AI overview
Jim Henson was an American puppeteer who created innovative puppet characters and shows that became beloved entertainment for children and adults alike. His work, which includes the Muppets and Sesame Street, fundamentally changed how puppetry and television could be used to educate and entertain audiences.
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Person · Open Library
- Born
- 1936-09-24
- Died
- 1990-05-16
- 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
Directing · 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 — Ernie
Article
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.
Gallery (8)
Connections
Categories
1936 births1990 deaths20th-century American comedians20th-century American male actorsAmerican comedy film directorsAmerican expatriates in the United KingdomAmerican fantasy film directorsAmerican male comediansAmerican male voice actorsAmerican puppeteersAmerican sketch comediansAmerican television show creators