Jim Henson

Directing · 1.6 popularity

Age

Movies

145

Born: September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990
From: Greenville, Mississippi, USA
Website: Visit site

Biography

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 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. In 1969, Henson joined the children's television program Sesame Street (1969–present) where he helped to develop Muppet characters for the series. He and his creative team also appeared on the first season of the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (1975–present). He produced the sketch comedy television series The Muppet Show (1976–1981) during this period. Henson revolutionized the way puppetry is captured and presented in video media, and he won fame for his characters – particularly Kermit the Frog, Rowlf the Dog, and the characters on Sesame Street. During the later years of his life, he founded the Jim Henson Foundation and Jim Henson's Creature Shop. He won the Emmy Award twice for his involvement in The Storyteller (1987–1988) and The Jim Henson Hour (1989). Henson died in New York City from toxic shock syndrome caused by Streptococcus pyogenes. At the time of his death, he was in negotiations to sell his company to The Walt Disney Company, but talks fell through after his death. He was posthumously awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1991, and was named a Disney Legend in 2011. Description above from the Wikipedia article Jim Henson, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Works

145 films

Labyrinth

19867.3

The Muppets

20116.7

The Muppet Movie

19797.2

The Dark Crystal

19827.1

Muppets Most Wanted

20146.3

Into the Night

19856.5

Jim Henson Idea Man

20247.9

The Muppets Take Manhattan

19846.6

The Great Muppet Caper

19816.9

Dog City

19898.1

Mickey's 50

19789.0

Muppet Treasures

19857.3

Sesame Street Jam: A Musical Celebration

19937.0

Follow That Bird

19856.4

A Muppet Family Christmas

19876.9

The Cube

19697.1

Sesame Street: Sing Yourself Silly!

19906.0

The Muppet Introduction

1975

The Earth Day Special

19906.1

Gonzo Presents Muppet Weird Stuff

19857.0

Night of 100 Stars II

19856.8

The World of Jim Henson

19947.4

The Muppets Go Hollywood

19796.2

Pure Goldie

19718.0

Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street

20217.4

The Christmas Toy

19866.9

The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson

19906.8

Sesame Street: Monster Hits!

19906.0

The Muppet Musicians of Bremen

19726.9

Down at Fraggle Rock

1987

The Muppets at Walt Disney World

19906.6

Sesame Street: 25 Wonderful Years: A Musical Celebration!

19937.3

A Sesame Street Christmas Carol

20066.7

Muppet Music Moments

2004

Sesame Street: Elmo Says BOO!

19976.4

The Royal Variety Performance 1977

1977

The Very Best of the Muppet Show: Volume 2

19996.0

Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas

19776.9

Sesame Street: Learning About Letters

19867.0

A Walking Tour of Sesame Street

1979

Jim Henson: Sing-Along, Dance-Along, Do-Along

1988

Sesame Street: 50 Years and Counting

20195.5

Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi

19838.9

The World of 'The Dark Crystal'

19836.7

The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show

19828.2

Hip Hip Parade!

1978

The Muppets Go to the Movies

19817.0

Kagayake! Gorō Mapetto Geba Geba 90-pun!

1976

Out to Lunch

19748.0

Sesame Street 1986 Wrap Party

20269.0

Sesame Street | All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever!

19947.0

The Orson Welles Show

19798.0

Sesame Street: Put Down the Duckie

19886.8

Sesame Street: Do the Alphabet

19966.0

Sesame Street: Elmo's World: The Street We Live On!

20047.6

Sesame Street: Learning About Numbers

198610.0

Muppet Picker Upper

19756.0

Inside the Labyrinth

19867.6

Just a Few Announcements

1975

The Best of Ernie and Bert

19887.0

Sesame Street- Do you know where Ernie lives?

1975

Muppet Breakthrough

1983

Christmas Eve on Sesame Street

19787.5

Grump Critic

1979

The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years

19866.2

Jim Henson: Behind the Seams

2014

Julie Andrews: One Step Into Spring

19787.0

Muppet Side Splitter

1981

The Very Best of the Muppet Show

19997.0

Sesame Street Pitch Reel

19699.0

I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story

20157.4

Let's Have the Dam Break

1979

An Evening with Jim Henson and Frank Oz

198910.0

Meal Break

1979

In Their Own Words: Jim Henson

20157.0

Tales from Muppetland: The Frog Prince

19717.0

Keep U.S. Beautiful

1973

Visual Thinking

1961

Muppet Breaker Upper

1979

The Muppet Revue

198510.0

The Bells of Fraggle Rock

19846.0

Muppet Gimme a Break

1979

Julie: My Favourite Things

1975

Limbo: The Organized Mind

19668.5

Joan Rivers at the BBC

2024

I Love Liberty

1982

Time Piece

19657.1

Tales of the Tinkerdee

19626.5

The Bob Hope All Star Christmas Comedy Special

19776.0

Getting Ready to Read

1992

Miss Piggy's Hollywood

1989

The Reindeer

1965

Jim Henson: Commercials and Experiments

2004

Orson Welles: The One-Man Band

19956.6

The Tale of the Bunny Picnic

19867.4

Sesame Street: Sing Along

19876.0

Muppet Video: Rowlf's Rhapsodies with the Muppets

19859.0

Reflections of 'The Dark Crystal'

20075.8

This Way to Sesame Street

1969

The Muppet Script

2025

Don't Eat the Pictures: Sesame Street at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

19836.6

Sesame Street: Quiet Time

19976.0

Julie on Sesame Street

19737.3

Wow, You're A Cartoonist!

198810.0

The Muppets on Puppets

19708.0

The Very Best of the Muppet Show: Volume 3

2001

The Great Santa Claus Switch

19706.1

The Best of Kermit on Sesame Street

19989.0

Jim Henson's Tales from Muppetland

2009

Hey, You're as Funny as Fozzie Bear

19886.0

Alexander the Grape

19656.0

Free to Be... a Family

19888.8

Sing! Sesame Street Remembers Joe Raposo and His Music

199010.0

The Paperwork Explosion

19675.0

John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together

19797.1

Big Bird in China

19836.0

AFI's 100 Years... 100 Songs: America's Greatest Music in the Movies

20048.3

Henson's Place: The Man Behind the Muppets

19846.9

Sesame Street: Bert & Ernie's Word Play

20028.2

The Idea Man

1966

Muppet Video: The Kermit and Piggy Story

19856.8

Sesame Street: Sleepytime Songs & Stories

1986

Muppet Studios Presents: You're the Director

1988

Children's Songs and Stories with the Muppets

19857.3

Sesame Street: Imagine That!

1996

A Classic Christmas from The Ed Sullivan Show

1992

The Vent Event

1978

I'm Nobody

1966

Sesame Street: Cookie Monster's Best Bites

2004

Hey Cinderella!

19697.4

Muppets Magic from 'The Ed Sullivan Show!'

20038.5

Muppet History 101

2004

Of Muppets & Men

19816.6

50 Years of Television: A Golden Celebration

19899.0

The Muppet Show Pitch Reel

19769.0

Jim Henson: His Sesame Street Story

20092.0

The Wizard of Id

1969

Rocky Mountain Holiday with John Denver and the Muppets

19836.7

Rowlf the Salesman

1966

The King of Eight

197110.0

Jim Henson: In Performance

1990

Sam the Snake

1969

Muppet Coffee Break

1987

Muppet Breakaway

1987

Sesame Street: Elmo's World: Singing, Drawing & More!

20008.0