Jane Henson
Encyclopedia
Jane Ann Henson is the widow of puppet
eer Jim Henson
. Born Jane Ann Nebel and raised in New York
, she met Henson while both were freshmen at the University of Maryland, College Park
. They worked together on the live fifties television show Sam and Friends
, where Jane collaborated with Jim in performing Muppets
and devising several of the show's technical innovations, including the use of television monitors to watch their performances in real time. When, in the late fifties, Jim took a year off from Sam and Friends to travel in Europe
, Jane ran the show, with the help of a UMD classmate.
Though they were romantically uninvolved for the first few years of Sam and Friends, Jim and Jane eventually began dating and were married in 1959. Their first child, Lisa
, was born the next year, followed by four others: Cheryl (b. 1961), Brian
(b. 1962), John (b. 1965) and Heather (b. 1970). When Jane quit full-time Muppeteering in the early 1960s to raise their children, Jim hired Jerry Juhl
and Frank Oz
to replace her. She helped the newly-hired Oz learn how to lip-sync, and continued to perform non-speaking muppets on Sesame Street
from time to time through at least the eighties. She was also responsible for the hiring of puppeteer Steve Whitmire
in 1978, after he gave her an impromptu audition in an Atlanta, Georgia
airport restaurant.
She and Jim separated in 1986, although they remained close until his death in 1990. In 1992, Jane established The Jim Henson Legacy to preserve and perpetuate the work of her late husband. She currently serves on the boards of the Jim Henson Foundation
and the American Center for Children's Television.
Puppet
A puppet is an inanimate object or representational figure animated or manipulated by an entertainer, who is called a puppeteer. It is used in puppetry, a play or a presentation that is a very ancient form of theatre....
eer Jim Henson
Jim Henson
James Maury "Jim" Henson was an American puppeteer best known as the creator of The Muppets. As a puppeteer, Henson performed in various television programs, such as Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, films such as The Muppet Movie and The Great Muppet Caper, and created advanced puppets for...
. Born Jane Ann Nebel and raised in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, she met Henson while both were freshmen at the University of Maryland, College Park
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
. They worked together on the live fifties television show Sam and Friends
Sam and Friends
Sam and Friends was an early live-action/puppet television show created by puppeteer Jim Henson and his eventual wife Jane. It was taped and aired locally in Washington, D.C...
, where Jane collaborated with Jim in performing Muppets
The Muppets
The Muppets are a group of puppet characters created by Jim Henson starting in 1954–55. Although the term is often used to refer to any puppet that resembles the distinctive style of The Muppet Show, the term is both an informal name and legal trademark owned by the Walt Disney Company in reference...
and devising several of the show's technical innovations, including the use of television monitors to watch their performances in real time. When, in the late fifties, Jim took a year off from Sam and Friends to travel in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Jane ran the show, with the help of a UMD classmate.
Though they were romantically uninvolved for the first few years of Sam and Friends, Jim and Jane eventually began dating and were married in 1959. Their first child, Lisa
Lisa Henson
Lisa Henson is a television and movie producer who has been involved in television shows such as Sid the Science Kid and blockbuster movies Lethal Weapon and Batman...
, was born the next year, followed by four others: Cheryl (b. 1961), Brian
Brian Henson
Brian Henson is an Academy Award-winning puppeteer, director, producer, and technician. The son of puppeteers Jane and Jim Henson, Brian was born in New York City, New York....
(b. 1962), John (b. 1965) and Heather (b. 1970). When Jane quit full-time Muppeteering in the early 1960s to raise their children, Jim hired Jerry Juhl
Jerry Juhl
Jerome Ravn "Jerry" Juhl was an American television and movie writer, best known for his work with Jim Henson's "Muppets".Juhl was born in St. Paul, Minnesota; his family moved to Menlo Park, California, when he was 14...
and Frank Oz
Frank Oz
Frank Oz is a British-born American film director, actor, voice actor and puppeteer who is known for creating and performing the characters Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear in The Muppet Show, Cookie Monster, Bert and Grover in Sesame Street, and for directing films, including the 1986 Little Shop of...
to replace her. She helped the newly-hired Oz learn how to lip-sync, and continued to perform non-speaking muppets on Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
from time to time through at least the eighties. She was also responsible for the hiring of puppeteer Steve Whitmire
Steve Whitmire
Steven Whitmire is an American puppeteer who works for The Jim Henson Company, Sesame Workshop and Disney's The Muppets Studio. He has been the performer of two signature Muppets - Kermit the Frog and Sesame Street's Ernie - since the death of their creator and original performer, Jim Henson, in...
in 1978, after he gave her an impromptu audition in an Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
airport restaurant.
She and Jim separated in 1986, although they remained close until his death in 1990. In 1992, Jane established The Jim Henson Legacy to preserve and perpetuate the work of her late husband. She currently serves on the boards of the Jim Henson Foundation
Jim Henson Foundation
The Jim Henson Foundation was founded by puppeteer and Muppet creator Jim Henson to promote and develop puppetry in the United States. It is the only grantmaking institution with this mission. The Jim Henson Foundation has bestowed 440 grants. Its president is Cheryl Henson, Jim Henson's...
and the American Center for Children's Television.