Jim Henson
Jim Henson
James Maury "Jim" Hensonwas an American puppeteer, artist, cartoonist, inventor, screenwriter, songwriter, musician, actor, film director, and producer who achieved international fame as the creator of the Muppets. Born in Greenville, Mississippi, and raised in Leland, Mississippi, and Hyattsville, Maryland, Henson began developing puppets while attending high school. While he was a freshman at the University of Maryland, College Park, he created Sam and Friends, a five-minute sketch-comedy puppet show that appeared on television. After graduating from the University of...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionEntertainer
Date of Birth24 September 1936
CountryUnited States of America
If you take a character and you call him a frog, or like Rowlf, our dog, call him a dog, you immediately give the audience a handle.
There was a little afternoon show that was called Afternoon. Back in those days in television, most local stations had a midday show for housewives that had a series of things. It was like a variety show for midday.
Do everything at 100 percent of its potential and never accept second best.
I decided that what I really wanted to do was go off and paint.
It has always been difficult to get Big Bird to be very pretty. Big Bird in England is much more gorgeous.
If you can't beat them. Join them
I guess I was wrong when I said I never promised anyone. I promised me.
Cara: *Flies* Gen: What? I don't have wings! Cara: Ofcourse not! You're a boy.
Who said that every wish would be heard and answered when wished on an evening star? Somebody thought of it and someone believed it, and look what its done so far.
You're assisting the audience to understand; you're giving them a bridge or an access. And if you don't give them that, if you keep it more abstract, it's almost more pure. It's a cooler thing.
I don't know exactly where ideas come from, it's just a matter of us figuring out how to receive the ideas waiting to be heard.
I try hard not to judge anyone, and I try to bless everyone who is a part of my life, particularly anyone with whom I am having any problems
But with The Dark Crystal, instead of puppetry we're trying to go toward a sense of realism - toward a reality of creatures that are actually alive and we're mixing up puppetry and all kinds of other techniques.
At the time of Polaroid - and I did a couple of other commercials just before I stopped doing that stuff - at that point I was at the level where they respect you and your opinion and all that sort of thing.