He worked as a producer on Sesame Street, a popular kids' show that launched in 1969, and created The Muppet Show in 1976. The voice of the Muppet was the voice of the person (or primary person) operating it. Kermit was "born" in 1955 and first showed up on "Sam and Friends," a five-minute puppet show by Jim Henson. Soon after, superstar guest hosts came aboard, including Liza Minnelli, Elton John, Vincent Price and Steve Martin. It juxtaposed interviews with musicians, their fans, and a series of censorious adults. His maternal grandmother, a painter, quilter and needleworker, encouraged his creative passions, including his puppetry. Jim Henson, Soundtrack: The Muppet Show. May 16, 1990 ( age 53 ) Popularity. Comedic actor Jim Varney played his signature character Ernest P. Worrell in hundreds of commercials and five Disney films including 'Ernest Goes to Camp.'. Prior to his death in 1990, Henson was in negotiations with the Disney Company to sell the rights to the Muppets. His characters and those of his assistants included such familiar figures as Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Big Bird, and the Cookie Monster. Jim Henson was born James Maury Henson on September 24, 1936, in Greenville, Mississippi. Born in Greenville, Mississippi, and raised in Leland, Mississippi, and Hyattsville, Maryland, Henson began developing puppets while attending high school. The Muppet Show also led to feature films for Henson, including The Muppet Movie in 1979, and an animated TV spin-off, Jim Henson’s Muppet Babies, that garnered four consecutive Emmys (Outstanding Animated Program). Attended Northwestern High School in Hyattsville, Maryland. He created Sam and Friends, a short-form comedy television program, while he was a freshman at the University of Maryland, College Park. Jim Henson's Family Hub is the official social home to The Jim Henson Company's family entertainment and a virtual community celebrating, supporting and connecting all kinds of families. Henson began working as a puppeteer in college, creating characters like Kermit the Frog. His maternal grandmother, a painter, quilter and needleworker, encouraged his creative passions, including his puppetry. His youth was also spent toying with different visual mediums, including television, which he adored. Then, in 1969, Henson teamed up with Children’s Television Workshop to produce the now-classic children's show on PBS, Sesame Street. Jane Ann Nebel was born and raised in St. Albans, Queens, she met Henson when she was a senior and he a freshman at the University of Maryland, College Park. Matthew Henson was an African American explorer best known as the co-discoverer of the North Pole with Robert Edwin Peary in 1909. By his freshman year at the University of Maryland, in 1955, Henson had scored a bi-weekly bit on a local NBC affiliate, Sam and Friends. Born on September 24 #26. Jim Henson, the man behind the Muppets, began working as a puppeteer in college, creating characters like Kermit the Frog. The puppet characters' popularity continued to grow, and they were soon making appearances in TV commercials, including one for Wilkins Coffee. Big Bird himself walked in to pay his respect and sing, "It’s Not Easy Being Green." © 2021 Biography and the Biography logo are registered trademarks of A&E Television Networks, LLC. He later wrote the television documentary Youth ’68: Everything’s Changing…or Maybe It Isn’t (1968), an attempt to articulate the culture of rebellion emerging in the younger generation. Henson had his first dalliance with televised puppetry while still in high school. Jim Carrey is a comedian and actor best known for comedic and dramatic film roles in movies including 'Ace Ventura: Pet Detective' and 'The Truman Show.'. Jim Henson never thought that he would make a name of himself in puppetry; it was merely a way of getting himself on television. Henson’s show reached a staggering 235 million viewers in more than 100 countries and earned three Emmy Awards. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. James Maury Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was an American puppeteer, artist, cartoonist, inventor, screenwriter, and filmmaker who achieved international fame as the creator of the Muppets. Childhood & Early Years Jim Henson was born as James Maury Henson on September 24, 1936, in Greenville, a city located in the US state of Mississippi. At a young age, Henson was drawn to the arts. Other television ventures featuring the Muppets included Fraggle Rock (1983–87), a puppet show about subterranean creatures, and Jim Henson’s Muppet Babies (1984–91), an animated morning cartoon program. James Maury Henson was born September 24, 1936, in Greenville, MS, and raised in nearby Leland, where his father worked for the Department of Agriculture. In 1967 Henson released two more short films, The Wheels That Go and Ripples, as well as the industrial film The Paperwork Explosion, developed for the computer company IBM. Henson was born on September 24, 1936, in Greenville, Mississippi. In the 1980s, he developed the TV series Fraggle Rock, The Jim Henson Hour and Jim Henson's The Storyteller. He was the second of two sons born to James Maury Henson, best known as Jim Henson, was born in Greenville, Mississippi along with his brother Paul to Paul Ransom Henson (1904–1994), an agronomist for the United States Department of Agriculture, and his wife Betty (Brown) Marcella ( 1904–1972) Muppet Magazine, a quarterly publication for children, appeared in 1983–89. Well before his teen years, Henson was performing puppetry for audiences, including his fellow Cub Scouts. Complicated characterizations on rare occasions even required three Muppeteers. Open 10-4. Native American Jim Thorpe won the pentathlon and decathlon at the 1912 Olympics but was stripped of his gold medals for violating amateur eligibility rules. THE MUPPET SHOW premiered on CBS on September 20, 1976, four days before Jim Henson’s 40th birthday. Jim Henson, byname of James Maury Henson, (born September 24, 1936, Greenville, Mississippi, U.S.—died May 16, 1990, New York, New York), American puppeteer and filmmaker, creator of the Muppets of television and motion pictures. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Though born in Mississippi, Henson grew up in Hyattsville, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C., to which his father, a federal agronomist, had been assigned. Henson directed Labyrinth, and made significant contributions at every stage of the film's development. Jim Henson wanted to make a difference in the world. His father, Paul Ransom Henson, was an agronomist for the United States Department of … He worked as a producer on Sesame Street, a popular kids' show that launched in 1969, and created The Muppet Show in … At a young age, Henson was drawn to the arts. At … At sixteen, John, with his friend, John Kahn, bought an old school house in Saugerties, New York. Jim Henson net worth: Jim Henson was an American puppeteer, screenwriter, film director and producer who had a net worth of $20 million. James Maury Henson was born September 24, 1936, in Greenville, MS, and raised in nearby Leland, where his … Members of Henson's growing puppeteering team also appeared on The Today Show and The Ed Sullivan Show. As young Robin the Frog, Kermit’s nephew, so eloquently said in a Muppets tribute to Henson shortly after his passing, "This Jim Henson may be gone, but maybe he’s still here too, inside us, believing in us.". Jane died on April 2, 2013, at the age of 78. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jim-Henson, World Encyclopedia of Puppetry Arts - Biography of Jim Henson, Jim Henson - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Jim Henson - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... How many Emmy Awards has Sesame Street won? Jane also helped run the Jim Henson Foundation, founded in 1982 by Jim and the couple's daughter, Cheryl. First Name Jim #5. The Henson family isn’t alone in keeping their father’s dream alive: The Walt Disney Company has introduced a whole new generation of kids and parents to Henson's puppet pals, releasing the blockbuster movie The Muppets in 2011. https://www.biography.com/performer/jim-henson. Between his puppetry and animated shorts, Henson perfected his gift for engaging children and making learning fun on Sesame Street. (Henson and Jane met in college and married in 1959; they separated in 1986, but never divorced.) Nebel was a member of Alpha Xi Delta fraternity. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Jim Jones was best known as the cult leader of the Peoples Temple who led more than 900 followers in a mass suicide via cyanide-laced punch known as the Jonestown Massacre. However, he spent his early childhood in nearby Leland. As he entered college (the University of Maryland), Henson and his future wife, Jane Nebel, created a puppet show on a Washington television station and kept the job throughout their school years, developing the first Muppets (including Kermit) on a five-minute television program called Sam and Friends. Henson also codirected The Dark Crystal (1981), directed Labyrinth (1986), and assisted on The Witches (1990), all animated films using puppetlike figures that were not Muppets. Let's take a look at his life and who inherited Kermit and his friends when Jim Henson died. For the hand puppets, each head or arm was worked by one hand so that if there was to be a head and two arms, there must be the hands of two Muppeteers. Around the same time, Henson began experimenting with short films, including 1965's Academy Award-nominated Time Piece. He was a Southpaw who embraced his unique gifts and possessed a drive that propelled him to success. Puppeteer #1. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). The deal was finalized in 2004 and transferred the trademarks and copyrights of most of the iconic characters to Disney. Jim decided to devote his life to the arts, and was offered a job as a puppeteer on television while he was still in college. Henson received several accolades for his work, including Emmys, Grammys and a Peabody Award. September 24, 1936 Jim Henson was born at the King’s Daughters Hospital in Greenville, MS. We are celebrating his birthday all weekend at the Jim Henson Delta Boyhood Exhibit located on the banks of Deer Creek in Leland. Winner of seven Emmys, Henson was inducted into the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame 1987. The first Kermit was made out of Henson's mom's coat and some ping pong balls. Jane established the Jim Henson Legacy, dedicated to preserving and perpetuating her late husband's contributions to the world, in 1992. Leland, MS. Updates? He was raised as a Christian Scientist and spent his early childhood in Leland, Mississippi, before moving with his family to University Park, Maryland Born in Greenville, MS #1. Attended the University of Maryland, College Park. See how much you know about the friendly world of Sesame Street right here—no travel necessary. We still find Fozzie forever funny. Other major motion pictures followed, too, including 1982’s The Dark Crystal, a groundbreaking film mixing puppetry and animatronics, and 1986’s Labyrinth, which was produced by George Lucas and starred David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly. He released five studio albums between 1966 and 1973, before his untimely death in 1973. Actor Jim Parsons rose to fame as Sheldon on the popular sitcom 'The Big Bang Theory' and has received praise for his stage work. Services. His dreams have stirred the hearts and minds of so many children past, present, and doubtless also will in the future. James Maury Henson was born in Greenville, Mississippi on September 24, 1936. One of Henson's puppet characters, Wheel Stealer, who snatched a family’s snacks on a food commercial and later chomped on an IBM computer in a TV ad, was an early incarnation of the beloved blue Cookie Monster. He was born in Greenville, Mississippi, and raised in Leland, Mississippi, and University Park, Maryland. Peter Pan isn’t supposed to die. The Muppets, including an early version of Kermit the Frog, were born from Sam and Friends. Kermit the Frog may not have a Southern accent, but his creator … Henson was born James Maury Henson on September 24, 1936, in Greenville, Mississippi, the younger of two children of Paul Ransom Henson (1904–1994), an agronomist for the United States Department of Agriculture, and his wife Betty Marcella (née Brown, 1904–1972). Fozzie Bear has been… While he was a freshman at the University of Maryland, College Park, he created Sam and Friends, a five-minute sketch-comedy puppet show that … All three played a part in the life of Jim Henson, world-renowned puppeteer and creator of “The Muppets.” James Maury “Jim” Henson was born in Leland, Miss., in 1936. Jim Henson, the man behind the Muppets, was born on September 24, 1936, in Greenville, Mississippi. On May 16, 1990, Henson died in New York City at the age of 53. The program scored a local Emmy Award in 1958, the same year that Henson founded the Jim Henson Company. Jim Croce was an American folk singer and songwriter. Born: on September 24, 1936 ... During the later years of his life, he founded the Jim Henson Foundation and Jim Henson's Creature Shop. Omissions? Jim Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was an American puppeteer and film-maker, best known as the creator of the Muppets. Henson was born on September 24, 1935. In 1975, at Grade's ATV Studios, Henson and his crew created Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Animal, Gonzo, Scooter and the rest of The Muppet Show ensemble. Jim Henson was born James Maury Henson, on September 24, 1936 in Greenville Mississippi. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Henson’s other daughter, Lisa, is currently CEO of the Jim Henson Company; his son, Brian, also a puppeteer, serves as a chair for the company. Learn more at the Birthplace of the Frog. His ashes were scattered near Taos, New Mexico. At seven years old, he and his family moved to Bedford NY, where they lived through John’s childhood years. The first Muppet to gain national exposure, Rowlf the Dog, went from making appearances in Purina commercials to playing a sidekick on The Jimmy Dean Show in 1963. He won the Emmy Award twice for his involvement in The Storyteller and The Jim Henson Hour. The hit series, with Kermit as the host, premiered in 1976. Jim Nabors, who played the lovable and bumbling Gomer Pyle on 'The Andy Griffith Show' and later on the spinoff sitcom 'Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.,' has died at the age of 87. But Henson didn’t limit his TV puppetry to his original Muppets. Corrections? Born in 1936 #5. Jim Henson (left of Kermit) with Michael Eisner (middle) and (from right to left) Mickey Mouse and Miss Piggy. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. He began performing with his puppets on a local Washington, D.C. Saturday morning program. The Muppet Show, which premiered in 1976 and was produced in England, gained an international audience (it was shown in some 100 countries) and was soon followed by the motion pictures The Muppet Movie (1979), The Great Muppet Caper (1981), and The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984). Ten years later, in 1946, Henson moved with his family to Hyattsville, Maryland, a suburb near Washington, D.C.. He coined the term Muppets as a … It proved to be very popular and inspired Jim to continue using puppets for his work. He originally had pink roses on his bow. Be sure and go by this weekend and get your free gift, celebrating Jim’s birthday. Fozzie Bear was created for Jane and Alpha Xi Delta. Jim Brown is a record-holding, former NFL fullback who has been elected to his sport's Hall of Fame and has also worked as a model and film actor. Named Kermit the Frog after a childhood friend from Mississippi. "use strict";(function(){var insertion=document.getElementById("citation-access-date");var date=new Date().toLocaleDateString(undefined,{month:"long",day:"numeric",year:"numeric"});insertion.parentElement.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(date),insertion)})(); Subscribe to the Biography newsletter to receive stories about the people who shaped our world and the stories that shaped their lives. We strive for accuracy and fairness. Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets, was born in Mississippi in 1936, where his father worked as an agronomist.They were Christian Scientists. A major influence of his childhood was TV puppeteer Burr Tillstrom, of the show Kukla, Fran and Ollie. Henson's shockingly sudden death at age 53 robbed the world of a great creative spirit whose childlike enthusiasm for life served as perhaps his greatest legacy. The endeavor wasn't expected to be the famous puppeteer's swan song, but on May 16, 1990, following a brief and unexpected bout of streptococcus pneumonia, Henson died at the age of 53. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. He coined the term Muppets as a meld of marionettes and puppets. Rowlf was brought to life with the assistance of puppet builder Don Sahlin and puppeteer Frank Oz. TV Career and 'Sesame Street'. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! But Henson's even bigger claim to TV fame came in the 1970s, with the debut of The Muppet Show. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Born in Greenville, Mississippi, he was raised in Leland, Mississippi, and Hyattsville, Maryland. Disney Imagineers had granted Henson design input for the area, which would have also included several new attractions and shows. When Henson was eleven his father got a job in Washington, and the family moved to Maryland.In the summer of 1954, as Henson was about to enter university, he learned that a local TV station needed a puppeteer. As the show's theme song goes, Henson swept "the clouds away" with various original characters, including Big Bird, Ernie, Bert, Oscar the Grouch, Grover, Snuffulupagus and Elmo. James Maury Henson was born September 24, 1936, in Greenville, MS, and raised in nearby Leland, where his father worked for the Department of Agriculture. His moving yet celebratory funeral included a musical puppet performance. Henson's legacy as a director, producer, writer, puppeteer and innovator has continued for decades to come, due in no small part to his wife of more than 30 years, the late Jane (Nebel) Henson. Henson began developing puppets in high school. He died of pneumonia on May 16, 1990. Yet the master of Muppetry never seemed of this earth, either. Henson’s last project was Muppet*Vision 3D, a multimedia attraction installed at Disney theme parks in California and Florida. Surprisingly, Henson had a challenging time getting the show financed in the United States, but eventually found the support needed with London-based TV producer Lord Lew Grade. The original Kermit the Frog (centre) puppet was among the Jim Henson creations donated to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in 2010. Henson also was an experimental filmmaker. Time Piece (1965), a short film that he wrote, directed, and starred in, was nominated for an Academy Award. Henson had his first dalliance with televised puppetry while still in … Later projects included the feature film Muppets Most Wanted (2014) and The Muppets (2015–16), a television series purporting to document the behind-the-scenes antics of Miss Piggy, Kermit the Frog, and their cohort. OCTOBER 14, 2013. Happy Birthday Jim Henson!!! The Muppet Movie, the first of many movies featuring Henson's famous characters, appeared in 1979. HE WAS BORN IN MISSISSIPPI. James Maury Henson(September 24, 1936– May 16, 1990) was an Americanpuppeteer,animator,[2]cartoonist,actor,inventor,filmmaker, andscreenwriterwho achieved worldwide notice as the creator ofThe Muppets(1955–present) andFraggle Rock(1983–1987); puppeteer and puppet character creator forSesame Street(1969-present) and as the director ofThe Dark Crystal(1982) andLabyrinth(1986). After graduation (A.B., 1960), Henson, along with his assistants, did television commercials and brief spots on various television shows. He grew up listening to the radio and watching television once his family bought one, and he greatly enjoyed the programs that were on. The supersized yellow puppet also expressed thanks to Kermit the Frog — often attributed as Henson’s Muppet alter ego. 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. The Jim Henson Foundation is committed to supporting American puppet theater. Jim Henson was an American puppeteer best known for creating TV characters, including the Muppets, and for his work on the popular children's show 'Sesame Street.'. Born on September 24th 1936 In 1981 a Muppets comic strip was syndicated. Most Popular #8213. John Henson was born in Greenwich Connecticut to his parents, Jim and Jane Henson. How tall is Big Bird? Sesame Street. Born in Mississippi #36. Henson's older brother, Paul Ransom Henson, Jr. (1932–1956), died in a car crash on April 15, 1956. True, Jim Henson, who passed on seven years ago this week, was hardly a boy without a shadow. Except in certain movie sequences using special effects, Henson’s Muppets, made of sculptured foam rubber, plastic, and various fabrics, were either hand puppets or fully costumed persons (as in the case of Big Bird and Snuffleupagus). So what if his jokes are cornier than a farmer's convention? After the Children’s Television Workshop’s program Sesame Street began appearing on television in 1969, featuring the Muppets, Henson and his humanoid animals achieved extraordinary nationwide popularity. American puppeteer, producer, director, writer and performing genius. Jim Henson, byname of James Maury Henson, (born September 24, 1936, Greenville, Mississippi, U.S.—died May 16, 1990, New York, New York), American puppeteer and filmmaker, creator of the Muppets of television and motion pictures. 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