Mr. Henson had homes in Manhattan, Connecticut, Malibu, Calif., and London. Jim Henson, born September 24th, 1936, died at the young age of 54 after changing the way American children learn and how their parents are entertained. He spent several months in Europe, where he was inspired by European puppet performers who looked on their work as an art form. [33], In 1982, Henson founded the Jim Henson Foundation to promote and develop the art of puppetry in the United States. Five days after his death, Jim Henson's funeral was held at The Cathedral of St. John The Divine in New York City (there was also a second service at St. Paul's Cathedral in London). TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers.
Within the next five years, Jane gave birth to Lisa Henson (1960), Cheryl Henson (1961), Brian Henson (1963), and John Henson (1965). American actor, composer, lyricist, and writer. Mr. Henson had homes in Manhattan, Connecticut, Malibu, Calif., and London. The family said plans for a memorial service would be announced at a later date. Henson died an untimely death from an aggressive form of pneumonia called Group A streptococcus in New York City on May 16, 1990. They were role models, and they imparted values. Instead of a slap, I gave him a funny karate hit. As the show's theme song goes, Henson swept "the clouds away" with various original characters, including Big Bird, Ernie, Bert, Oscar the Grouch, Grover, Snuffulupagus and Elmo. Two Muppets, in this case named Wilkins and Wontkins, would appear. Henson as Kermit sang "The Rainbow Connection", and it hit number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. He worked as a producer on Sesame Street, a popular kids' show that launched in 1969, and created The Muppet Show in 1976. ''I suppose that he's an alter ego,'' Mr. Henson said. Shortly after admission, he stopped breathing and was rushed into the intensive care unit. JIM HENSON, CREATOR OF MUPPETS, DIES AT 53 - The Washington Post. I realize that I see Jim first as an appreciator. [38] Labyrinth (1986) was a fantasy that Henson directed by himself, butdespite some positive reviews; The New York Times called it "a fabulous film"it was a commercial disappointment. Somehow, that hit crystallized her character for me - the coyness hiding the aggression; the conflict of that love with her desire for a career; her hunger for a glamour image; her tremendous out-and-out ego.''. As a freshman, he created Sam and Friends, a five-minute puppet show for WRC-TV in Washington, D.C. Henson's Muppets initially appeared separately from the realistic segments on the Street, but the show was revamped to integrate the two segments, placing much greater emphasis on Henson's work. After the Childrens Television Workshops program Sesame Street began appearing on television in 1969, featuring the Muppets, Henson and his humanoid animals achieved extraordinary nationwide popularity. Updates? JIM HENSON, CREATOR OF MUPPETS, DIES AT 53 - The Washington Post. [8] He remained at WRC from 1954 to 1961. Early Years Henson was born on September 24, 1936, in Greenville, Mississippi. At a young age, Henson was drawn to the arts. It's hard for most people to imagine pneumonia being a death sentence for someone still relatively young; pneumonia is generally considered dangerous for children and the elderly. Henson began developing puppets in high school. This article is about the puppeteer. Bacterial pneumonia had completely destroyed his lungs within a matter of days. He was admitted to the hospital on a Tuesday night and died at 1:21 a.m. on Wednesday, May 16, 1990. But it was on ''Sesame Street,'' the program for preschoolers that began in 1969, that Kermit the frog, Oscar the Grouch, the voracious Cookie Monster, considerate Bert, fun-loving Ernie, innocent Big Bird and the rest of the Muppet crew won the hearts of a generation. The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell, Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in Children's Programming, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series, Grammy Award for Best Children's Music Album, The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late), Britten: Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Dr. Seuss: How The Grinch Stole Christmas, The Little Mermaid: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack, Beauty and the Beast: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World, TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming, War in the Gulf: Questions & Answers with Peter Jennings, John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together, Lady Gaga and the Muppets Holiday Spectacular, The Muppets PresentGreat Moments in American History, Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration, The Monster at the End of This Book: Starring Lovable, Furry Old Grover, Children and Television: Lessons from Sesame Street, Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street, Sunny Days: The Children's Television Revolution That Changed America, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jim_Henson&oldid=1148411490, International Emmy Founders Award winners, University of Maryland, College Park alumni, Articles with dead external links from December 2021, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2020, Articles needing additional references from September 2020, All articles needing additional references, TCMDb name template using non-numeric ID from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Kermit the Frog (live-action puppet only), Henson is honored both as himself and as Kermit the Frog on the, Henson received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Fordham University, Rose Hill Campus, Bronx, New York (June 1982), Henson received the Golden Plate Award of the. 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WebJim Henson, byname of James Maury Henson, (born September 24, 1936, Greenville, Mississippi, U.S.died May 16, 1990, New York, New York), American puppeteer and filmmaker, creator of the Muppets of television and motion pictures. WebWhen he died all too soon in 1990, he was indisputably one of the geniuses of puppetry. (Henson and Jane met in college and married in 1959; they separated in 1986, but never divorced.) He graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in home economics, after which he and Jane produced coffee advertisements and developed experimental films. [60][61][62], One of Henson's last projects was the attraction Muppet*Vision 3D, which opened at Disney's Hollywood Studios on May 16, 1991, exactly one year after his death. His maternal grandmother, a painter, quilter and needleworker, encouraged his creative passions, including his puppetry. In 1979 Mr. Henson turned to the big screen with a feature film, ''The Muppet Movie,'' followed in 1981 by ''The Great Muppet Caper,'' in which he made his debut as a director, and in 1984 by ''The Muppets Take Manhattan.''. He also continued to address darker, more mature themes with the folklore and mythology-oriented show The StoryTeller (1988), which won an Emmy for Outstanding Children's Program. Smith. Over 300 "Wilkins and Wontkins" commercials were made. The puppet characters' popularity continued to grow, and they were soon making appearances in TV commercials, including one for Wilkins Coffee. [21] In the years that followed, more performers would join Henson's team, including Jerry Nelson, Fran Brill, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, and Kevin Clash. This was a man who brought us legendary programs like The MuppetShow,Sesame Street, and Fraggle Rock,and the mystical worlds of Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal. [36], Also in 1982, Henson co-founded Henson International Television with Peter Orton and Sophie Turner Laing as his partners. In Hollywood, its the bad guy whos usually more interesting. Omissions? Within the next five years, Jane gave birth to Lisa Henson (1960), Cheryl Henson (1961), Brian Henson (1963), and John Henson (1965).