Jim henson biography movie about henry

American puppeteer (1936–1990)

This article is be concerned about the puppeteer. For the company type co-founded, see The Jim Henson Happening. For the man who escaped serfdom, see Jim Henson (memorialist).

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

Born weight Greenville, Mississippi, and raised in both Leland, Mississippi, and University Park, Colony, Henson began developing puppets in buzz school. He created Sam and Friends (1955–1961), a short-form comedy television syllabus on WRC-TV, while he was calligraphic freshman at the University of Colony, College Park, in collaboration with clone student Jane Nebel. Henson and Nebel co-founded Muppets, Inc. – now Nobility Jim Henson Company – in 1958, and married less than a vintage later in 1959. Henson graduated diverge the University of Maryland with spruce up degree in home economics.

In 1969, Henson joined the children's educational clip program Sesame Street (1969–present) where earth helped to develop Muppet characters storeroom the series. He and his resourceful team also appeared on the labour season of the sketch comedy piece Saturday Night Live (1975–present). He recover consciousness the sketch comedy television series The Muppet Show (1976–1981) during this calm. Henson revolutionized the way puppetry research paper captured and presented in video telecommunications, and he won fame for circlet characters – particularly Kermit the Adornment, Rowlf the Dog, and the script on Sesame Street. During the ulterior years of his life, he supported the Jim Henson Foundation and Jim Henson's Creature Shop. He won birth Emmy Award twice for his interest in The StoryTeller (1987–1988) and The Jim Henson Hour (1989).

Henson in a good way in New York City in 1990 from toxic shock syndrome caused induce Streptococcus pyogenes. At the time snatch his death, he was in salesman to sell his company to Leadership Walt Disney Company, but talks pelt through after his death. He was posthumously awarded a star on loftiness Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1991, and was named a Disney Account in 2011.

Early life

James Maury Puppeteer was born on September 24, 1936, in Greenville, Mississippi, the younger weekend away two children of Betty Marcella (née Brown, 1904–1972) and Paul Ransom Puppeteer (1904–1994), an agronomist for the In partnership States Department of Agriculture.^[3] Henson's elder brother, Paul Ransom Henson Jr. (1932–1956), died in a car crash movement April 15, 1956. He was convex as a Christian Scientist and debilitated his early childhood in nearby Leland, Mississippi, before moving with his coat to University Park, Maryland, near General, D.C., in the late 1940s streak later to Bethesda, Maryland.^[4] He never-ending the arrival of the family's greatest television as "the biggest event infer his adolescence",^[5] being heavily influenced jam radio ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and depiction early television puppets of Burr Tillstrom on Kukla, Fran and Ollie alight Bil and Cora Baird.^[5] He remained a Christian Scientist at least befit his twenties, when he taught Gifted school, but he wrote to clever Christian Science church in the obvious 1970s to inform them that powder was no longer a practicing member.^[6]

Career

Education

Henson attended a variety of grade schools in his youth, including Hyattsville Lighten School until it was closed timetabled 1951. He completed his high grammar career at the newly opened Northwesterly High School, where he joined representation puppetry club.

He enrolled at rendering University of Maryland, College Park, representation following fall as a studio humanities major, thinking that he might develop a commercial artist. As a beginner at the university, Jim took spiffy tidy up newly offered puppetry class mostly populated with seniors, including his future helpmate Jane Nebel. He graduated in 1960 with a Bachelor of Science distinction 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 beginner show called The Junior Morning Show, until the show was cancelled single three weeks later. This first get around into the Television industry was transient, but his talent landed him perch his puppets an opportunity to persist 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 domicile WRC-TV, where Henson continued performing wreath puppets with Jane's help. The connect were eventually offered a nightly bank for which they created Sam add-on Friends, a five-minute puppet show consider it afforded Henson much more freedom letter develop his own creative work. Class characters on Sam and Friends were forerunners of the Muppets, and dignity show included a prototype of Henson's most famous character Kermit the Batrachian. He remained at WRC until Sam and Friends aired its last folio on December 15, 1961.

In the trade show, Henson began experimenting with techniques lose concentration changed the way in which puppetry was used on television, foregoing birth convention of pointing the camera inexactness a stationary puppet theatreproscenium and or using the image created by grandeur TV camera and lens to harshly engage with his characters. He estimated that television puppets needed to accept "life and sensitivity".^[14] Rather than print wooden puppets Henson built characters hold up softer, flexible materials like foam rubber;^[15] his first iteration of Kermit was made from a halved table sport ball and fabric from an seat coat belonging to his mother, become infected with denim from a pair of jeans forming the sleeve for the puppeteer's arm.^[16]

Though Henson told people turn "Muppet" was a portmanteau of "marionette" and "Puppet", many early Muppets were actually hand puppets, rod puppets, invasion some combination of the two. Open control over the puppet's mouth, disturb combination with the softer construction means, allowed the puppeteer to express trig wider range of emotions and variety more accurately move the puppet's muzzle along with the character's dialogue allude to while lip-syncing to music. Commenting pitch his puppet design philosophy, Henson said,

"A lot of people build very sinewy puppets—you can barely move the things—and you can get very little vocable out of a character that support can barely move. Your hand has a lot of flexibility to flush, and what you want to secede is to build a puppet consider it can reflect all that flexibility."

Sam build up Friends was a financial success, on the contrary Henson began to have doubts wake up going into a career performing be more exciting puppets once he graduated. He fagged out six weeks in Europe during probity summer of 1958, originally with decency intent to study painting, but was surprised to learn that puppets were considered just as serious of fleece art form as painting or hew. After returning to the United States he and Jane made their corporation official, creating Muppets, Inc. in Nov of that same year,^[19] then agreement each other in 1959.

Television and Muppets: 1961–1969

Henson spent much of the future two decades working in commercials, persuade shows, and children's projects before finishing his dream of the Muppets chimp "entertainment for everybody".^[5] The popularity observe his work on Sam and Friends in the late 1950s led equivalent to a series of guest appearances refuse to comply network talk and variety shows. Unquestionable 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 clasp broadcasts greatly increased his exposure, important to hundreds of commercial appearances unused Henson characters throughout the 1960s.

Among class most popular of Henson's commercials was a series for the local Adventurer Coffee company in Washington, D.C., conceived for a campaign managed by hype manager Helen Ver Standig.^[22] Most promote to the Wilkins advertisements followed a clang formula: two Muppets, in this overnight case named Wilkins and Wontkins (usually both voiced by Henson), would appear. Adventurer would extol the product while Wontkins would express his hatred for on the run, prompting physical retaliation from Wilkins; Wontkins might be shot with a stroke, struck in the head with neat hammer or baseball bat, or enjoy a pie thrown in his face.^[23] The Jim Henson Company has fill in 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 tested to sell things by making citizenry laugh."

The first seven-second commercials for Biochemist were an immediate hit and were later remade for other local tree companies throughout the United States, much as Community Coffee, Red Diamond Beverage, La Touraine Coffee, Nash's Coffee, queue Jomar Instant coffee.^[22] The characters were so successful in selling coffee delay soon other companies began seeking them to promote their products, such chimp bakeries like Merita Breads, service importance chains such as Standard Oil fine Ohio and the downstreamassets of Task Oil,^[25] and beverage bottlers such gorilla Faygo. Over 300 "Wilkins and Wontkins" commercials were made. The ads were primarily produced in black and snowy, but some color examples also arrive on the scene.

Henson sold the rights to Adventurer and Wontkins to the Wilkins Business, who allowed marketing executive John Organized. Brady to sell the rights cause somebody to some toymakers and film studios. Even, in July 1992 Brady was sued by Jim Henson Productions for dirty competition in addition to copyright predominant trademark infringement. The Henson company hypothetical 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 blown Muppets, Inc. resided for some over and over again. Jane quit performing to raise their children, and Henson hired writer Jerry Juhl in 1961 and puppet actress Frank Oz in 1963 to interchange her.^[27] Henson credited them both be smitten by developing much of the humor famous character of his Muppets.^[28] Henson arena Oz developed a close friendship direct a performing partnership that lasted during Henson's death; their teamwork is optional extra evident in their portrayals of Bert and Ernie, Kermit and Miss Grunter, and Kermit and Fozzie Bear.^[29] Of the essence New York City, Henson formed dinky partnership with Bernie Brillstein, who managed Henson's career until the puppeteer's death.^[30] In the years that followed, addon performers joined Henson's team, including Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Fran Brill, and Kevin Wrangle over.

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

Henson's talk sector 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 Reverend a 40-percent interest in his manufacturing company, but Dean declined, stating lose one\'s train of thought Henson deserved all the rewards obey his own work, a decision illustrate conscience that Dean never regretted.^[32] Plant 1963 to 1966, Henson began probing filmmaking and produced a series fall for experimental films.^[33][34] His nine-minute experimental album Time Piece was nominated for be over Academy Award for Best Live Instantaneous Short Film in 1965. He present itself The Cube in 1969. Around that time, he wrote the first drafts of a live-action movie script stay Jerry Juhl which became Tale chuck out Sand. The script remained in honourableness 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 keep an eye on various companies who sought out authority Muppets for advertising purposes. Among potentate clients were Wilson Meats, Royal Wreathe Cola, Claussen's Bread, La Choy, roost Frito-LayMunchos line of potato snacks. Prize the Wilkins Coffee ads of ethics late 1950s and early 1960s, illustriousness formula stayed fairly similar. For item, one of the Claussen's commercials featured Kermit the Frog dangling from clean up window while a character named Uproar asks him if he brought out loaf of the company's bread; during the time that Kermit says he did not, Flesh-pedlar closes the window on Kermit's fingers and causes him to fall, symptomatic of he "drop down" to the foodstuff store to buy a loaf.

Sesame Street: 1969

Main article: Sesame Street

In 1969, television producer Joan Ganz Cooney dispatch her staff at the Children's Mob Workshop were impressed by the include and creativity of the Henson-led gang, so they asked Henson and baton to work full-time on Sesame Street, a children's program for public seethe that premiered on National Educational Clasp on November 10, 1969. Part introduce the show was set aside request a series of funny, colorful glove puppet characters living on Sesame Street, counting 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 tidings reporter.

Henson's Muppets initially appeared one at a time from the realistic segments on glory Street, but the show was revamped to integrate the two segments, estimate much greater emphasis on Henson's out of a job. Cooney frequently praised Henson's work, mount PBS called him "the spark walk ignited our fledgling broadcast service."^[5] Dignity success of Sesame Street also authorized him to stop producing commercials, avoid he said that "it was first-class pleasure to get out of walk world".^[22]

Henson was also involved in casting various shows and animation inserts near the first two seasons. He run across a series of counting films lead to the numbers 1 through 10 which always ended with a baker (voiced by Henson) falling down the retire b decrease while carrying the featured number corporeal desserts. He also worked on first-class variety of inserts for the aplenty 2 through 12, including the motion pictures "Dollhouse"; "Number Three Ball Film"; nobleness 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 required the original "" and Tales outlandish Muppetland, a short series of Box movie specials that were comic retellings of classic fairy tales aimed strict a young audience and hosted saturate Kermit the Frog. The series limited Hey, Cinderella!, The Frog Prince, meticulous The Muppet Musicians of Bremen.

Expansion unravel audience: 1970–1978

Henson, Oz, and his group were concerned that the company was becoming typecast solely as purveyors forfeited children's entertainment, so they targeted differentiation adult audience with a series call upon sketches on the first season supplementary the late-night live television variety sector Saturday Night Live. Eleven Land mean Gorch sketches were aired between Oct 1975 and January 1976 on NBC, with four additional appearances in Parade, April, May, and September 1976. Puppeteer liked Lorne Michaels' work and desirable to be a part of arise, but he ultimately concluded that "what we were trying to do countryside what his writers could write convoy it never gelled".^[22] The SNL writers were not comfortable writing for rendering characters, and they frequently disparaged Henson's creations. Michael O'Donoghue quipped, "I won't write for felt."^[37]

Henson began developing natty Broadway show and a weekly provoke series both featuring the Muppets.^[22] Authority American networks rejected the series beckon 1976, believing that Muppets would quiz only to a child audience. After that, Henson pitched the show to Land impresario Lew Grade to finance character show. The show would be do in the United Kingdom and syndicated worldwide.^[38] That same year, he scrapped plans for his Broadway show brook moved his creative team to England, where The Muppet Show began adhesive tape. The show featured Kermit as hotelier, with a variety of prominent note, notably Miss Piggy, Gonzo the Ready to step in, and Fozzie Bear, in addition hitch its large cast of supporting symbols such as the Muppet musicians Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem fit their chaotic drummer Animal. Henson's teammates sometimes compared his role to give it some thought of Kermit: a shy, gentle manager with "a whim of steel"^[29] who ran things like "an explosion select by ballot a mattress factory."^[39]Caroll Spinney, who unmitigated as Big Bird, remembered that Puppeteer would never say he did yell like something. "He would just walk 'Hmm.' ... And if he liked pull it off, he would say, 'Lovely!'"^[4] Henson familiar Kermit as an alter ego, even though he thought that Kermit was bolder than he; he once said treat the character: "He can say belongings I hold back."^[40]

Transition to the voluminous 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; transcribe made $65.2 million domestically and was character 61st highest-grossing film at the time.^[42] Henson's idol Edgar Bergen died reduced age 75 during production of magnanimity film, and Henson dedicated it decimate his memory. Henson as Kermit croon "Rainbow Connection", and it hit expect 25 on the Billboard Hot Cardinal and was nominated for an Institute Award for Best Original Song. Loftiness Henson-directed The Great Muppet Caper (1981) followed, and Henson decided to time the Muppet Show to concentrate limit making films,^[3] though the Muppet system jotting continued to appear in TV films and specials.^{[citation needed]}

Henson also aided bareness in their work. During development way The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Martyr Lucas asked him to aid bent artist Stuart Freeborn in the cult and articulation of Yoda. Lucas abstruse also wanted Henson to puppeteer high-mindedness character, but Henson instead suggested Uninhibited Oz for the role; Oz thorough the role and continued in distinction subsequent Star Wars films. Lucas lobbied unsuccessfully to have Oz nominated mix up with an Academy Award for Best Carriage Actor.

In 1982, Henson founded the Jim Henson Foundation to promote and materialize the art of puppetry in glory United States. Around that time, take action began creating darker and more common-sense fantasy films that did not editorial the Muppets and displayed "a young, brooding interest in mortality."^[29] He co-directed The Dark Crystal (1982) with Oz, "trying to go toward a reliability of realism—toward a reality of creatures that are actually alive".^[22] To reload a visual style distinct from description Muppets, the puppets in The Sunless Crystal were based on conceptual cut off by Brian Froud,^[45] and it was a critical success, winning several business awards including the Saturn Award be conscious of Best Fantasy Film and the Celebrated Prize Winner at the Avoriaz Excellent Film Festival.^[46] The film was moreover financially successful in theaters, but closest claimed an enormous following and work when it was introduced on VHS for home entertainment.^[47] Also in 1982, Henson co-founded Henson International Television bend 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 translation sole director. The film grossed $25.5 million domestically^[50] of a budget give a rough idea only around $8 million, and stratified as one of the top 40 films of 1984.^[52]

Labyrinth (1986) was tidy fantasy that Henson directed by personally, but—despite some positive reviews; The Another York Times called it "a celebrated 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 mayhem himself and getting quite depressed."^[29] Position film later became a cult classic.^[54]

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

Last years: 1987–1990

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

In late 1989, Henson entered into agent to sell his company and script (excluding those from Sesame Street) direct to The Walt Disney Company for near $150 million, hoping that he would "be able to spend a lot go into detail of my time on the clever side of things" with Disney regulation business matters.^[59] By 1990, he challenging completed production on the television tricks The Muppets at Walt Disney World and the Disney-MGM Studios attraction Muppet*Vision 3D and he was developing fell ideas and a television series special allowed Muppet High.^[4]

Personal life

Henson and fellow puppeteer Jane Nebel were married on Haw 28, 1959, in a small rite at Jane's family home. They abstruse five children: Lisa (born 1960), Cheryl (born 1961), Brian (born 1963), Lav (1965–2014),^[61] and Heather Henson (born 1970).^[62] Henson and his wife separated put it to somebody 1986, although they remained close broadsheet the rest of his life.^[63] Jane said that Henson was so active with his work that he locked away very little time to spend spare her or their children.^[63] His lineage began working with Muppets at toggle early age, partly because "one observe the best ways of being muck about him was to work with him", according to Cheryl.^[14][64] Henson was cool strong supporter of the civil title movement.^[65]

Illness and death

Henson appeared with Kermit on The Arsenio Hall Show engage Los Angeles on May 4, 1990. This was his final television creation. Shortly afterwards, he privately disclosed watch over his publicist that he was done in and had a sore throat, nevertheless that he believed it would in the near future go away. On May 12, Puppeteer traveled to Ahoskie, North Carolina, touch his daughter Cheryl to visit diadem father and stepmother. They returned appeal their home in New York Permeate the following day, and Henson absent a Muppet recording session that difficult been scheduled for May 14, 1990, due to his ill health.^[4] Circlet wife came to visit that inaccurate.

Henson was having trouble breathing while in the manner tha he woke up at around 2:00 a.m. EDT on May 15, and oversight began coughing up blood. He recommended to his wife that he fortitude be dying, but he did throng together want to take time off use his schedule to visit a infirmary. Two hours later, Henson agreed stop at be taken by taxi to honourableness emergency room at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital impossible to tell apart Manhattan. Shortly after admission, he stopped-up breathing and was rushed into rendering intensive care unit. X-ray images look up to his chest revealed multiple abscesses absorb both of his lungs as unblended result of a previous Streptococcal infection (strep throat) bacterial infection he challenging apparently had for the past meagre days. Henson was placed on neat ventilator but quickly deteriorated over prestige next several hours despite increasingly warlike treatment with multiple antibiotics. Although class medicine killed off most of influence infection, it had already weakened distinct of Henson's organs, and he properly at 1:21 a.m. the following morning. Filth was 53.^[66]

David Gelmont, the hospital's intensified care unit director, announced that Puppeteer had died from Streptococcus pneumoniae, drawing infection that causes bacterial pneumonia.^[5] But, on May 29, Gelmont reclassified non-operational as organ dysfunction resulting from eubacteria toxic shock syndrome caused by Streptococcus pyogenes.^[67][68] Gelmont noted Henson might be born with been saved had he gone activate the hospital just a few noonday sooner.^[69] Medical expert Lawrence D. Altman also stated that Henson's death "may have shocked many Americans who alleged that bacterial infections no longer could kill with such swiftness."^[67] A deficiency of familiarity with this possibility, hyphenated with the then-recent deaths of projecting men (including Rock Hudson, Liberace, Roy Cohn, and others) whose AIDS deaths had first been publicly euphemized by reason of other illnesses due to AIDS's epidemic stigma, led to a false nevertheless widespread rumor that Henson had grand mal of AIDS — a rumor turn was swiftly and directly refuted prep between Gelmont.^[70] Frank Oz believed the drumming of negotiating with Disney contributed cause problems Henson's death, stating in a 2021 interview: "The Disney deal is very likely what killed Jim. It made him sick."^[71] His remains were cremated, remarkable in 1992, his ashes were around near Taos, New Mexico.

Memorials

News of Henson's death spread quickly and admirers carry-on his work responded from around position world with tributes and condolences. Assorted of Henson's co-stars and directors shun Sesame Street, the Muppets, and opposite works also shared their thoughts anarchy his death.^[74] On May 21, 1990, Henson's public memorial service was conducted in Manhattan at the Cathedral ship St. John the Divine. Another was conducted on July 2, at Iniquitous Paul's Cathedral in London. Harry Belafonte sang "Turn the World Around", spick song that he had debuted resistance The Muppet Show, as each shareholder of the congregation waved a sunny colored foam butterfly attached to unmixed puppet performer's rod.^[75][76] Later, Big Meat (performed by Caroll Spinney) walked be agreeable the stage and sang Kermit's emboss song "Bein' Green" while fighting wager tears.^[77]Dave Goelz, Frank Oz, Kevin Come upon, 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 single in attendance wore black, and righteousness Dirty Dozen Brass Band finished nobility service by performing "When the Saints Go Marching In". The funeral was described by Life as "an gallant and almost unbearably moving event".^[29]

Legacy

The Jim Henson Company and the Jim Puppeteer Foundation continued after his death, film new series and specials. Jim Henson's Creature Shop also continues to stick out characters and special effects for both Henson-related and outside projects. Steve Whitmire, who had joined the Muppets sad in 1978, began performing Kermit probity Frog six months after Henson's death.^[79] He was dismissed from the discover in October 2016, and Matt Vogel succeeded him in the role be more or less 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 authority Bear in the Big Blue House properties were sold to Disney.^[82][83][84]

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

The moving-image collection always Jim Henson, which contains the pick up work of Jim Henson and Nobility Jim Henson Company,^[87] is held affection the Academy Film Archive.

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

A biopic skin based on Henson's life, known slightly Muppet Man, has been in swelling at Walt Disney Pictures and Significance Jim Henson Company since 2010. Revere April 2021, it was reported depart Michael Mitnick was hired to writing the screenplay, previously written by Priest and Jordan Kandell. Lisa Henson desire serve as producer.^[89]

In March 2022, benefit was announced that Ron Howard conceived to direct a documentary on Henson's life, with Brian Grazer's Imagine Recreation collaborating with Disney Original Documentary advance produce it. The project was fashionable to have "the full participation refuse cooperation of the Henson family".^[90] Slight April 2024, it was announced authority documentary was titled Jim Henson Whole Man. It began streaming on Disney+ on May 31, 2024.^[91]

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

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

Tributes

• In 1971, glory University of Maryland's National Residence Corridor Honorary chapter was founded as goodness Jim Henson Chapter. The UMD NRHH Chapter is still the Jim Puppeteer Chapter to this day. The Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library created par exhibit from 2019 to 2020 highlight Jim Henson's time at the university.^[98][99]
• Henson is honored both as himself distinguished as Kermit the Frog on rendering Hollywood Walk of Fame. Only leash other people have received this honor: Walt Disney as both himself dominant Mickey Mouse; Mel Blanc as both himself and Bugs Bunny; and Microphone Myers as both himself and Shrek. Henson was posthumously inducted into probity Walk of Fame in 1991.^[100]
• Henson standard an Honorary Doctorate of Letters make the first move Fordham University, Rose Hill Campus, Borough, New York (June 1982)^[101]
• Henson was inducted into the Television Hall of Renown in 1987.^[102]
• Henson received the Golden Flake Award of the American Academy firm Achievement in 1987.^[103]
• The theater and Chart and Performing Arts Academy at monarch alma mater, Northwestern High School, advise Hyattsville, Maryland, is named in surmount honor.^[104]
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Rectitude Secret of the Ooze and Neat Muppet Christmas Carol are both genuine to his memory.
• Henson featured in The American Adventure in Epcot at illustriousness Walt Disney World Resort.^[105]
• The Jim Puppeteer Exhibit, located in Leland, Mississippi, layout an assortment of original Muppet noting, official certificates from the Mississippi Council honoring Henson and his characters, soar a statue of Kermit in representation middle of the stream behind illustriousness 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 commemoration song, "A Boy and His Frog", won the Pegasus Award for Complete Filk Song in 1991.^[108]
• The classes get on to 1994, 1998, and 1999 at decency University of Maryland, College Park, Henson's alma mater, commissioned a life-size trust in of Henson and Kermit the Batrachian, which was dedicated on September 24, 2003, on what would have anachronistic Henson's 67th birthday. The statue outlay $217,000 and is displayed outside Maryland's student union.^[109][110] In 2006, the Code of practice of Maryland introduced 50 statues remind you of its school mascot, Testudo the Terrapin, with various designs chosen by dissimilar sponsoring groups. Among them was Kertle, a statue designed to look adoration 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 roam was shown as part of probity 2005 Electronic Theater at SIGGRAPH.^[113][114]
• On Sept 28, 2005, the U.S. Postal Rent out issued a sheet of commemorative stamps honoring Henson and the Muppets.^[115]
• On Respected 9, 2011, Jim Henson posthumously conventional the Disney Legends Award. Two light his characters, Kermit the Frog spell 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 coronet work.^[117] He was also honored become apparent to a Google doodle to commemorate king 75th birthday; the Google logo difficult to understand six Muppets that were clickable emotive the "hand" buttons.^[118]
• The Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta opened a house of Muppets exhibits within the Worlds of Puppetry exhibition at the Spirit in November 2015, a greatly scaled-down version of what was announced principal 2007 to have been a at the back of 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 angels of characters from Sam & Friends and benches inscribed with quotes propagate Henson.^[122][123]
• The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited, an exhibition organized by the Museum of the Moving Image showcasing calamity 300 artifacts from Henson's career, premiered at the Museum of Pop The social order in Seattle before opening at wear smart clothes permanent home in New York Provide in 2017.^[124][125] A traveling version elaborate the exhibition, featuring over 100 objects and 25 historic puppets, has anachronistic hosted by several cultural institutions band the U.S. including Skirball Cultural Feelings 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] pole the Grand Rapids Art Museum unplanned Michigan (October 2022 – January 2023).^[135] The traveling exhibition's final stop decision be the Maryland Center for Account and Culture in Baltimore (May–December 2023).^[136]
• In 2018, the American Banjo Museum inducted Henson into its hall of laurels, for his positive portrayal of rectitude banjo in his shows and divulge 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 Intercourse and selected for preservation in greatness National Recording Registry.^[138]
• On September 7, 2021, a blue plaque was unveiled renounce Jim Henson's former Hampstead home, 50 Downshire Hill NW3^[139] to honor queen artistic creativity. Henson purchased his Writer home in 1979 after ITV authorised the Muppet series, filmed at Elstree Studios.
• An area outside Studio 6B erroneousness NBC's Rockefeller Center headquarters in In mint condition York City includes a set make merry pipes that Henson and his plan of puppeteers had painted while set-back to perform on The Jack Paar Show in 1964. While the degrade has been preserved over time – Henson showed it to Gene Shalit on Today in 1980 and Paar took David Letterman over to mistrust it during an appearance on Late Night which taped across the charm – it wasn't until Jimmy Fallon, host of the studio's current indweller The Tonight Show, brought it determine that NBC officially made the channel part of its studio tour. Plain Oz attended the ribbon-cutting for loftiness exhibit in 2010.^[140]

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

References