Frank Oz

 Frank   Richard   Oznowicz , better known as  FRANK   OZ  ( born on May 2 5 t h , 1 9 44  ) , is 1| 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 p air in g.  Oz , o n  SESAME STREET  , also performed   Cookie Monster  ,  Grover  , &  Lefty the Sale s man  ; & 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| 1  st known occasion where  OZ   perform e d   Bert  to  STEVE WHITMIRE  ’ s  Ernie  , with  WHITMIRE  taking  JIM HENSON  ’ s place in the  UN  break able partner s hip that  HENSON  &  OZ  had share d f o r 2 7 y ear s.

Early Y ear s
 Frank   Richard   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| 5. The son  of puppet e e r s Isadore " Mike " Oznowicz & his  wife  Frances, with 2| 2  sibling s , young  Frank  was performing as part of the Oznowicz Family Marionette s troupe b y age  1 2. Although, despite this back ground , "  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 puppet s be cause 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| 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| 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   perform e r  , & 1| 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   O Z  h a d 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   UN  pave d , 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| 4  days a y ear ,  performing  nearly  1 5  sketch e s w i t h his  character s  during those mere 4| 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  f or  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 o n 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| 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. H e perform e d   Miss Piggy ,  Fozzie B ear  ,  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 b e 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  O Z  &  JIM HENSON


" Watch i n g  Jim  ’ s  Ernie  tea s i n g  FRANK   O Z  ’ 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| 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 f or  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  ,  D r . Teeth  brought  Animal  in t o  Leo  ' s dressing room so  Leo  &  Animal  could then meet. Also, in at least 2| 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 perform ed 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 fir 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 t hat  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| 5  short day s 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 ae l K . Frith say s t hat  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 word s.  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  Pair in g s

 *  ERNIE  /  BART 
 *  ERNIE  /  BERT 
 *  ERNIE  /  COOKIE MONSTER 
 *  Ernie  /  GROVER 
 *  Ernie  /  Beautiful Day Monster 
 *  Ernie  / Professor Hastings
 *  Ernie  /  LEFT Y THE S ALE S MA N 
 *  Ernie  / Fred ( monster )
 *  Ernie  /  Harvey Knee slapper 
 *  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 Hast in g s
 *  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 o n 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 &  Yoda , he w as h ear d a s  Fungus  i n t h e  Disney  /  Pixar  film  Monster s , I n c .  & t he 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 t hat way . "

A f e w y ear s l ate r,  Oz   The Muppet s Ta k e Manhattan . Accord in g t o  OZ  ,

" There was a script written by 2| 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 t he script . [ T he n ]  he  asked me to  direct  it . I was very g r a t e f u l , & that was t h e 1| 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| 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  :

" 5| Five y ear s a g o I would have hemm e d & haw e d 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 a n i n - demand direct or  , primarily of live action comedies such a s  DIRT Y   ROTTEN  Scoundrel s  ,  W hat About Bob ?  , &  The Step for d Wive s . I n 2 00 1 , he  direct e d  his 1| 1  s t drama ,  T h e Score  , & in  2 00 7  , he  direct ed  his 1| 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
 See   also   Why does n ’ t  FRANK   OZ  perform with t h e Muppet s any more ?  Starting i n the mid - 1 99 0 s , after 3| 3  + long decade s of  Muppet   performing  ,  OZ  began to transition him s elf away from his  Muppet  duties to focus on  direct in g. Immediately following  Muppet s from Space , all his main  Muppet Show  characters  have been handed over t o  ERIC JACOB S ON  , who has also mostly taken over  Bert  &  Grover  , while  DAVID R UD MAN  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 do a "  Bert  Day " , "  Grover  D ay " , "  Cookie  Day " , e t c.

In a 2 00 7  interview,  OZ  explained why he distanced himself from  the Muppet s  : There were a lot of reason s. 1| 1 was that I w as a  dad ,  I  have 4| 4  kid s. The reason was that  I  was constantly ask e d t o d o stuff. & also,  I  had done this for 3 0 y ear s , &  I  had never wanted to be a puppeteer in the 1| 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 direct or , what you ' re really show in g is you ' re showing the audience your view of the world.  I  don ' t know w h y, but I thought  I  say thing s a certain way , &  I  wanted to express myself.  I  ' ve always enjoyed, more than anything else , bringing things to life , whether it be character s or actors in a scene or moment s in movie s.  I  ’ ve done so much with puppet s, that  I  ’ ve wanted to work with actor s. "

In a 2 000  inter view,  O Z  said , " I ' ve made a policy over the last  1 5  y ear s of not having any pictures with my  character s  & I , at all , in the same shot . That is because , as a  direct o r  , I can walk on a film f or  1 8  h o u r s a d a y f o r a y e a r - - work my ass off - - & people will see i t & s a y " A h , yea h , that ' s n ice. That w as a good film ", Then they see 1| 1 picture o f me & 1| 1  of my  character s  , & the y 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  character s  , is so iconic in peo ple ' s live s , that I ' ve had to distance myself fr om i t public l y . "

In addition to not posing f o r picture s with his character s , ' Frank   OZ  also refuses to talk in his  character  voices on request. His reasoning for this i s 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 2 3 r d, 2 0 11  at the Museum o f the Moving Image i n Astoria ,  New York  , across the street from the  Kaufman Astoria Studios  w here  SESAME STREET  i s currently t ape d. Interviewed b y Craig Shemin , the seminar focused on his career both as a  Muppet eer  &  director.

Evidently,  FRANK   OZ  was offered the chance to perform  in  The Muppet s  , despite the fact t hat as note d , he h a d retire d fro m  Muppet   performing. In Fall 2 0 11 , when speak in g of the early script o f t he then recent  film  ,  Oz  was quote d in a  U K  article as saying :

"  I  turned it down,  I  was n ' t happy with the script . I don ' t think they respected the character s  . 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 privilege d 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  U . S .  website s & blogger s , combined with un source d claim s that some of the  film  ' s  Muppeteer s  were al so  UN  happy with the  movie. Since  OZ  ’ s Muppet  retirement in  2 000  was relative l y quiet, some of these author s were under the impress i on that his dis like of the early script was the reason for his departure from  the Muppet s  , even though his true departure from  performing  with  the Muppet s  was almost  1 0  y ear s prior.

In a July 2 0 1 2  inter view,  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 Muppet s  , & what I wish th ey 'd appreciate is the performance under neath  The Muppet s  ; those are t h e  key peo ple  . . . the main thing is it brought peo ple back to  The Muppet s  . Although  they  never really left , it ' s always been a kind of sub culture , 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  S ea s o n 1  (  1 9 6 9  ) -  2 00 4
 *  DAVID R U D MAN  : 2 00 1  - present


 *  BERT  :  SESAME STREET   EPISODE 000 1  ( 1 9 6 9  ) -  2 00 6
 *  ERIC JACOB S ON  : 1 99 7  - present


 *  G rover  :  SESAME STREET  Sea s o n 2  (  1 9 7 0  ) -  2 0 1 2
 *  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 00 2  ) - present )
 *  S a m t h e Eagle  :  T h e 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 h e Muppet S how  ( 1 9 7 6  ) -  Muppet R ace Mania  (  2 000  )
 *  ERIC JACOB S ON  :  I t ’ s a Very Merry Muppet Chris t mas Movie  ( 2 00 2  ) - present ) ) - present )


 * Commercial s : Delbert the La Choy Dragon  ( body ),  The Southern Colonel  ( assistant )
 *  SESAME STREET  : Aladdin ,  Alistair Cookie  ,  A s I W as Go i n g t o S t . Iv e s  g i r l ,  The Barber  ,  BART  ,  Baskerville t h e Hound  ,  Beautiful Day Monster  ,  BERT  (  1 9 6 9  -  2 00 6  ) ,  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  -  2 00 4  ) ,  Count von Count  ’ s  Bat s  ,  Do c Holiday  ,  Dr . Rain b rain  ,  End  ,  The Evil Prime Minister  ,  Farmer Frankie  ,  Fat Blue " F at C at " perform e r  ,  Frances Oz n o w i c z  ,  Grover  (  1 9 7 0  -  2 0 1 2  ) ,  G rove r  ’ s  Mommy  (  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 t he 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 Kin g 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 F lash  " ) ,  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 Scream er  ,  Scudge  (  1 9 6 9  ) ,  Sis te r  ( album s on l y ) ,  The Tallest Person in t he Kingdom  ,  Smilin ' Jack  ,  Snow White  (  1 9 7 1  ) ,  T he Square  ,  Susie  ,  T - Shirt Sale s m an  ,  The Smallest Person in the King dom  ,  Tessie Twiddlebug  ,  Tooth  ,  The Tortoise  (  1 9 7 1  ) ,  The Wick e d Witch  ,  The Woodsman  ,  YELLOW   SUBMARINE  Purple captain  ,  Yip Yip Martian s  ,  Zippy Zoomers
 *  The Ed Sullivan Show  : Fuzzy f ace ,  Dance r
 *  He y Cinder ella !  : Step sister 1 ,  Rufus
 *  T h e Great San t a C l a u s S witch  :  Boppity ,  Hoppity  ,  Skippity  ,  Snerf 1  ,  T h i g
 *  Her b Alpert &amp; t h e Tijuana Brass  : Beautiful Day Monster  (  Muppet r y  )
 *  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 h e 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 P rice  ) ,  Hugga Wugga  ,  Male Koozebanian Creature  ,  Marvin Sugg s  ,  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| 1  ) ,  Miss Piggy  (  1 9 7 6  -  2 00 2  ) ) ,  Rowlf the Dog  ( assis t a n t ) ,  Salzburg Sauerkraut Sing er  ,  Sam t h e 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 i n 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 )
 *  C h ris t m a s E v e o n  SESAME   STREET  :  BERT  (  1 9 6 9  -  2 00 6  ),  G rove r  (  1 9 7 0  -  2 0 1 2  ) , &  Cook i e Monster  (  1 9 6 9  -  2 00 4  )
 *  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  )
 *  The Great Muppet Caper  :  Miss Piggy  ( 1 9 7 6  -  2 00 2  ),  Fozzie B e a r  (  1 9 7 6  -  2 000  ) ,  An i ma l  (  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  )
 *  T he Muppet s Take Manhattan  :  BERT  ( 1 9 6 9  -  2 00 6  ),  Grover  (  1 9 7 0  -  2 0 1 2  ) &  Cookie Monster  (  1 9 6 9  -  2 00 4  ) ,  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  )
 *  F o l low T h at  BIRD  :  BERT  ( 1 9 6 9  -  2 00 6  ),  Grover  (  1 9 7 0  -  2 0 1 2  ) &  Cookie Monster  (  1 9 6 9  -  2 00 4  )
 *  T h e Muppet s : A Celebration o f 3 0 Y e a r s  :  Bert  ( 1 9 6 9  -  2 00 6  ),  G rove r  (  1 9 7 0  -  2 0 1 2  ) ,  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 M up pet s  : Lyle ,  Baskerville t h e Hound  ,  Cow s  ,  Sheep  &  Rufus.
 *  Labyrinth  : T he W is e m an  (  Muppet r y  only )
 *  A Muppet Family Chris t m a s  :  BERT  ( 1 9 6 9  -  2 00 6  ),  Grover  (  1 9 7 0  -  2 0 1 2  ) &  Cookie Monster  (  1 9 6 9  -  2 00 4  ) ,  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  )
 *  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  :  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  )
 *  JIM HENSON  ’ s Memorial Service  : Him s elf /  Fozzie B e a r  (  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 a r  (  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  Fozz i wig  ) ,  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  ) ,  S a m t h e 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| 1   episode  )
 *  SESAME   STREET  Stay s U p L at e  :  Bert  ( 1 9 6 9  - present ),  G rover  (  1 9 7 0  -  2 0 1 2  ) &  Cookie Monster  (  1 9 6 9  -  2 00 4  ) &  UNCLE HANK 
 *  T h e A d venture s o f  Elmo  i n  G R O U C H  l and  :  Bert  ( 1 9 6 9  - present ),  Grover  (  1 9 7 0  -  2 0 1 2  ) &  Cookie Monster  (  1 9 6 9  -  2 00 4  )
 *  Muppet s f r o m S pace  :  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  )
 *  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  -  2 0 1 2  )

Trivia

 *  OZ  i s right - hand ed.
 *  Kermit  ask s 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 JACOB SON  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 :  T he 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  )
 *  In & 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 S h ow  ( 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  )
 *  The Muppet Chris t m a s Car o l  (  1 9 9 2  ) ( executive  produce r  )
 *  Muppet Treasure I s l a n d  ( 1 99 6  ) ( executive  pro d uce r  )
 *  Muppet s T o night  ( 1 99 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