Director

Jim Henson

Personal Info

Known For Directing

Known Credits 0

Birthday September 24, 1936 (89 years old)

Place of Birth Greenville, Mississippi, USA

Also Known As James Maury Henson

Home Movies TV Series

Anime Blogs

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.

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Filmography (162)

The Muppet Script 2025

Joan Rivers at the BBC 2024

Jim Henson Idea Man 2024

Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street 2021

Sesame Street: 50 Years and Counting 2019

I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story 2015

In Their Own Words: Jim Henson 2015

In Their Own Words 2015

Jim Henson: Behind the Seams 2014

Muppets Most Wanted 2014

The Muppets 2011

Jim Henson's Tales from Muppetland 2009

Jim Henson: His Sesame Street Story 2009

Reflections of 'The Dark Crystal' 2007

A Sesame Street Christmas Carol 2006

Jim Henson: Commercials and Experiments 2004

Muppet History 101 2004

Muppet Music Moments 2004

AFI's 100 Years... 100 Songs: America's Greatest Music in the Movies 2004

Sesame Street: Cookie Monster's Best Bites 2004

Muppets Magic from 'The Ed Sullivan Show!' 2003

Sesame Street: Bert & Ernie's Word Play 2002

Sesame Street: Play with Me Sesame 2002

The Very Best of the Muppet Show: Volume 3 2001

The Very Best of the Muppet Show 1999

The Very Best of the Muppet Show: Volume 2 1999

Sesame Unpaved 1999

The Best of Kermit on Sesame Street 1998

Sesame Street: Elmo Says BOO! 1997

Sesame Street: Quiet Time 1997

Sesame Street: Do the Alphabet 1996

Sesame Street: Imagine That! 1996

The World of Jim Henson 1994

Sesame Street | All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever! 1994

Sesame Street: 25 Wonderful Years: A Musical Celebration! 1993

Sesame Street Jam: A Musical Celebration 1993

A Classic Christmas from The Ed Sullivan Show 1992

Getting Ready to Read 1992

Sesame Street: Sing Yourself Silly! 1990

The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson 1990

The Muppets at Walt Disney World 1990

Jim Henson: In Performance 1990

Sesame Street: Monster Hits! 1990

Sing! Sesame Street Remembers Joe Raposo and His Music 1990

The Earth Day Special 1990

Dog City 1989

50 Years of Television: A Golden Celebration 1989

Miss Piggy's Hollywood 1989

An Evening with Jim Henson and Frank Oz 1989

The Jim Henson Hour 1989

Free to Be... a Family 1988

Jim Henson: Sing-Along, Dance-Along, Do-Along 1988

Hey, You're as Funny as Fozzie Bear 1988

Sesame Street: Put Down the Duckie 1988

Muppet Studios Presents: You're the Director 1988

Wow, You're A Cartoonist! 1988

The Best of Ernie and Bert 1988

A Muppet Family Christmas 1987

Sesame Street: Sing Along 1987

Down at Fraggle Rock 1987

Dolly 1987

The Christmas Toy 1986

Sesame Street: Learning About Letters 1986

Inside the Labyrinth 1986

The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years 1986

The Tale of the Bunny Picnic 1986

Sesame Street: Sleepytime Songs & Stories 1986

Labyrinth 1986

Sesame Street: Learning About Numbers 1986

Wedden, dat..? 1986

Into the Night 1985

Follow That Bird 1985

Muppet Video: Rowlf's Rhapsodies with the Muppets 1985

Gonzo Presents Muppet Weird Stuff 1985

Muppet Treasures 1985

The Muppet Revue 1985

Children's Songs and Stories with the Muppets 1985

Night of 100 Stars II 1985

Muppet Video: The Kermit and Piggy Story 1985

Jim Henson's Little Muppet Monsters 1985

The Muppets Take Manhattan 1984

Henson's Place: The Man Behind the Muppets 1984

The Bells of Fraggle Rock 1984

Rocky Mountain Holiday with John Denver and the Muppets 1983

The World of 'The Dark Crystal' 1983

Don't Eat the Pictures: Sesame Street at the Metropolitan Museum of Art 1983

Big Bird in China 1983

Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi 1983

Muppet Breakthrough 1983

Fraggle Rock 1983

Reading Rainbow 1983

I Love Liberty 1982

The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show 1982

The Dark Crystal 1982

Wogan 1982

Of Muppets & Men 1981

The Great Muppet Caper 1981

The Muppets Go to the Movies 1981

Muppet Side Splitter 1981

The Muppet Movie 1979

The Muppets Go Hollywood 1979

John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together 1979

The Orson Welles Show 1979

Muppet Breaker Upper 1979

Muppet Gimme a Break 1979

Meal Break 1979

Grump Critic 1979

Let's Have the Dam Break 1979

A Walking Tour of Sesame Street 1979

Hip Hip Parade! 1978

Christmas Eve on Sesame Street 1978

Mickey's 50 1978

Julie Andrews: One Step Into Spring 1978

The Vent Event 1978

Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas 1977

The Bob Hope All Star Christmas Comedy Special 1977

The Royal Variety Performance 1977 1977

The Muppet Show Pitch Reel 1976

Kagayake! Gorō Mapetto Geba Geba 90-pun! 1976

The Muppet Show 1976

Julie: My Favourite Things 1975

Muppet Picker Upper 1975

Just a Few Announcements 1975

The Muppet Introduction 1975

Sesame Street- Do you know where Ernie lives? 1975

Saturday Night Live 1975

Out to Lunch 1974

Keep U.S. Beautiful 1973

The Muppet Musicians of Bremen 1972

The King of Eight 1971

Tales from Muppetland: The Frog Prince 1971

Pure Goldie 1971

Great Performances 1971

The Muppets on Puppets 1970

The Great Santa Claus Switch 1970

Hey Cinderella! 1969

The Wizard of Id 1969

Sesame Street Pitch Reel 1969

This Way to Sesame Street 1969

Sam the Snake 1969

Sesame Street 1969

Peter Alexander präsentiert Spezialitäten 1969

The Dick Cavett Show 1968

The Paperwork Explosion 1967

NBC Experiment in Television 1967

Limbo: The Organized Mind 1966

Rowlf the Salesman 1966

The Idea Man 1966

I'm Nobody 1966

Time Piece 1965

Alexander the Grape 1965

The Reindeer 1965

Einer wird gewinnen 1964

Tales of the Tinkerdee 1962

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 1962

Visual Thinking 1961

The Mike Douglas Show 1961

Sam and Friends 1955

The Wonderful World of Disney 1954

The Oscars 1953

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 1948

Sesame Street 1986 Wrap Party

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