Jim henson biography video on george michael

Jim Henson steps in front of the camera, wearing a Steve Jobs–style black turtleneck, a detail that seems to foreshadow the early death we now know awaited him. At the time of the interview, the creator of the multinational, multimedia Muppets franchise must have been in his late 40s, yet his appearance was that of a man already flirting with old age. His long, lanky limbs—seemingly shaped for puppeteering—had grown thin, his trademark beard had faded to a dull gray, and the ever so slightly morose look in his eyes spoke volumes of the conflict that had defined the better part of his adult life: the push and pull between limited time and limitless ambition.

“Are you a puppeteer or an artist?” the interviewer asks. “Any of the above,” Henson mutters in a nasally voice most people recognize as Kermit the Frog’s. Only those close to him would have been able to tell that, behind his friendly chuckling, Henson was having a full-blown Muppet meltdown.

The truth, as revealed in Ron Howard’s new documentary Jim Henson: Idea Man, which opens on this scene, is that the world’s single most famous puppeteer never wanted to work with puppets. At least, not always. Growing up in Mississippi, he aspired to work in television, and the main reason he created Kermit and the gang was that he felt they could help him secure a spot at his local station. (They did.) For the young Henson, puppeteering wasn’t a childhood passion. It was an impulsive experiment, one that—to his delight as well as his dismay—proved so successful he would never really be able to try anything different. For more than 30 years, his hands had been tied up in his creations, and time was running out.

If Idea Man, which premiered at the 77 Cannes Film Festival this month and is available Friday on Disney+, has been praised for anything, it is simply for giving the do

Historical information provided by The Jim Henson Company Archivist:

Jim got his start on NBC’s Washington affiliate, and over the years, the network offered him exciting opportunities. Their Experiment in Television series that ran from 1967 to 1971 came at a perfect time in Jim’s career. His short film Time Piece was a success, he was exploring the possibilities of a psychedelic night club, and he was pitching his surrealistic drama The Cube. Experiment in Television was meant to showcase new talent and new ideas and featured documentaries, dramas, short films, music reviews, and programs from the BBC. The offerings ranged from Theatre of the Deaf and Fellini to a look at Marshall McLuhan’s message about media and George Plimpton’s presentation of shorts from the “Now Generation”. Jim’s idea for a show about the youth culture fit right into the series.

Billed as, “…an exciting mixed-media portrait of youth today…,” Youth ’68 was a visual and sound collage of interweaving interviews, literary quotations, popular music and modern dance. Produced by Jim Henson and directed by Jon Stone (future Sesame Street collaborator), this fast-paced documentary addressed such topics as drugs, religion, love, war, and the future and featured appearances by rock groups Jefferson Airplane, The Mamas and The Papas, and The Vanilla Fudge. By talking to people of all ages in Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Omaha, Houston and New York, the show attempted not to editorialize but to demonstrate the juxtaposition of different value systems within the context of a changing world. Because Jim was young but also professionally established, he felt like he was a part of both generations. By contrasting the different viewpoints and attitudes of each age, Jim created a portrait of society as a whole.

For Jim, the means by which the show was produced was equal in importance to the message. NBC provided a budget of $100,000 and the use of their f

American puppeteer (1936–1990)

This article is about the puppeteer. For the company he co-founded, see The Jim Henson Company. For the man who escaped slavery, see Jim Henson (memorialist).

James Maury Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was an American puppeteer, animator, actor, and filmmaker 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).

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 educational 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 pyogen