Photo of Jim Henson
Directing

Jim Henson

Profession
Directing
Born
September 24, 1936 · Greenville, Mississippi, USA
Died
May 16, 1990

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.

Known for

Labyrinth poster
Labyrinth
Film · 1986 · ★ 7.3
The Muppets poster
The Muppets
Film · 2011 · ★ 6.7
The Witches poster
The Witches
Film · 1990 · ★ 7.0
The Dark Crystal poster
The Dark Crystal
Film · 1982 · ★ 7.2
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze poster
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze
Film · 1991 · ★ 6.2
The Muppet Christmas Carol poster
The Muppet Christmas Carol
Film · 1992 · ★ 7.5
Dinosaurs poster
Dinosaurs
Series · 1991 · ★ 7.8
Muppets Most Wanted poster
Muppets Most Wanted
Film · 2014 · ★ 6.3
The Muppet Movie poster
The Muppet Movie
Film · 1979 · ★ 7.2
Saturday Night Live poster
Saturday Night Live
Series · 1975 · ★ 6.9
Muppet Treasure Island poster
Muppet Treasure Island
Film · 1996 · ★ 6.7
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance poster
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance
Series · 2019 · ★ 7.8

Filmography