jim september american artist cartoonist inventor screenwriter songwriter musician actor film director producer achieved international fame creator born mississippi raised mississippi maryland began developing attending high school freshman created sam friends minute sketch comedy puppet appeared television graduating degree home economics produced coffee advertisements developed experimental films feeling need creative output founded later famous 1960s joined children educational television program street helped develop characters series appeared sketch comedy saturday night live scrapping plans broadway produced won fame creations particularly frog dog involved street years frequent roles films manhattan created advanced projects like rock dark crystal labyrinth later years life founded creature shop involvement television programs led emmy awards wins died suddenly aged toxic shock unexpected event widely lamented film television industries weeks death celebrated wave tributes posthumously inducted disney legend early life born mississippi september younger children wife née brown raised christian scientist spent early childhood mississippi moving family maryland near washington late 1940s later remembered arrival family television biggest event having heavily influenced radio early television remained christian scientist twenties teach sunday school years died wrote christian science church inform longer practicing member attending began working creating saturday morning children called junior morning graduating high school enrolled studio arts major thinking commercial artist class offered applied arts department introduced craft courses graduated home economics freshman asked create sam friends minute puppet characters sam friends included prototype famous character frog remain seven years assignments afternoon magazine aimed marked collaboration woman later wife began experimenting techniques change way television including frame defined camera shot allow puppet performer work camera believing television needed life sensitivity began making characters flexible fabric covered foam rubber allowing express wider array emotions time carved wood arms manipulated strings rods arms allowing greater control expression additionally wanted characters speak creatively possible previous random mouth movements precise mouth movements match dialogue began work sam friends asked fellow sophomore assist financial success graduating college began doubts going career performing europe months inspired european puppet performances look work art form return united_states jane began dating married children lisa brian john heather television despite success sam friends spent decades working commercials talk shows children projects able realize dream entertainment everybody popularity work sam friends late fifties led series guest appearances network talk variety shows appeared guest shows including steve allen jack program sullivan appearance episode released dvd collection episodes featuring introduced national television broadcast greatly increased exposure led hundreds commercial appearances characters appearance found closet door dressing room exposed pipes decided pipes adding paint fake fur pipes goofy monstrous faces studio highly entertained pipes door closed pipes largely forgotten rediscovered construction workers knocking walls found pipes pipes left took late night host encouraged nbc add pipes studio tour pipes placed permanent display stop tour popular commercials series local company washington able away greater level violence acceptable human actors later find way acts named cannon seen profile named voice barrel asks think responds fires cannon blows away turns cannon directly viewer ends think later explained till advertising agencies believed hard sell way message television took different approach tried sell things making people laugh seven second commercial immediate hit syndicated shot local coffee companies united_states ultimately produced coffee ads setup pitch chicago area coffee bread products wife moved new_york_city newly formed inc reside time jane quit performing raise children hired writer puppet performer replace later credited developing humor character developed close friendship performing partnership lasted years particularly evident portrayals characters 1960s talk appearances culminated devised piano playing anthropomorphic dog regular appearances network jimmy dean grateful break offered interest production company dean declined stating deserved rewards work decision conscience dean regretted began exploring film making produced series experimental films minute experimental film nominated year saw production cube produced experimental movie time drafts live action experimental movie script written eventually length screenplay tale sand script remained archives screenplay adapted graphic novel street television producer staff impressed quality creativity led team asked staff work time street visionary children program public television union talents legendary television entertainment set aside series funny colorful puppet characters living titular street included oscar performed characters game host appeared television news reporter time added neck frog like collar functional covered joint neck body met appeared separately realistic segments street poor test screening philadelphia pennsylvania revamped integrate placing greater emphasis work role success frequently praised jim work called spark ignited fledgling broadcast service success street allowed stop producing commercials later remembered pleasure world addition creating performing characters involved producing shows animation seasons produced series counting films numbers ended baker voiced falling stairs carrying featured number seasons seven worked variety numbers number different styles including film number ball film stop motion king queen cut animation cheer computer animation counts directed original concurrently years directed tales short series movie specials form comedic telling classic fairy tales aimed young audience hosted frog series included hey expansion audience concerned company solely children entertainment team targeted adult audience series sketches season groundbreaking comedy series saturday night live sketches set land aired october january inclusive additional appearances march april september recalled saw creator going liked wanted trying writers write writers got comfortable writing characters frequently creations won write felt time characters final appearances began developing projects featuring broadway weekly television series series initially rejected american networks believed appeal child audience pitched british finance shot united_kingdom syndicated worldwide year scrapped plans broadway moved creative team england began taping featured host variety memorable characters notably great characters animal role compared workers role shy gentle boss steel ran things firmly possible run explosion factory puppet performer remembered didn like famous liked lovely recognized alter ego thought said character things hold performer known characters including frog dog teeth produced hour television adaptation story band christmas transition big screen years start appeared theatrical feature film movie critical financial success million domestically time 61st highest grossing film song film rainbow connection sung hit number billboard hot nominated directed sequel followed decided end popular concentrate making films time time characters continued appear movies television specials addition projects aided work asked producers star wars sequel empire strikes aid artist creation enigmatic suggested star wars creator fan use voice voiced empire strikes subsequent star wars films popular characters star wars franchise lucas lobbied unsuccessfully nominated best supporting actor academy_award founded promote develop art united_states time began creating darker realistic fantasy films feature displayed growing brooding interest mortality dark crystal directed wrote said trying sense realism reality creatures actually alive symbol thing trying present thing provide visual style distinct dark crystal based conceptual artwork financial critical success year later starring manhattan directed fair box office business grossing million domestically ranking films labyrinth crystal like fantasy directed considered cost commercial disappointment despite positive reviews new_york_times called fabulous film commercial failure labyrinth point son remembered time release closest seen turning getting depressed film later cult classic wife separated year remained close rest life jane later said jim involved work little time spend children children began working early age partly remembered best ways work later life death engaged creating children television successful shows rock animated continued explore darker mature themes folk tale mythology oriented won emmy outstanding children program year returned television mixed fare material critically received won emmy outstanding directing canceled episodes low ratings blamed failure nbc constant late entered negotiations sell company million hoping disney handling business matters able spend lot time creative things completed production television special later disney california adventure park attraction developing film ideas television series titled high disney called island late 1980s worked illustrator designer feature film starring working title news stories written premiere sitcom highlighted connection dreamed basic concept years ago said new_york_times article april wanted sitcom pretty standard structure biggest differences family society strange toxic life style said son simpsons took said vice president organization people thought crazy idea new_yorker article said continued work dinosaur project presumably concept months life production projects traveled continuously late spring began experience recurring flu like symptoms appeared hall television appearances time mentioned publicist tired sore throat felt away traveled north_carolina daughter visit father returned new_york cancelled recording session scheduled night wife jane separated came visit time hours later having trouble breathing began blood suggested wife dying want time schedule visit hospital jane later stated upbringing affect general thinking influence medical treatment later told people magazine avoidance likely desire bother denied rumors beliefs contributed death ceased practicing early hours later finally agreed new_york_city time admitted shortly longer breathe ray revealed lungs placed mechanical help breathe condition deteriorated rapidly despite aggressive treatment multiple hours later died age official cause death reported infection causes pneumonia later classified organ failure resulting toxic shock syndrome caused species causes throat scarlet fever fever cause public memorial service conducted new_york_city conducted july london accordance attendance wore black dirty dozen brass band finished service performing saints marching sang turn world song debuted member congregation puppet performer rod individual brightly colored foam butterfly later performed walked stage sang frog signature song green final minutes half hour service core performers sang characters voices medley favorite songs eventually ending performance person began singing employee writes verse joined stage filled performers beloved characters funeral later described life epic moving event image growing number performers singing person recreated television special celebrate inspired screenwriter attended london service write growing orchestra wedding scene film love actually legacy continued death producing new series specials founded continues build creatures large number films series science fiction production film adaptation galaxy movie considered advanced respected creators film creatures son brian daughter lisa currently chairs company daughter president foundation veteran member crew assumed roles frog famous characters played assumed roles sketch starting video game starting viral online videos veteran taken fairly deeper voiced roles dog teeth recent years taken role assumed performer veteran february announced street characters separately owned rock characters owned bear big blue house properties sold heirs result children television workshop lost rights frog appear new material street time obtained permission disney use allowing appearance premiere 40th season november addition previous segments available viewing youtube account projects attraction featuring called opened shortly death retains rest film television library including rock related properties owned labyrinth announced major biography sanctioned family legacy underway biography published september birthday february son died heart attack playing snow daughter tributes honored frog hollywood walk fame people received honor posthumously inducted earned induction achieved honor theater alma mater named honor special opening dedication teenage turtles secret christmas carol dedicated produced song titled dead pays homage characters street featured disney world resort quotes theater great regret located mississippi features assortment original characters official certificates mississippi legislature honoring characters statue middle stream museum television special celebrate allowed pay tribute special featured interviews steven_spielberg celtic singer musician songwriter heather alexander wrote song titled tribute series role modern tribute song boy frog won award best song featured video hard goodbye yesterday street aired november dedicated memory memorial card following closing credits classes alma mater commissioned life size statue frog dedicated september birthday statue cost displayed outside maryland student union maryland introduced statues school mascot designs chosen different groups statue artist designed look like frog frog named grand marshal tournament roses parade california evening october banner sign said honored annual wrote directed animated tribute entitled time shown september issued sheet commemorative stamps honoring atlanta georgia acquired created studio including earliest displayed museum exhibit september center opened wonders workshop highlighting creations labyrinth later works august posthumously received disney legends award characters frog dog performed rainbow connection honor september renamed bridges rainbow connection honor work honored google 75th birthday google logo hand buttons performance credits sam friends sam frog professor street frog dan henry lance captain vegetable nose king stan hey frog frog prince frog valentine frog dog sex violence george_washington teeth frog frog dog teeth frog dog teeth frog dog teeth manhattan frog dog teeth christmas eve street frog band christmas frog harvey beaver mayor bird frog rock convincing john big bird china frog live action puppet picnic dog celebration years frog dog teeth christmas frog dog teeth dog counting frog frog dog teeth vision frog dog archive moving image collection held collection contains film work
Jim Henson