Frank Oz

 Frank   Oz  ( born on May 25th, 19 44 a s  Richard   Frank   Oznowicz  ) , is 1 of the foremost Muppeteer s  in the whole Muppet business. He is Jim Henson  ' s  closest collaborator  as we l l a s  his   b e st friend . Oz &  Henson , together , performed some of the Muppets ’ most famous team s - - Oz was the neat Bert to Henson  ’ s  UN  t i d y Ernie , & Miss Piggy to  Henson  ' s Kermit t he Frog ; probably the mo s t famous pair ing.  Oz , o n  SESAME STREET  , also performed Cookie Monster , Grover , & Lefty the Salesman ; & on The Muppet Show , he performed some major characters like Fozzie Bear , Animal & Sam the Eagle , & also some minor character s , like George the Janitor & Marvin Suggs. Oz also performed   Uncle Hank , the  uncle  of  OSCAR THE GROUCH  in  SESAME   STREET  Stays Up Late  , the  SESAME STREET   special  from  1 99 3  , celebrating  New Year ' s Eve  around the world , which was also the  1  st known occasion where Oz  performed   Bert  to  Steve Whitmire  ' s  Ernie  , with  Whitmire  taking  Jim Henson  ' s place in the un breakable partnership that  Henson  & Oz had share d f o r 2 7 y ear s.

Early Y ear s
Rich ard "  Frank  " Oznowicz was born in England , spent p art s of his child hood in Belgium , & moved to  A m e r i c a  w hen he was  5. The son  of puppet e e r s Isadore " Mike " Oznowicz & his  wife  Frances, with  2  sibling s , young  Frank  was performing as part of the Oznowicz Family Marionettes troupe b y age  1 2. Although, despite this background , " I don ' t have a love o f puppet s , " Oz explained in a 1 9 8 7  inter view " I did it as a means of expression . I was able to express my self & p lease my parent s . It was also safe to hide behind puppets be c ause at that point I w as a little shy . " He h a d no desire to g o i n to puppeteer in g profession ally : " I just did i t as a hobby t o g e t some  money  - - I really wanted to be a journal i s t . "

Beginning w / Henson
 Frank   Oz  1  st met  Jim Henson  when he was  1 7 , while attending the  Puppet ee r s o f A m e r i c a  festival in  California. His 1  st impression of  Henson  was a s " t h is very quiet, shy guy who did these absolute l y ****** amazing  puppet s  that were totally b rand new & fresh , that had n eve r been d on e b e f o r e . " A t age  1 9  , i n  1 9 6 3  , he joined t h e burgeoning  Muppet s , Inc .  a s a right hand f or  Rowlf the Dog  in variety appearance s & later on the  Jimmy Dean   Show . I t was here that Jimmy Dean  actually i n t r o d u c e d h im a s "  Frank   Oz  ..., " mumbling the last part o f his name. T hu s,  Oz  began using the shortened form of his name he ' s k now n b y to day.

 Oz  also work ed on commercial s, replacing  JIM  ’ s wife  ,  JANE HENSON  a s key assistant.  HENSON  dubbed a ll the voice s, & he  & Oz would alternate when  performing  such buddy duo s a s  Scoop & Skip  , & the new  puppeteer  assisted on such  characters  as the  Southern Colonel  &  Nutty Bird . His most notable commercial role w as a s Delbert the La Choy Dragon. T h is w a s his 1  s t, &  1  of his  very   few  , experience s , as a  full - bodied   puppet   performer  , &  1  which he really did n ' t r e l i s h : "  I   hate d  i t .  I   hate d  doing it totally .  Jim  knew  I   hate d  it .  I  think  he  relished i t . The  Delbert the La Choy Dragon  w a s a ****** . I w as totally blind i n t her e .  I  always  hate d   be in g in side   character s  , but I was the main  performer  & t h at w as my j o b . "

SESAME STREET
Eventual l y, o n  SESAME STREET  ,  FRANK   OZ  had originate d t h e character s   Cookie Monster  ,  Grover  , &  Bert  , & he  performed   th  e  m  exclusive l y for almost 3 0 y ear s.  Oz , during this time , performed  a great number o f minor  character s  , including  Prince Charming  ,  Left y the Sales man  , &  Harvey Kneeslapper . He was offered the role  of  BIG BIRD  al s o, but be cause o f his experience a s the  La Choy Dragon  ,  FRANK  immediate l y turned the  role  down.

 F RAN BRILL , commenting on his performing  habit s , also noted t h at Oz would often put his hand on top o f  who eve r  w a s  doing   right hands  so  t h e y  could n ' t gesture too much.

According to the book   SESAME   STREET  Unpaved , during the  show  's early years  OZ  was in almost every sketch , but by  1 99 8  he only appeared on the  SESAME STREET  s et , apparently ,  4  days a year ,  performing  nearly  1 5  sketch e s w i t h his  character s  during those mere  four  day s. A s of 2 0 11 , he is still taping appearance s during a limited schedule f or new segment s ,  1  day a y e a r. Eve n despite t his, t o help keep  OZ  ’ s m a i n character s  visible  ERIC JACOB S ON  i s currently t h e principal  perform e r  o f  Grover  &  Bert  , &  DAVID RUD MAN  is t h e new principal  performer  of  Cookie Monster .  Oz  is confirmed to have performed  in segments f o r  Sea s o n 4 3.  Oz  will also b e hear d as  Grover  i n a brand new sketch w it h  Mr . Johnson  in  SESAME STREET  episode 4 3 0 2 , along w it h a n e w  Grover   song  ,  I Am Special  for  SESAME STREET   episode 4 3 1 2  , & finally ,  Oz  will be heard in the  Downtown Abbey   parody  called  Upside D own ton Abbey  , a sketch schedule d t o appear on the  show  in  2 0 1 3.

Middle Y ear s
Between t h e be g in n in g o f  SESAME STREET  & t h e start o f  T h e Muppet S how ,  FRANK   OZ  performed in n ear l y eve r y major Henson  product i on , including  T h e Great San ta Cla us S w i t c h  ,  T h e  Frog  Prince  , &  T h e Muppet Music i a n s o f Bremen . 1 o f his most significant  character s  during t h i s time w a s  T h e Might y F a v o g  o n  S N L .

T h e Muppet Show
 Frank   Oz  w a s a l s o 1  o f t h e main  Muppeteer s  o n  T h e Muppet Show ,  perform i n g  several o f t h e  show  ' s  s tar s. He perform e d   Miss Piggy ,  Fozzie Bear  ,  Animal  , &  S a m t h e Eagle  , &  2  n d a r y  character s   George t h e Janitor  , &  Marvin Suggs.

 Fozzie Bear  was originally intended to be his main character , &  Miss Piggy  was originally meant to only be a supporting  character. I n fact, during the 1  st few  episodes  of season  1  , Oz actually shared t h e role o f  Miss Piggy  w / fellow  Muppeteer  & a very good friend of his ,  Richard Hunt . Once t h e writ ers  &  prod ucer s  realize d  Piggy  w as more than just a  1  - joke  character , & had more star potential than  Fozzie  ,  she  be came a major p art of t h e  Muppet   ca s t  , &  Frank   OZ   perform ed   her  full - time.

Oz, in addition to performing  these main  character  s , also  performed  t h e hands o f t h e  Swedish Chef  while  Jim Henson   performed  the body & voice together. Oz, during these sketch e s , would often do some thin g u n expected w it h the hand s , normal l y with out tell i n g  Jim  be fore h a n d. T h e Muppet Morsels  quote Oz as saying t h a t t h e best  Swedish Chef   sketches  were t h o s e t h a t h a d g o n e u n r e hear s e d.

I n addition t o perform i n g ,  Frank   Oz  a l s o wrote the  song s  "  T h e R h y m i n g Song  " & "  Jam b or ee  ". He w a s a l s o credit e d o n  T h e Muppet Show  as a creative consultant.

Frank Oz & Jim Henson


" Watch i n g  Jim  ’ s  Ernie  teas i n g  Frank   Oz  ’ s  Bert  & driving him  t o distraction was t o witness un adulterate d g lee ! "

- Caroly Wilcox

I t w as w / many character s  on which the  2  collaborate d. Together  Jim Henson  &  Frank   Oz  made s u c h memorable pair in g s a s  Ernie  &  Bert , as well as  Kermit t he Frog  &  Miss Piggy  , & t h e  Swedish Chef . 3| 3 other  character s  that Oz performed,  Fozzie Bear  ,  Grover  &  Cookie Monster  , would play off o f  Kermit the Frog  on numerous occasion s , & there was also  Left y the Sale s man  , who tried to fool poor  Ernie  o n sever a l occasion s.  Ernie  &  Cookie Monster  were also pair e d u p  multiple time s. Other pair in g s of the team ' s character s  include  Rowlf the Dog  &  Fozzie Bear , along with  Rowlf  sometimes paired with  Miss Piggy .  Kermit  also had to listen to another of  Frank  ’ s character s ,  Sam the Eagle  endlessly complain about the weirdness of what was shown normally on  The Muppet Show . Also, when it came time for  D r . Teeth  &amp; the Elec tric May hem  to perform a song on a  Muppet Show   epi sode  ,  Henson  ’ s  D r . Teeth  &  Oz  ' s  Animal  were always position ed right next to each other o n t h e b and s t and , eve n  after   Jim  die d. Al so, in episode 3 0 2  , when guest star  Leo Sayer  had ask ed to meet  Animal  ,  Dr . Teeth  brought  Animal  into  Leo  ' s dressing room so  Leo  &  Animal  could then meet. Also, in at least 2  c lip s of t h e  A t t h e Dance  segment o n  T h e Muppet Show  ,  Dr . Teeth  is shown dancing w /  Mildred Huxtetter  , a  character  Oz only performed i n t h a t  segment. Also, a s i n t h e ca se o f  Kermit  &  Piggy  , o n several occasion s ,  Henson  ’ s character s  usually be c a me victim t o  Oz  ’ s  character s  , & , occasion ally , vice versa. For example,  Kermit  became Marvin Suggs  ' victim in  episode 5 0 6  o f  T h e Muppet Show  , a s well as  Animal . The 1  s t time this occurred was in  episode 11 0 , when  Animal  beat  Kermit  like a drum in order to get  him  to completely forget about replacing  Animal  as the  show  ’ s drummer. They also work ed together in t h e early 1 9 8 0 s  while c o -  directing  /  performing  i n  T h e Dark Crystal . They also played the parents in the Twiddlebug family  w i t h  Henson  perform in g t he father,  Thomas Twiddlebug  , & w i t h  Oz  performing t h e  mother  ,  Tessie Twiddlebug . It can be seen clearly that  Jim  &  Frank  had bee n eve n close r than brother s, like their primary character s  o n  SESAME STREET  ,  Ernie  &  Bert  , respective l y , are to da y. At  Henson  ’ s Memorial Service ,  5  short days after  his  death ,  Frank  speak s of a  Chris t mas  gift  Jim  gave him , which  he  call e d "  Bert  i n Self - Contemplation ". He start s to cry but man age s t o say " T h a t ' s when  I  knew, he  love d me &  I  love d  him  . "

Mich ael K . Frith say s that  Henson  &  Oz  ' s work was inspiring :

" I  ' ve always said, &  I  still believe , that we all basically rode on the coat tails o f  Jim Henson  &  Frank   Oz .  They were a comedy duo t hat is up there wit h  Laurel &amp; Hardy  . I mean , they had t hat sense o f timing , they had that sense o f play between themselves , they had the ability to under s t a nd each other s '  character s  & play off them with their  character s  . "

Kenneth Plume : How big a blow was  Jim  ' s passing t o you ?

 Frank   Oz  - You j u s t can ’ t express it in words. I ’ d k no w n him  since I was  1 7. I t w as a mortal blow t o a p a r t o f m e, & al w a y s w i l l b e.

JIM HENSON /  FRANK   OZ  Muppet  Pairings

 *  Ernie  /  Bert 
 *  Ernie  /  Bart 
 *  Ernie  /  Cookie Monster 
 *  Ernie  /  Grover 
 *  Ernie  /  Beautiful Day Monster 
 *  Ernie  / Professor Hastings
 *  Ernie  / Lefty the Salesman
 *  Ernie  / Fred ( monster )
 *  Ernie  /  Harvey Kneeslapper 
 *  Ernie  / Mailman
 *  Ernie  /  Fozzie Bear 
 *  Kermit the Protazoa  /  Fozzie Amoeba 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  Bert 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  Pinocchio 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  Harvey Kneeslapper 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  Aladdin 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  T - Shirt Salesman 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  The Cat 
 *  Kermit the Frog  / Prince Charming
 *  Kermit the Frog  / The Pied Piper
 *  Kermit the Frog  / The Little Bad Wolf
 *  Kermit the Frog  / Augustine Washington
 *  Kermit the Frog  / Lamont the Dog
 *  Kermit the Frog  / Professor Hastings
 *  Kermit the Frog  / The Old Woman Who Lives in a Shoe
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  Grover 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  Cookie Monster 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  Beautiful Day Monster 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  Marvin Suggs 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  Sam the Eagle 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  Miss Piggy 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  Fozzie Bear 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  Animal 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  Humpty Dumpty 
 *  Kermit the Frog  / The Woodsman
 *  Kermit the Frog  / The Tortoise
 *  Kermit the Frog  / Gawain
 *  Kermit the Frog  / Bruce Rumpelstiltskin
 *  Kermit the Frog  / Splurge
 *  Kermit the Frog  / The Encyclopedia Salesman
 *  Dr . Teeth  /  Animal 
 *  Dr . Teeth  /  Sam the Eagle 
 *  Dr . Teeth  /  Fozzie Bear 
 *  Dr . Teeth  /  Miss Piggy 
 *  Dr . Teeth  / Mildred Huxtetter
 * The Mechanical Wind - up TV Show Host /  Miss Piggy 
 * Green Heap /  Purple Heap
 * Roberta /  Rocky  ' s  Mother  ( w /  Jerry Nelson  ' s  Rocky  )
 * Tony /  2  large  Mons ter s  i n the  song  "  I ' m Between  "
 * Tony /  Beautiful Day Monster
 * Garth /  Gawain
 * Maurice /  Susie
 *  Rowlf the Dog  /  Fozzie Bear 
 *  Rowlf the Dog  /  Miss Piggy 
 *  Rowlf the Dog  /  Sam the Eagle 
 *  Rowlf the Dog  /  Marvin Suggs 
 *  Rowlf the Dog  / Gorgon Heap  ( once in  The Muppet Show   Episode 1 0 3  ;  Sherlock Holmes &amp; the Case of t h e Disappearing Clue s  )
 * Lothar /  Thig
 * Lothar /  Boppity
 *  Thomas Twiddlebug  /  Tessie Twiddlebug 
 * Herry Monster /  Cookie Monster 
 * Maurice Monster /  Grover 
 *  Guy Smiley  /  Grover 
 *  Guy Smiley  /  Cookie Monster 
 *  Guy Smiley  /  Beautiful Day Monster 
 *  Guy Smiley  /  Sally Screamer 
 *  Guy Smiley  /  Mr s . Rooney 
 *  Guy Smiley  /  Frances Oznowicz 
 *  Guy Smiley  /  Jascha Lombardi 
 *  Guy Smiley  /  Tooth 
 *  Guy Smiley  / Baskerville the Hound
 *  Guy Smiley  / Lucy Jones
 *  Guy Smiley  / Farmer Frankie
 *  Guy Smiley  / Cloud
 *  Guy Smiley  / Lefty the Salesman
 *  Guy Smiley  / Scudge
 *  Guy Smiley  / Professor Hastings
 *  The Newsman  /  Sam the Eagle 
 *  Little Bird  / Baskerville the Hound
 *  Little Bird  /  Beautiful Day Monster 
 *  Little Bird  / Lucy Jones
 * Maurice /  Pumpkin   Anything Muppet  i n "  I Want to Hold Your Ear  "
 * Wally Whoopie /  Fozzie Bear
 *  The Swedish Chef  /  Dough 
 *  The Swedish Chef  /  Miss Piggy 
 *  The Swedish Chef  /  Sam the Eagle 
 *  The Swedish Chef  /  Animal 
 *  The Swedish Chef  /  Fozzie Bear 
 *  Link Hogthrob  /  Miss Piggy 
 *  Link Hogthrob  /  Fozzie Bear 
 *  Link Hogthrob  /  Animal 
 *  Link Hogthrob  /  Marvin Suggs 
 *  Waldorf  /  Bert 
 *  Waldorf  /  Cookie Monster 
 *  Waldorf  /  Grover 
 *  Waldorf  /  Fozzie Bear 
 * Jim /  Frank  ( with  Jerry Nelson  ' s  Jerry  )
 * Leo /  Grump
 * Leo /  Quongo
 * Hippie /  Fuzzyface
 * Nigel /  Sam the Eagle 
 *  Mahna Mahna  / The Snowths
 *  Mahna Mahna  / Grump
 *  Sinister Sam  / Doc Holiday
 * As I Was Going to St . Ives  Anything Muppets  :


 * Purple Boy /  Green Girl
 * King Peter the Persnickety /  Princess Penelope
 * Howard Snake /  Chuck Stoat
 * Lance /  Little Miss Muffet 
 * Flakey /  Snow White 
 * Pokey /  Snow White 
 * Sneaky /  Snow White 
 * The Genie /  Cookie Monster 
 * George Washington /  Teddy Roosevelt  (  Mount Rushmore  )
 * Harold Happy /  Helen Happy
 * Grandmother Happy /  Helen Happy
 * Harvey Monster /  Clancy
 * The King /  The Tallest Person in the Kingdom
 * The King /  The Smallest Person in the Kingdom
 * Beginning /  End
 * Freddy Smith /  Grover  ( as  Super Grover  )

Muppeteer  veteran   STEVE WHITMIRE  can be seen & heard taking  HENSON  ’ s place in these  8  pairings  he  originally shared with  OZ  before  his  death :


 *  Ernie  /  Bert 
 *  Ernie  /  Cookie Monster 
 *  Ernie  /  Grover 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  Miss Piggy 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  Fozzie Bear 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  Grover 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  Sam the Eagle 
 *  The Swedish Chef  /  Fozzie Bear  ( I Lo ve Lucy   Movie Mania Screen Test  )

Branch in g Out
In 1 9 8 0 ,  George Lucas  contacted  Henson  about a puppet character  he  wanted for  his  next  Star Wars  film ,  The Empire Strikes Back  , a creature know n a s  Yoda. Since  Henson  was p r e - occupied,  Oz  was assign ed as chief puppeteer & as creative consultant , while other  Henson  alumni worked on the fabrication. Oz had a great deal of creative input on t h e character , & was himself responsible f o r creating the  character  ' s trade mark style o f re verse d grammar.

Oz has also bee n a frequent cameo play er in the film s of John Landis , in which he was often cast as a grizzle d o r surly official. This began w i t h  A n Ame ri can Werewolf i n London  & extended t o  T h e Blue s Brother s ,  Trading Place s  ,  Sp ie s L i k e U s  ,  Innocent   Blood  & most recent l y ,  Blue s   Brother s   2 000 . A s a voice act or outside o f t h e Muppet s  &  Yoda , he w as h ear d a s  Fungus  i n t h e  Disney  /  Pixar  film  Monster s , I n c .  & the robot i n  Columbia Picture s  '  Zathura .

Directorial Career
 Frank   Oz  made his [ directorial  ] debut on  SESAME STREET  when he  directed  the  Number Three Ball Film  segment. When production began on  The Dark Crystal , Jim Henson  decided to let Frank Oz co - [ direct ] the movie with him. According to an inter view with Oz, " (  Jim  ) s aid , ' Do you want to direct   Dark Crystal  w i t h  me  ? ' , & I said , ' Why ? , I don ' t know how to  direct  .  You  could do it  your self  . Why would  you  want me to  direct  with  you  ? '  He  said , ' Be cause it would b e better ' . & that ' s all that mattered .  He  did n ' t care about the credit .  He  knew that he had some weakness e s & he knew that I h a d some strength s , & so we worked together that way . "

A f e w y ear s l ate r,  Oz   The Muppet s Ta k e Manhattan . According t o Oz, " There was a script written by 2  other  write r s  , &  I  said to  Jim  that I did n ' t think this was in the right direct i on . I may have bee n wrong about t his , but the point is that  Jim  allow e d me to r e write i t & I rewrote the script . [ Then ]  he  asked me to  direct  it . I was very g r ate f u l , & that was the  1  s t  direct in g  job I had really done o n my own . "

After t h i s, he direct e d  his  1  s t n o n -  Henson  movie ,  Little S hop o f Horror s  , adapt ed from the  B road way  p lay. I n t h e 1 9 8 7  inter view w it h  T h e   Advertise r ,  OZ  ex p lain ed t he empower in g aspect s of  direct in g  : "  Five  y ear s a g o I would have hemm e d & haw ed while talk i n g t o you . . . But you get raw , n a k e d , savage p owe r a s a  direct o r  & a l l of a sudden you t a l k a l o t . "

Follow ing the film ' s success, Oz became an i n - demand direct or  , primarily of live action comedies such as  DIRT Y   ROTTEN  Scoundrel s  ,  W hat About Bob ?  , &  The Step ford Wive s . In 2 00 1 , he  direct e d  his  1  s t drama ,  T h e Score  , & in  2 00 7  , he  direct ed  his  1  st independent film ,  Death at a Funeral .

Due to his career as a direct or , Oz became too busy to  perform  as often as he had previous l y. He would still perform  a f e w day s o n  SESAME STREET  every  sea son , & would often find time to  p e r form  i n  major  ( & some time s minor )  Muppet  product i on s , though t h e  produce r s  of ten had t o work around his schedule ( & in some case s , other  performer s   perform e d  his  character s  & he loop ed t h e dialogue l ate r . Such was t he case d u r i n g many o f t he film i n g day s f or  Muppet Treasure I s l a n d  &  Muppet s from S p ace  . )

Current Muppet Status
Starting i n the mid - 1 99 0 s , after 3| 3  + long decade s of  Muppet   performing  ,  Oz  began to transition himself away from his  Muppet  duties to focus on  direct ing. Immediately following  Muppet s from Space , all his main  Muppet Show  characters  have been handed over t o  Eric Jacobson  , who has also mostly taken over  Bert  &  Grover  , while  David Rudman  has become the new performer for  Cookie Monster . Although, a s David  &  Eric  have once s aid , Oz usually comes in 4| 4  or 5| 5  t i m es a year & w i l l d o a "  Bert  D ay " , "  Grover  D ay " , "  Cookie  Day " , e t c.

In a 2007 interview, Oz explained why he distanced himself from the Muppets : There were a lot of reasons. 1 was that I w as a dad, I have 4 kids. The reason was that I was constantly ask e d t o d o stuff. & also, I had done this for 30 year s , & I had never wanted to be a puppeteer in the 1 st place. I wanted to be a journal i st, & really what I wanted to d o was direct theatre & direct movie s.

So it was a slow progression, working with Jim  , but I felt limited. As an act or & a performer, you feel limited because you ' re not the source for the creation , & I wanted to be t he source. I wanted to be the g uy & show my view of t h e world. & if I screw it up, then I screw i t u p , but at least I tried.

& as a director, what you ' re really showing is you ' re showing the audience your view of the world. I don ' t know w h y, but I thought I say things a certain way , & I wanted to express myself. I ' ve always enjoyed, more than anything else , bringing things to life , whether it be characters or actors in a scene or moments in movies. I ' ve done so much with puppets, that I've wanted to work with actor s. "

In a 2000 inter v iew, Oz said , " I ' ve made a policy over the last 15 years of not having any pictures with my character s & I , at all , in the same shot . That is because , as a direct or  , I can walk on a film for 1 8 h o u r s a d ay f o r a y e a r - - work my ass off - - & people will see i t & s a y " A h , y eah , that ' s n ice. That w as a good film ", Then they see 1 picture o f me & 1 of my character s , & they g o ape**** . They 'll freak out & say , " You do t hat character ! " The power o f t h e Muppet s, & the popularity of these characters , is so iconic in peo ple 's live s , that I've had to distance myself fr om it public l y . "

In addition to not posing for pictures with his character s, Frank Oz also refuses to talk in his character voices on request. His reasoning for this is that the character s are too special t o him. F o r him, to do a voice on command is akin to performing a parlor trick , & that the character exist s as much more than just a voice. Oz goes more into depth on this subject in The World of  Jim   Henson .

Oz recently did a rare in - person appearance on October 23rd, 2011 at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria , New York , across the street from the Kaufman Astoria Studios where  SESAME STREET  is currently taped. Interviewed by Craig Shemin, the seminar focused on his career both as a Muppeteer  & director.

Evidently, Frank Oz was offered the chance to perform in The Muppets , despite the fact t hat as note d , he h a d retire d from Muppet performing. In Fall 2 011, when speaking of the early script of t he then recent film , Oz was quoted in a UK article as saying :

" I turned it down, I wasn't happy with the script . I don ' t think they respected the characters . But I don ' t want to go on about it like a sour puss & hurt t he movie  . "

Oz state d in the same inter view t hat :

" Working wit h Jim  &  the Muppet s  w as very exciting . . . I feel so deeply privileged to be part of i t . But when you work for 3 0 y ear s on some thin g, you wanna do some thing else . "

Oz 's quote about being dissatisfied with the movie 's script was soon publicize d, picked up by s eve r a l [http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/The_United_States_of_America U. S. ] website s & blogger s, combined with unsourced claim s that some of the film ' s Muppeteers  were al so un happy with the movie. Since Oz ' s Muppet retirement in 2000 was relatively quiet, some of these authors were under the impression that his dislike of the early script was the reason for his departure from the Muppets , even though his true departure from performing with the Muppets was almost 10 years prior.

In a July 2012 interview, Oz state d ;

" I felt the movie was really sweet & fun, a little too safe , a little retro ; I prefer more cutting edge with The Muppets . But the main thing is everybody got back to appreciating The Muppets , & what I wish th ey 'd appreciate is the performance underneath The Muppets ; those are t h e key peo ple . . . the main thing is it brought peo ple back to The Muppets . Although they never really left , it ' s always been a kind of subculture , it ' s always been there in our popular culture a little b it . So I ' m happy that peo ple a r e happy . " "

Muppet ee r Credit s

 *  OZ  ’ s primary Muppet   character s  :


 *  Cook i e Monster  :  SESAME STREET  Sea s o n 1  (  1 9 6 9  ) - present


 *  DAVID R U D MAN  : 2 00 1  - present
 *  BERT  :  SESAME STREET   EPISODE 000 1  ( 1 9 6 9  ) - present


 *  ERIC JACOB S ON  : 1 99 7  - present
 *  G rover  :  SESAME STREET  Season 2  (  1 9 7 0  ) - present


 *  ERIC JACOB S ON  : 1 99 7  - present
 *  Miss Piggy  :  T he Muppet Show  ( 1 9 7 6  ) -  The Today Show  (  2 00 2  )


 *  ERIC JACOB S ON  :  Muppet Fest  ( 2 00 1  ) - present
 *  Animal  :  The Muppet Show : Sex &amp; Violence  ( 1 9 7 5  ) -  Muppet R ace Mania  (  2 000  )


 *  ERIC JACOB S ON  :  I t ' s a Very Merry Muppet Chris t mas Movie  ( 2 0 0 2  ) - present )
 *  S a m t h e Eagle  :  The Muppet Show : Sex &amp; Violence  ( 1 9 7 5  ) -  Muppet R ace Mania  (  2 000  )


 *  ERIC JACOB SON  :  T h e Muppet s ' Wizard o f O z  ( 2 00 5  ) - present )
 *  Fozzie B ear  :  T he Muppet Show  ( 1 9 7 6  ) -  Muppet R ace Mania  (  2 000  )


 *  ERIC JACOB S ON  :  It ' s a Very Merry Muppet Chris t mas Movie  ( 2 0 0 2  ) - present )
 * Commercial s : Delbert the La Choy Dragon  ( body ),  The Southern Colonel  ( assistant )
 *  SESAME STREET  : Aladdin ,  Alistair Cookie  ,  A s I W as Go in g t o S t . Ive s  g i r l ,  The Barber  ,  BART  ,  Baskerville t h e Hound  ,  Beautiful Day Monster  ,  BERT  (  1 9 6 9  - present ) ,  Betty Lou  ( occasion a ll y ) ,  Bruce Rumpelstiltskin  ,  The Cat  ,  Carson  ,  Charlie  ,  Cloud  ( in "  Here I s Your Life  " ) ,  Consider Your self  girl & boy ,  Clucky Luciano  ,  Cookie Monster  (  1 9 6 9  - present ) ,  Count von Count  ’ s  Bat s  ,  Do c Holiday  ,  Dr . Rain brain  ,  E nd  ,  Farmer Frankie  ,  Fat Blue " Fat Cat " perform er  ,  Frances Oznowicz  ,  Grover  (  1 9 7 0  - present ) ,  Grover  ’ s  Mommy  (  19 7 0 s  ) ,  Harvey Knee slapper  ,  Helen Happy  ,  Hippie  ,  Humpty Dumpty  (  1 9 7 0 s  ) ,  Jascha Lombardi  ,  J Friend  ,  Keith H ear t b urn  ,  King Kenny the Kind  ,  Lamont ( dog )  ,  Larry Rhymie  ,  Lefty the Salesman  ,  Little Miss Muffet  (  1 9 7 1  ) ,  Lucy Jones  ,  Mail man  ,  Mother Goose  (  Any thin g Muppet  )  M r . Draper  ,  Mr s . Rooney  ,  Old King Cole  ' s B a n d  Lavender  fiddle r &  Fat Blue  saxophone play er ,  The Old Woman Who Live s in a Shoe  ( "  SESAME STREET   New s Flash  " ) ,  Parker Piper  ,  The Pied Piper  , a pin e apple from "  Bi ling u al Fruit Song  " ,  Pinocchio  ,  Poppa Piper  ,  Porter Piper  ,  Prince Charming  ,  Princess Penelope  ,  Professor Hastings  ,  Pumpkin   Any thing Muppet  doctor from "  The Peo ple in Yo ur Neighbor hood  " ,  Pumpkin   Any thin g Muppet  woman from "  I  W ant t o Hold Your Ear  " ,  Purple   Any thing Muppet  fe m a le b ack - u p singer f r o m "  Mahna Mahna  " ,  Rocky  ' s  Mother  ,  Rosemary  ,  Sad Man  ,  Sally Screamer  ,  Scudge  (  1 9 6 9  ) ,  Sis te r  ( album s on l y ) ,  The Tallest Person in the Kingdom  ,  Smilin ' Jack  ,  Snow White  (  1 9 7 1  ) ,  T he Square  ,  Susie  ,  T - Shirt Sale s m an  ,  The Smallest Person in the Kingdom  ,  Tessie Twiddlebug  ,  Tooth  ,  The Tortoise  (  1 9 7 1  ) ,  The Wick e d Witch  ,  The Woodsman  ,  YELLOW   SUBMARINE  Purple captain  ,  Yip Yip Martians  ,  Zippy Zoomers
 *  The Ed Sullivan Show  : Fuzzyface ,  Dance r
 *  He y Cinder ella !  : Step sister 1 ,  Rufus
 *  The Great San t a C l a u s S witch  :  Boppity ,  Hoppity  ,  Skippity  ,  Snerf 1  ,  T h i g
 *  Herb Alpert &amp; t h e Tijuana Brass  : Beautiful Day Monster  (  Muppetry  )
 *  One to One  : Marvin
 *  The  FROG  Prince  :  Robin the Frog  ( Muppet r y  ),  Gawain  (  Muppet r y  & voice )
 *  Saturday Night Live  : T he Might y Fa vog ,  Food  ,  Glig
 *  T h e Muppet S how : Sex &amp; Violence  : For cry in g out loud Bird ,  Pig  ,  Purple Heap  ,  RULER  ,  Theodore Roosevelt
 *  T h e Muppet S how  : Alien ,  Animal  (  1 9 7 5  -  2 000  ) ,  Baskerville the Hound  (  episode 11 0 : Harvey Kor man  ) ,  Black Rooster  ,  Boo Mortmorkinson  ,  Blue Frackle  (  episode 104 : Ruth Buzzi  ,  episode 1 0 7 : Florence Henderson  ) ,  Dance r s  ,  Dog lion  (  episode 2 11 : Dom DeLuise  ) ,  Dough  ,  Feather Boa Constrictor  ,  Fozzie Amoeba  ,  Fozzie Bear  (  1 9 7 6  -  2 000  ) ,  Frank  ,  Fred  ,  George t he Janitor  ,  G E R I  &amp; t he Atric s  ( piano play e r ) ,  Ginger b read Man  ,  Green Frackle  (  episode 1 0 3 : Joel Grey  ) ,  Gorgon Heap  (  episode 1 0 3 : Joel Grey  ,  Episode 2 04 : Rich Little  ) ,  Gramps  ,  Hou se 3  (  episode 11 9 : Vincent Price  ) ,  Hugga Wugga  ,  Male Koozebanian Creature  ,  Marvin Suggs  ,  Mary Lou i s e  (  Episode 2 0 4 : Rich Little  ) ,  Mean Mama  ( occasion all y ) ,  Merdlidop  ,  Mildred Hux tet ter  ( "  A t t h e Dance  " , Sea s o n 1 ) ,  Miss Piggy  (  1 9 7 6  -  2 00 2  ) ) ,  Rowlf the Dog  ( assis t a n t ) ,  Salzburg Sauerkraut Sing er  ,  Sam the Eagle  (  1 9 7 5  -  2 0 0 0  ) ,  Shark  (  episode 4 0 2 : Crystal Gayle  ) ,  Sheep Wolf  ,  S lim Wilson  (  Epi sode 3 22 : Roy Roger s &amp; D ale Evan s  ) ,  T he Snow t h s  ,  The Swedish Chef  ( h and s on l y ) ,  The Swedish Pig
 *  Muppet Meet in g Film s  : Grump ,  Kent  ,  Sam t he Eagle  (  1 9 7 5  -  2 000  )
 *  Emmet Otter ' s Jug Band Chris t mas  : Chuck Stoat ,  Alice Otter  (  Muppet r y  only )
 *  Chris t ma s Eve o n  SESAME   STREET  :  BERT  ( 1 9 6 9  - present ),  Grover  (  1 9 7 0  - present ) , &  Cook i e Monster  (  1 9 6 9  - present )
 *  T h e Muppet Movie  :  Miss Piggy  ( 1 9 7 6  -  2 00 2  ),  Fozzie B e ar  (  1 9 7 6  -  2 000  ) ,  Ani mal  (  1 9 7 5  -  2 000  ) &  S am t he Eagle  (  1 9 7 5  -  2 000  )
 *  T h e Dark Crystal  : Aughra  (  Muppetry  ),  SkekSil  (  Muppetry  )
 *  The Great Muppet Caper  :  Miss Piggy  ( 1 9 7 6  -  2 00 2  ),  Fozzie B ear  (  1 9 7 6  -  2 000  ) ,  Animal  (  1 9 7 5  -  2 000  ) &  S am t he Eagle  (  1 9 7 5  -  2 000  )
 *  T he Muppet s Take Manhattan  :  Bert  ( 1 9 6 9  - present ),  Grover  (  1 9 7 0  - pre sent ) &  Cookie Monster  (  1 9 6 9  - present ) ,  Miss Piggy  (  1 9 7 6  -  2 00 2  ) ,  Fozz i e B e ar  (  1 9 7 6  -  2 000  ) ,  Animal  (  1 9 7 5  -  2 000  )  S a m t h e Eagle  (  1 9 7 5  -  2 000  )
 *  F o l low T h at  BIRD  :  Bert  ( 1 9 6 9  - present ),  Grover  (  1 9 7 0  - pre s en t ) , &  Cookie Monster  (  1 9 6 9  - present )
 *  The Muppet s : A Celebration o f 3 0 Y ear s  :  Bert  ( 1 9 6 9  - pre sent ),  Grover  (  1 9 7 0  - present ) ,  Miss Piggy  (  1 9 7 6  -  2 00 2  ) ) ,  Fozzie B e ar  (  1 9 7 6  -  2 000  )
 *  Country Music w i t h t h e Muppet s  : Lyle ,  Baskerville the Hound  ,  Cow s  ,  Sheep  &  Rufus.
 *  Labyrinth  : T he W is e m an  (  Muppetry  only )
 *  A Muppet Family Chris t mas  :  BERT  ( 1 9 6 9  - present ),  Grover  (  1 9 7 0  - pre sent ) , &  Cook i e Monster  (  1 9 6 9  - pre sent ) ,  Miss Piggy  (  1 9 7 6  -  2 00 2  ) ,  Fozz ie B e a r  (  1 9 7 6  -  2 000  ) ,  Animal  (  1 9 7 5  -  2 000  ) ,  S a m t h e Eagle  (  1 9 7 5  -  2 000  )
 *  Muppet V i s i o n 3 D  :  Miss Piggy  ( 1 9 7 6  -  2 00 2  ),  Fozzie B e ar  (  1 9 7 6  -  2 000  ) ,  S a m t h e Eagle  (  1 9 7 5  -  2 000  ) ,  What not s
 *  T h e Muppets a t Walt Disney World  :  Mi ss Piggy  ( 1 9 7 6  -  2 0 0 2  ),  Fozzie B e ar  (  1 9 7 6  -  2 000  ) ,  Animal  (  1 9 75  -  2000  )
 *  JIM HENSON  ’ s Memorial Service  : Him s elf /  Fozzie B e ar  (  1 9 7 6  -  2 000  )
 *  T h e Muppet s Celebrate  JIM   HENSON  :  Miss Piggy  ( 1 9 7 6  -  2 00 2  ) &  Fozzie B e ar  (  1 9 7 6  -  2 000  )
 *  T h e Muppet Chris t mas Carol  :  Miss Piggy  ( 1 9 7 6  -  2 00 2  ) ( a s  Emily Cratchit  ),  Fozzie Bear  (  1 9 7 6  -  2 000  ) ( a s  Fozziwig  ) ,  Animal  (  1 9 7 5  -  2 000  ) ,  S a m t h e Eagle  (  1 9 7 5  -  2 000  ) ,  Vegetable Seller  ,  M r . Bitte
 *  Muppet Treasure Is la n d  :  Miss Piggy  ( 1 9 7 6  -  2 00 2  ) ( a s  Benjamina Gunn  ),  Fozzie B ear  (  1 9 7 6  -  2 000  ) ( as  Squire T r e lawn e y  ) ,  Animal  (  1 9 7 5  -  2 000  ) ,  S a m t h e Eagle  (  1 9 7 5  -  2 000  ) ( a s  Samuel Arrow  )
 *  Muppet s To night  : T h e L i on ,  Miss Piggy  (  1 9 7 6  -  2 00 2  ) ,  Fozzie Bear  (  1 9 7 6  -  2 000  ) ,  Animal  (  1 9 7 5  -  2 000  ) ,  Sam the Eagle  (  1 9 7 5  -  2 000  )
 *  T h e Animal S h ow  :  S a m t h e Eagle  ( 1 9 7 5  -  2 000  ) (  1   episode  )
 *  SESAME   STREET  Stay s U p L at e  :  Bert  ( 1 9 6 9  - present ),  G rover  (  1 9 7 0  - present ) &  Cookie Monster  (  1 9 6 9  - present ) &  UNCLE HANK 
 *  T h e A d venture s o f  Elmo  i n  GROUCH  l and  :  Bert  ( 1 9 6 9  - present ),  Grover  (  1 9 7 0  - present ) &  Cookie Monster  (  1 9 6 9  - present )
 *  Muppet s f r o m S p ace  :  Miss Piggy  ( 1 9 7 6  -  2 00 2  ),  Fozzie B e a r  (  1 9 7 6  -  2 000  ) ,  Animal  (  1 9 7 5  -  2 000  ) ,  S a m t h e Eagle  (  1 9 7 5  -  2 000  )
 *  Muppet R ace Mania  :  Miss Piggy  ( 1 9 7 6  -  2 00 2  ),  Fozzie Bear  (  1 9 7 6  -  2 000  ) ,  Animal  (  1 9 7 5  -  2 000  ) ,  S a m t h e Eagle  (  1 9 7 5  -  2 000  )
 *  T h e T o day S how  :  Miss Piggy  ( 1 9 7 6  -  2 00 2  ) ( l a s t t i m e )
 *  Elmo  ’ s Potty T i m e  :  Grover  ( 1 9 7 0  - present )

Trivia

 *  OZ  i s right - hand ed.
 *  Kermit  asks the Wizard of Oz  i f  he  i s relate d t o  Frank   Oz  in  The Muppet s ' Wizard of Oz .
 * Character s o f  Frank   Oz  ’ s  Muppet eer   veteran   Eric Jacobson  h as voice d once o r consistent l y are :


 *  Miss Piggy  :  Muppet F e s t  ( 2 00 1  ) - present
 *  Fozzie B ear  :  I t ' s a  V E R Y  Merry Muppet Chris t mas Movie  ( 2 00 2  ) - present
 *  Animal  :  It ' s a  V E R Y  Merry Muppet Chris t mas Movie  ( 2 00 2  ) - present
 *  Sam the Eagle  :  The Muppet s ' Wizard of Oz  ( 2 00 5  ) - present )
 *  Bert  ( 1 99 7  - present )
 *  Grover  ( 1 99 8  - present )
 *  Cookie Mon ster  ( 2 00 2  &  2 00 5  )
 * Marvin Suggs :  The Muppet s  (  2 0 11  )
 * Beautiful Day Monster :  T h e Muppet s  (  2 0 11  )
 *  Grover  ’ s  Mom my  :  A Celebration o f  M E ,  Grove r  ( 2 00 4  ) )

Henson Project s

 *  T h e Dark Crystal  ( c o - direct o r  w it h  Jim Henson  ) (  1 9 8 2  )
 *  T h e Fantastic  Miss   Piggy  Show  ( 1 9 8 2  )
 *  T h e Muppet s Take Manhattan  ( 1 9 8 4  )

No n - HENSON  Film s

 *  Little S hop o f Horror s  ( 1 9 8 6  )
 *  DIRTY   ROTTEN  S c o u n d rel s  ( 1 9 8 8  )
 *  W h a t About Bob ?  ( 1 9 9 1  )
 *  House Sitter  ( 1 99 2  )
 *  T h e Indian i n t h e Cup board  ( 1 9 9 5  )
 *  I n & O u t  ( 1 9 9 7  )
 *  Bow finger  ( 1 999  )
 *  T h e S c or e  ( 2 00 1  )
 *  T h e Step ford Wive s  ( 2 00 4  )
 *  Death a t a Funeral  ( 2 00 7  )

Addition a l C red i t s

 *  T h e Muppet Show  ( 1 9 7 6  ) ( creative consult a n t )
 *  T h e Great Muppet C ape r  ( 1 9 8 1  ) (  pro duce r  )
 *  T h e Muppet s Take Manhattan  ( 1 9 8 4  ) (  write r  )
 *  T h e Muppet Christ mas Carol  ( 1 9 9 2  ) ( executive  produce r  )
 *  Muppet Treasure I s l a n d  ( 1 99 6  ) ( executive  pro duce r  )
 *  Muppet s T o night  ( 1 9 9 6  ) ( executive consult a n t )

A w a r d s & Honor s
 1 9 7 4   1 9 7 6   1 9 7 9   1 999 
 * Day time Emmy f o r Individual Achieve men t in C h i l d r e n ' s Program m in g f or  SESAME STREET .
 * Day time Emmy f o r Out stand in g Individual Achieve men t i n C h i l d r e n ' s Programming for  SESAME STREET .
 * Day time Emmy f o r Individual Achieve men t i n C h i l d r e n ' s Programming f o r  SESAME STREET .
 * A m e r i c a n Comedy Award s Creative Artist Award p r e sent e d b y  John Cleese

External l in k s

 * FRANK OZ o n I M D b