Jim Henson American puppeteer, actor, director, screenwriter, producer. Date of Birth: 24.09.1936 Country: USA

Biography of Jim Henson

Jim Henson was an American puppeteer, actor, director, writer, and producer. He is best known for his television program, "The Muppet Show," which aired from 1976 to 1981 in the United States and United Kingdom, and later in Russia in 1990. Few people know that the characters from "The Muppet Show" were originally created by Henson for the children's television program, "Sesame Street," before they had their own show.

Jim Henson was born on September 24, 1936, in Greenville, Mississippi, into a religious Christian family. He spent his childhood in Mississippi, but in the late 1940s, his family moved to the suburbs of Washington, D.C. Henson recalled that the most significant event of his youth was the introduction of the first television set in their family. Inspired by the performances of ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and other puppeteers, Henson began making his own puppets and creating acts for them while still in high school.

In 1954, he started working at the television station WTOP-TV, creating puppets for the morning children's program called "The Junior Morning Show." After graduating from high school, Jim enrolled at the University of Maryland with the hope of becoming a designer. It was during this time that he created and brought to life a five-minute comedy puppet show called "Sam and Friends," which aired on WRC-TV. The characters from this show were precursors to the Muppet puppets, and among them was the prototype of Henson's most famous creation, Kermit the Frog.

Henson graduated from the university in 1960 and began working in advertising. However, two years prior, he had founded "Muppets, Inc.," a company that later evolved into "The Jim Henson Company." In his show, Henson constantly experimented with different techniques and methods of puppet making. Instead of using traditional wooden puppets, he was the first to create soft puppets made of foam covered with fabric, believing that this construction would allow the puppets to express more emotions and make them "more alive."

Jim worked at WRC-TV for seven years, and one of his early tasks was a program for housewives, where he met Jane Nebel, who later became his wife. In search of new solutions, Jim traveled to Europe for several months, and upon his return, he and Jane started dating and got married in 1959. They had five children together.

Jim Henson achieved true success and fame in the 1970s when he joined the team of the educational children's program, "Sesame Street," and created a range of characters for it. In 1976, when his plans for a Broadway show fell through, Henson launched "The Muppet Show," a musical theater-like production, almost like Broadway, but with puppets on television. Interestingly, American television channels initially rejected the idea of a puppet show for adults, believing that such a program would only attract children. Henson then turned to British television executives. Time proved that the American channels were wrong - "The Muppet Show" became so popular that it even spawned a full-length film featuring the puppet characters.

Henson also created puppets for another cult project, the fantasy film "Labyrinth," starring David Bowie. However, the film was a box office failure, which made Henson doubt his abilities for a considerable period. Nevertheless, he received several Emmy Awards, the Disney Legends Award, an Academy Award nomination, and many other accolades throughout his career.

Sadly, Henson's constant work took a toll on his family. In 1986, he and his wife divorced, with Jane stating that Jim never had enough time for her and their children. Interestingly, all five of their children worked with puppets from their childhood, partly because it was a way to spend more time with their father.

Jim Henson passed away at the age of 53 from multiple organ failure caused by a streptococcal infection on May 16, 1990. In 1991, a star honoring him and his iconic character Kermit the Frog was unveiled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, paying tribute to his legacy.