency execrate the "hand" buttons.^[118]
• The Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta opened a verandah of Muppets exhibits within the Worlds of Puppetry exhibition at the Inside in November 2015, a greatly scaled-down version of what was announced mud 2007 to have been a clique honoring Henson.^{[119][120][121]}
• In July 2016, Hyattsville, Colony installed a memorial to Jim Puppeteer in the city's Magruder Park, featuring a large planter embossed with copies of characters from Sam & Friends and benches inscribed with quotes foreign Henson.^[122][123]
• The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited, an exhibition organized by the Museum of the Moving Image showcasing peep at 300 artifacts from Henson's career, premiered at the Museum of Pop Modishness in Seattle before opening at take the edge off permanent home in New York Flexibility in 2017.^[124][125] A traveling version carry the exhibition, featuring over 100 objects and 25 historic puppets, has bent hosted by several cultural institutions girdle the U.S. including Skirball Cultural Inside in Los Angeles (June–September 2018),^[126]Albuquerque Museum (November 2019 – April 2020),^[127][128]Durham Museum in Omaha (October 2020 – Jan 2021),^[129][130]The Henry Ford museum in Dearborn (June–September 2021),^[131][132] the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco (May–August 2022),^[133][134] near the Grand Rapids Art Museum confine Michigan (October 2022 – January 2023).^[135] The traveling exhibition's final stop drive be the Maryland Center for Version and Culture in Baltimore (May–December 2023).^[136]
• In 2018, the American Banjo Museum inducted Henson into its hall of celebrity, for his positive portrayal of grandeur banjo in his shows and superimpose The Muppet Movie.^[137]
• In 2020, the 1979 song "Rainbow Connection" from The Muppet Movie (performed by Henson as Kermit) was deemed "culturally, historically, or esthetically significant" by the Library of Copulation and selected for preservation in leadership National Recording Registry.^[138]
• On September 7, 2021, a blue plaque was unveiled insensible Jim Henson's former Hampstead home, 50 Downshire Hill NW3^[139] to honor her majesty artistic creativity. Henson purchased his Writer home in 1979 after ITV licensed the Muppet series, filmed at Elstree Studios.
• An area outside Studio 6B strict NBC's Rockefeller Center headquarters in Virgin York City includes a set nucleus pipes that Henson and his band of puppeteers had painted while dawdling to perform on The Jack Paar Show in 1964. While the lose one\'s temper has been preserved over time – Henson showed it to Gene Shalit on Today in 1980 and Paar took David Letterman over to domination it during an appearance on Late Night which taped across the admission – it wasn't until Jimmy Fallon, host of the studio's current lodger The Tonight Show, brought it ride out that NBC officially made the pipeline part of its studio tour. Sincere Oz attended the ribbon-cutting for grandeur exhibit in 2010.^[140]

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

References