File:Jim_Henson,_creator,_The_Muppets.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
OverviewAI-generated
Jim Henson (1936–1990) was an American television director, film director, film producer, and voice actor. Born in Greenville, Mississippi, he attended the University of Maryland and began his professional work in 1954. His notable works include The Muppets, Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, and Fraggle Rock. Henson was married to Jane Henson and had three children: John, Brian, and Lisa.
He received several honors, including Peabody Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, Disney Legends status, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Henson was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. He died in Manhattan of natural causes, specifically toxic shock syndrome and organ dysfunction.
Synthesized by Vinony from 43 facts across 9 sources: Wikidata, Crossref, Open Library, MusicBrainz, Last.fm, TMDb, Wikiquote, Vinony collections, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.
Person · Open Library
- Works
- 32
Top works
- Jim Henson's Labyrinth 2018 Wall Calendar
- Shake It Up!
- Muppet Babies Holiday Coloring & Activity Book
- Jim Henson's Muppet Babies Coloring and Activity Book
- Potty time
via Open Library + Wikidata
Film & TV
Greenville, Mississippi, USA
James Maury Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was an American puppeteer, actor, animator, creative producer, and director who achieved worldwide notability as the creator of the Muppets. Henson was also well known for creating Fraggle Rock (1983–1987) and as the director of The Dark Crystal (1982) and Labyrinth (1986), as well as creating the puppets for Sesame Street (1969). Born in…
Known for
- The Muppet Script — Self (archive footage)2025
- Joan Rivers at the BBC — Self (archive footage)2024
- Jim Henson Idea Man — Self (archive footage)2024
- Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street — Self (archive footage)2021
- Sesame Street: 50 Years and Counting — Ernie2019
- I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story — Self2015
- In Their Own Words: Jim Henson — Self (archive footage)2015
- In Their Own Words — Self (archive footage)2015
- Jim Henson: Behind the Seams2014
- Muppets Most Wanted — Kermit The Frog (archival recordings) (uncredited)2014
via TMDB
Music · MusicBrainz
- Type
- Person
- Gender
- Male
- Origin
- United Kingdom
- Active from
- 1936
- Active to
- 1990
Discography
via MusicBrainz · CC0
Listeners · Last.fm
- Listeners
- 8,070
- Total plays
- 52,092
Tags
James Maury Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was one of the most important puppeteers in modern American television history. He was also a filmmaker, television producer, and the founder of The Jim Henson Company, the Jim Henson Foundation, and Jim Henson's Creature Shop. He was the creator of The Muppets and the leading force behind their long creative run. Henson brought an engaging cast of characters, innovative ideas, and a sense of timing and humor to millions of people. <a href=
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Gender
- male
- Citizenship
- United States
- Place of birth
- Greenville
- Place of death
- Manhattan
- Spouse
- Jane Henson
- Child
- Brian Henson
- Occupation
- director
- Languages spoken
- English language
- Native language
- English language
- Religion
- Christian Science
- Award
- Inkpot Award
- Image
- Jim Henson, creator, The Muppets.jpg
- Height
- 190
Show 13 more facts
- Commons category
- Jim Henson
- date of birth
- 1936-09-24
- date of death
- 1990-05-16
- cause of death
- toxic shock syndrome
- manner of death
- natural causes
- nominated for
- Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film
- start of work period
- 1954-00-00
- topic's main category
- Category:Jim Henson
- end of work period
- 1990-00-00
- name in native language
- Jim Henson
- birth name
- James Maury Henson
- writing language
- English language
- net worth
- 20000000
Sources (9)
via Wikidata · CC0
~39 min read
Encyclopedic overview
James Maury Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was an American puppeteer, actor, animator, creative producer, and director who achieved worldwide notability as the creator of the Muppets. Henson was also well known for creating Fraggle Rock (1983–1987) and as the director of The Dark Crystal (1982) and Labyrinth (1986), as well as creating the Muppets for Sesame Street (1969–present).
Born in Greenville, Mississippi, and raised in both Leland, Mississippi, and University Park, Maryland, Henson began developing puppets in high school. He created Sam and Friends (1955–1961), a short-form comedy television program on WRC-TV, while he was a freshman at the University of Maryland, College Park, in collaboration with fellow student Jane Nebel. Henson and Nebel co-founded Muppets, Inc. – now The Jim Henson Company – in 1958, and married less than a year later in 1959. Henson graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in home economics.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Jim Henson” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.