Brian Henson | |
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| Born | November 3, 1963 [1] New York City, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1979–present |
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| Children | 1 |
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Brian Henson (born November 3, 1963) [1] is an American puppeteer, director, producer, voice actor and the chairman of The Jim Henson Company. [2] He is the son of puppeteers Jim and Jane Henson.
Henson was born on November 3, 1963 [1] in New York City, the third child of Jane Henson (née Nebel; 1934–2013) and Jim Henson (1936–1990). He has four siblings: Lisa (born 1960), Cheryl (born 1961), John (1965–2014) and Heather Henson (born 1970).
As a child, Henson appeared in some of the filmed segments that his father produced for the PBS children's series Sesame Street . [1]
As a teenager, he built the first Muppet penguin puppet for the opening "Lullaby of Broadway" segment of a Season 3 episode of The Muppet Show . [3] During his summer break from high school at the age of 17, Henson assisted in the production of The Great Muppet Caper (1981); skilled in the use of marionette puppets, he helped create and operate a special rigging device that allowed the Muppets to appear to ride bicycles. [4] [5] Several years later, after performing marionette work in The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) in the scene in which rats cook food in a diner, he specialized in managing complicated special effects. [6]
Henson performed Jack Pumpkinhead in Return to Oz (1985), operated special effects for Santa Claus: The Movie (1985) and was a principal performer for the Audrey II puppet in Little Shop of Horrors (1986), controlling mouth movement while others performed the lips and vines. He also performed the voice of Hoggle, one of the main characters in his father's film Labyrinth (1986), and the dog in both versions of The Storyteller (1988 and 1990).
In 1992, Henson directed The Muppet Christmas Carol and directed the next film in the franchise, Muppet Treasure Island , in 1996. He performed the role of Dr. Phil van Neuter, the Muppet mad scientist in Muppets from Space (1999). In 2018, he directed and produced The Happytime Murders , a puppet crime-comedy film for adult audiences.
Henson was the executive producer for several television series: Dinosaurs (1991–94), Aliens in the Family (1996), Bear in the Big Blue House (1997–2006) and Farscape (1999–2003). In addition to assuming an executive producer role, Henson served as the head judge on the 2014 reality television show Jim Henson's Creature Shop Challenge . He performed the roles of Janice and Scooter in the 2002 television film It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie .
Henson returned to perform Sal Minella, a character he created for Muppets Tonight , in Muppets Haunted Mansion (2021).
Henson is the cocreator, producer and performer for the adult-themed puppet-based variety show Puppet Up!, [7] and has played various characters from the show on the British program That Puppet Game Show .
For The Muppet Show Live in 2001, Henson performed his own Muppet characters and one of his father's characters, The Newsman, for the first time. He reprised the role for the 2003 video game Muppets Party Cruise.
Henson married Ellis Flyte, costume designer for the 1986 fantasy adventure film Labyrinth , in November 1990. [8] They divorced in 2002. Since 2010, Henson has been married to actress Mia Sara. [9] They have one child, a daughter born in 2005. [10]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | The Great Muppet Caper | Muppet performer | Also made a cameo appearance |
| 1984 | The Muppets Take Manhattan | Muppet performer | Uncredited |
| 1985 | Return to Oz | Jack Pumpkinhead (voice actor) [11] | Puppeteer of head and hands |
| 1985 | Santa Claus: The Movie | Animatronic puppeteer | |
| 1986 | Little Shop of Horrors | Principal puppeteer | |
| 1986 | Labyrinth | Hoggle/Goblin (voice actor) [12] | |
| 1987 | Jim Henson Presents Mother Goose Stories | Co-director | |
| 1990 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Second unit director/Chief puppeteer | |
| 1990 | The Witches | Puppeteer | |
| 1990 | Basil Hears a Noise | Puppeteer Executive producer | Uncredited |
| 1992 | The Muppet Christmas Carol | Director/Producer | |
| 1996 | Muppet Treasure Island | Director/Producer | |
| 1997 | Buddy | Executive producer | |
| 1999 | Muppets from Space | Dr. Phil Van Neuter/Sal Minella/Talking Sandwich Producer | |
| 1999 | The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland | Executive producer | |
| 2017 | The Star | Executive producer | |
| 2018 | The Happytime Murders | Crab/on-screen cameo (photograph) Director; producer |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | The Christmas Toy | Cruiser | TV movie |
| 1988–1991 | The Storyteller | Storyteller's Dog/Devil/Griffin | |
| 1989–1990 | The Jim Henson Hour | Storyteller's Dog/Dog the Dinosaur/ Head of the Ultragorgon | |
| 1990 | Basil Hears a Noise | Puppeteer Executive producer | TV movie |
| 1991–1994 | Dinosaurs | Grandma Ethyl Phillips/Arthur Rizzic Executive producer | |
| 1992–1994 | Dog City | Executive producer | |
| 1996 | Aliens in the Family | Executive producer | |
| 1996 | Gulliver's Travels | Co-executive producer | |
| 1996–1998 | Muppets Tonight | Sal Minella/Dr. Phil Van Neuter/Seymour/Nigel Writer | |
| 1997–2003 | Bear in the Big Blue House | Executive producer | |
| 1999 | Alice in Wonderland | Executive producer | TV movie |
| 1999–2003 | Farscape | Executive producer | |
| 2001 | Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story | Director | TV movie |
| 2002 | It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie | Scooter/Sal Minella/Janice Executive producer | TV movie |
| 2004 | Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars | Director/Executive producer | |
| 2005 | The Muppets' Wizard of Oz | Sal Manilla Executive producer | TV movie |
| 2008 | Jim Henson's Pajanimals | Executive producer | |
| 2008–2009 | Sid the Science Kid | Executive producer | |
| 2009–2011 | Dinosaur Train | Executive producer | |
| 2010 | Hot Dog TV | Voice Director | |
| 2013 | That Puppet Game Show | Various | |
| 2014 | Jim Henson's Creature Shop Challenge | Executive producer and Head Judge | |
| 2020 | Prop Culture | Himself | Episode: "The Muppet Movie" |
| 2020 | Earth to Ned | Vincent | Episode: "I've Got a Ned Feeling About This"; Also executive producer [13] |
| 2021 | Muppets Haunted Mansion | Sal Minella | Halloween special for Disney+ |
| Year | Title | Roles | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Muppet RaceMania | Sal Minella/Dr. Phil Van Neuter | Voice [14] |
| 2003 | Muppets Party Cruise | Scooter/Sal Minella/Janice/The Muppet Newsman |
| Year | Association | Nominated work | Category | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Gulliver's Travels | Outstanding Miniseries | Won | |
| Muppets Tonight | Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series | Nominated | |||
| 1997 | The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss | Outstanding Children's Program | Nominated | ||
| 1997 | Satellite Awards | Muppet Treasure Island | Best Animated or Mixed Media Film | Nominated | |
| 1998 | Primetime Emmy Awards | The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss | Outstanding Children's Program | Nominated | |
| Muppets Tonight | Won | ||||
| 2019 | Golden Raspberry Awards | The Happytime Murders | Worst Picture | Nominated | |
| Worst Director | |||||
James Maury Henson was an American puppeteer, animator, cartoonist, actor, inventor, 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).
The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an absurdist, burlesque, and self-referential style of variety-sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they are the focus of a media franchise that encompasses television, film, music, and other media associated with the characters. Originally owned by the Jim Henson Company for nearly five decades, the franchise was purchased by the Walt Disney Company in 2004.
Frank Oz is an American puppeteer, filmmaker and actor. He is best known for his involvement with Jim Henson and George Lucas through the Muppets, Sesame Street, and Star Wars, as well as his directorial work in feature films and theater.
Kevin Jeffrey Clash is an American puppeteer, director and producer best known for puppeteering Elmo on Sesame Street from 1985 to 2012. He also performed puppets for Labyrinth, Dinosaurs, Oobi, and various Muppet productions.
Steven Lawrence Whitmire is an American puppeteer, known primarily for his work on The Muppets and Sesame Street. Beginning his involvement with the Muppets in 1978, Whitmire inherited the roles of Ernie and Kermit the Frog after Jim Henson's death in 1990; he performed the characters until 2014 and 2016, respectively. As part of the Muppet cast, he has appeared in multiple feature films and television series, performing a variety of characters on The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, and Fraggle Rock and during such occupations has been employed by The Jim Henson Company, Sesame Workshop, and The Muppets Studio.
The Jim Henson Company is an American entertainment company located in Los Angeles, California. The company is known for its innovations in the field of puppetry, particularly through the creation of Kermit the Frog and the Muppets characters.
Drew Massey is an American voice actor, puppeteer and director for Nickelodeon and the Jim Henson Company. He has worked extensively with the Muppets and has performed in many films, television series, and commercials. He has also lent his voice to many commercials and video games.
David Charles Goelz is an American puppeteer, puppet builder and actor, known for his work with the Muppets. As part of the Muppets' performing cast, Goelz performs Gonzo the Great, as well as Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Waldorf, Zoot and Beauregard, originating on The Muppet Show. Goelz's puppeteering roles also included in Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal, and Labyrinth. Outside of puppeteering work, he was also the voice of Figment in the Journey into Imagination with Figment attraction at Epcot.
Adult puppeteering is the use of puppets in contexts aimed at adult audiences. Serious theatrical pieces can use puppets, either for aesthetic reasons, or to achieve special effects that would otherwise be impossible with human actors. In parts of the world where puppet shows have traditionally been children's entertainment, many find the notion of puppets in decidedly adult situations—for example, involving drugs, sex, profanity, or violence—to be humorous, because of the bizarre contrast it creates between subject matter and characters.
Eric Jacobson is an American puppeteer. He is best known for his involvement with the Muppets, performing Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, and Sam Eagle for The Muppets Studio, as well as Sesame Street characters Bert, Grover, Oscar the Grouch, and Guy Smiley—all roles that he inherited from the characters' original performers, Frank Oz, Caroll Spinney, and Jim Henson.
Jane Ann Henson was an American puppeteer and the wife of Jim Henson.
Bill Barretta is an American puppeteer, producer, writer, director and actor, who is best known for providing the puppetry and voice of The Muppets characters such as Pepe the King Prawn and Johnny Fiama. He originated the role of Louie, Elmo's dad, on Sesame Street. Barretta also inherited the roles of Rowlf the Dog, The Swedish Chef, and Dr. Teeth after the death of The Muppets creator Jim Henson.
Bruce Lanoil is an American puppeteer who works for The Jim Henson Company and for The Walt Disney Company. He frequently works with puppeteer David Alan Barclay.
Victor Yerrid is an American actor and puppeteer for the Jim Henson Company and has performed Muppet characters in many films, television commercials and television shows. He is best known in the Muppet World for his work on the online series Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony, in which he performed Waldorf along with an assortment of other characters.
Alice Dinnean is an American puppeteer, voice actress and creative writer who works at The Jim Henson Company. Dinnean has performed on many children's television shows such as The Puzzle Place, Sesame Street, Big Bag, Bear in the Big Blue House, Cousin Skeeter, Jim Henson's Pajanimals, Sid the Science Kid and Jack's Big Music Show. She also did work on various non-Muppet productions such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel.
Jim Henson's Creature Shop is a special/visual effects company founded in 1979 by puppeteer Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets. The company is based out of Hollywood, California, United States.
Mak Wilson is a now retired English puppeteer, writer, CG animation director, and mocap artist. He is also known as Mac Wilson and Malcolm Wilson.
David Alan Barclay is a British puppeteer who had worked on some projects of The Jim Henson Company. He has been at the cutting edge of animatronic puppetry since 1979. Barclay, who hails from London, is a Master Puppeteer, Animatronic Designer and Supervisor, a CG key frame Animator, and Director and Producer of animatronic and animation projects for film and television.
Jim Henson's Creature Shop Challenge is an American reality television game show on the Syfy cable network. It premiered on March 25, 2014, and ended on May 13, 2014.
The Happytime Murders is a 2018 American adult puppet buddy cop crime comedy film directed by Brian Henson and written by Todd Berger from a story by Berger and Dee Austin Robertson. The film stars Melissa McCarthy, Bill Barretta, Joel McHale, Maya Rudolph, Leslie David Baker, and Elizabeth Banks. Set in a world where humans and living puppets co-exist, the film follows a puppet private investigator and a human police detective who must solve a murder spree of retired sitcom stars.
