Brian Henson

Born: 1963-11-03

Brian Henson (born November 3, 1963) is an American puppeteer, filmmaker, actor and the chairman of The Jim Henson Company. He is the son of puppeteers Jim and Jane Henson. Henson was born on November 3, 1963, in New York City, the third child of Jane Henson (née Nebel; 1934–2013) and Jim Henson (1936–1990). He has four siblings: Lisa (born 1960), Cheryl(born 1961), John (1965–2014) and Heather Henson (born 1970). As a child, Henson appeared in some of the filmed segments that his father produced for the PBS children's series Sesame Street. As a teenager, he built the first Muppet penguin puppet for the opening "Lullaby of Broadway" segment of a Season 3 episode of The Muppet Show. During his summer break from high school at the age of 17, Henson assisted in the production of The Great Muppet Caper (1981); skilled in the use of marionette puppets, he helped create and operate a special rigging device that allowed the Muppets to appear to ride bicycles. Several years later, after performing marionette work in The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) in the scene in which rats cook food in a diner, he specialized in managing complicated special effects. Henson performed Jack Pumpkinhead in Return to Oz (1985), operated special effects for Santa Claus: The Movie (1985) and was a principal performer for the Audrey II puppet in Little Shop of Horrors (1986), controlling mouth movement while others performed the lips and vines. He also performed the voice of Hoggle, one of the main characters in his father's film Labyrinth(1986), and the dog in both versions of The Storyteller (1988 and 1990). In 1992, Henson directed The Muppet Christmas Carol and directed the next film in the franchise, Muppet Treasure Island, in 1996. He performed the role of Dr. Phil van Neuter, the Muppet mad scientist character he performed on Muppets Tonight, in Muppets from Space(1999). In 2018, he directed and produced The Happytime Murders, a puppet crime-comedy film for adult audiences. Henson was the executive producer for several television series: Dinosaurs (1991–94), Aliens in the Family (1996), Bear in the Big Blue House (1997–2006) and Farscape (1999–2003). In addition to assuming an executive producer role, Henson served as the head judge on the 2014 reality television show Jim Henson's Creature Shop Challenge. He performed the roles of Janice and Scooter in the 2002 television film It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie. Henson returned to perform Sal Minella, a character he created for Muppets Tonight, in Muppets Haunted Mansion (2021). Henson is the cocreator, producer and performer for the adult-themed puppet-based variety show Puppet Up! and has played various characters from the show on the British program That Puppet Game Show. For The Muppet Show Live in 2001, Henson performed his Muppet characters and one of his father's characters, The Newsman, for the first time. He reprised the role for the 2003 video game Muppets Party Cruise. Henson married Ellis Flyte, costume designer for the 1986 fantasy adventure film Labyrinth, in November 1990. They divorced in 2002. In 2010, Henson married actress Mia Sara. They have one child, a daughter born in 2005. Description above from the Wikipedia article Brian Henson, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.


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as Hoggle / Goblin (voice)
Released: 1986-06-27

When teen Sarah is forced to babysit her half-brother Toby, she summons Jareth the Goblin King...

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The Happytime Murders

as Crab
Released: 2018-08-22

In a world where human beings and puppets live together, when the members of the cast of a...

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Muppets Haunted Mansion

as Sal Minella
Released: 2021-10-08

Gonzo is challenged to spend one night in The Haunted Mansion on Halloween night.

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Return to Oz

as Jack Pumpkinhead (voice)
Released: 1985-06-21

Dorothy, saved from a psychiatric experiment by a mysterious girl, finds herself back in the...

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as (voice) (uncredited)
Released: 1996-02-16

After telling the story of Flint's last journey to young Jim Hawkins, Billy Bones has a heart...

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The Muppet Movie

as Additional Muppet Performer
Released: 1979-06-22

A Hollywood agent persuades Kermit the Frog to leave the swamp to pursue a career in Hollywood....

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The Muppets' Wizard of Oz

as Sal (voice)
Released: 2005-05-20

A young woman named Dorothy Gale dreams of becoming a singer but is unable to pursue her dreams....

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Derek DelGaudio's In & of Itself

as Self - audience member (uncredited)
Released: 2020-10-24

Storyteller and Conceptual Magician Derek DelGaudio attempts to understand the illusory nature...

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The Muppets Take Manhattan

as Additional Muppet Performer (voice)
Released: 1984-06-27

When the Muppets graduate from Danhurst College, they take their song-filled senior revue to New...

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as Dr. Phil Van Neuter / Sal Minella (voice)
Released: 1999-07-14

When Gonzo's breakfast cereal tells him that he's the descendant of aliens from another planet,...

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It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie

as Scooter / Janice / Sal Minella (voice)
Released: 2003-12-24

The owner of a bank (Miss Bitterman) wants to own the Muppet Theatre so she can build a...

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Jim Henson Idea Man

as Self
Released: 2024-05-18

Featuring unprecedented access to Jim Henson's personal archives, filmmaker Ron Howard brings us...

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The Christmas Toy

as Cruiser (voice)
Released: 1986-12-06

It's Christmas Eve and the playroom is alive with excitement for the new toys that will arrive...

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Split Image

as Jerry
Released: 1982-10-03

An impressionable young man finds himself literally enslaved by a modern-day religious cult. In...

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Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street

as Self
Released: 2021-04-23

Take a stroll down Sesame Street and witness the birth of the most influential children's show...

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Remembering Return to Oz

as Self
Released: 2021-11-19

The gathered memories and warm recollections of the cast and crew of the 1985 Walt Disney...

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Henson's Place: The Man Behind the Muppets

as Brian Henson (self)
Released: 1984-01-01

Trace the life and career of visionary puppeteer Jim Henson through this fascinating...

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The World of Jim Henson

as Self
Released: 1994-11-23

In this episode of PBS' Great Performances, the history and legacy of puppeteer Jim Henson is...

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Inside the Labyrinth

as Self
Released: 1986-12-13

A behind-the-scenes look at Jim Henson's 1986 fantasy film, 'Labyrinth', featuring David Bowie...

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Muppet Classic Theater

as Andy Pig / Mink in 'Gotta Get That Name' (voice)
Released: 1994-09-27

Gonzo and Rizzo host a presentation in the Muppet Theater of six fairy tales performed by the...

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Journey Through the Labyrinth

as Self
Released: 2007-08-01

A retrospective look back at Jim Henson's 1986 fantasy film 'Labyrinth'.

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Best Ever Muppet Moments

as Self
Released: 2006-03-11

A review of the most memorable Muppet moments to commemorate Kermit the Frog's 50th anniversary.

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I Love Muppets

as Self
Released: 2002-03-31

Gonzo the Great talks about the Muppets creator Jim Henson and what he did before the television...

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Reflections of 'The Dark Crystal'

as Himself
Released: 2007-08-01

A retrospective look at Jim Henson and Frank Oz's 1982 fantasy film 'The Dark Crystal'.

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A Night at the Movies: Merry Christmas!

as Self - Interviewee
Released: 2011-12-06

A Night at the Movies: Merry Christmas! is a tinsel-filled journey through the most iconic...

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Living with Dinosaurs

as Dog(voice)
Released: 1990-12-30

A socially awkward young English boy deals with his fears about his unemployed artist father,...

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Sesame Street Pitch Reel

as Self
Released: 1969-09-01

Rowlf the Dog presents the concept of the revolutionary educational children's show, Sesame...

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In Their Own Words: Jim Henson

as Self - Son
Released: 2015-09-15

The film follows Henson’s career from his first work with his Muppets in the early 1950’s during...

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Wheels That Go

as Boy
Released: 1967-12-31

A young boy ponders the marvel of wheels.

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The Storyteller

as Storyteller's Dog (voice)
Released: 1988-07-31

A storyteller shares European folk tales with viewers and with his loyal dog.

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The StoryTeller

as Storyteller's Dog/ Devil/ Griffin
Released:

Jim Henson brings to life The StoryTeller and The StoryTeller: Greek Myths in this collection of...

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Dinosaurs

as Arthur Rizzic (voice)
First aired: 1991-04-26

Dinosaurs follows the life of a family of dinosaurs, living in a modern world. They have TV's,...

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Dinosaurs

as Aubrey Molehill (voice)
First aired: 1991-04-26

Dinosaurs follows the life of a family of dinosaurs, living in a modern world. They have TV's,...

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Going Live!

as Self
First aired: 1987-09-26

Going Live! was a Saturday morning magazine show, broadcast on BBC1 between 1987 and 1993. It...

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Muppets Tonight

as Sal Minella / Seymour / Dr. Phil Van Neuter
First aired: 1996-03-08

Muppets Tonight is a live-action/puppet television series created by Jim Henson Productions and...

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The Storyteller

as Griffin
First aired: 1988-05-15

The Storyteller aided by his cynical dog, narrates classic folk tales, fables, and legends.

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The Storyteller

as Dog
First aired: 1988-05-15

The Storyteller aided by his cynical dog, narrates classic folk tales, fables, and legends.

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Eli Roth's History of Horror

as Self
First aired: 2018-10-14

An in-depth look at the history and pop cultural significance of horror films.

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Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story

as Galaga (voice)
First aired: 2001-12-02

Wealthy developer Jack Robinson is stunned when a gigantic human skeleton is discovered on his...

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The Storyteller: Greek Myths

as The Dog
First aired: 1991-12-01

A storyteller in a labyrinth tells his dog the stories of Perseus and Medusa, Icarus and...

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The Jim Henson Hour

as uncredited
First aired: 1989-04-14

The Jim Henson Hour was developed as a showcase for the Jim Henson Company's various puppet...

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Jim Henson's Creature Shop Challenge

as Himself - Lead Judge
First aired: 2014-03-25

Ten aspiring creature creators competing to out-imagine one another in a series of challenges...

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Prop Culture

as Himself
First aired: 2020-05-01

Film historian and prop collector Dan Lanigan reunites iconic Disney movie props with the...

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