John Henson
Encyclopedia
John Morris Henson is an American comedian, talk show host, and actor. He is the co-host of ABC's Wipeout, a prime-time series game show now in its fourth season.
, to Joe and Barbara (née Wright) Henson. He has four older brothers, one of whom is Dan Henson, the President and CEO of GE Capital
, Americas. Another is Frank (Bubba) Henson, teacher at St. Luke's School, New Canaan, CT. He studied acting at Boston University
, Circle in the Square, Playwrights Horizons
and Three of Us Studios in New York City
. He has starred in various theatre productions such as
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead,
Conduct Unbecoming
, Heinous Crimes and Other Delights, The Greenhouse Effect and Remote Evolution.
Henson was born with a white streak of hair on the right side of his head. As a result he received the nickname Skunk Boy while hosting Talk Soup.
.
Henson was the longest-running host (four years) of Talk Soup
on the E! Entertainment Network. Henson hosted approximately 1,140 shows in the four and a half years he was host. In 2004, he was the host of The John Henson Project
, a short-lived comedy-reality show on Spike TV
. Henson has also hosted several broadcast specials including ABC's Best Commercials You've Never Seen, ABC's Best TV you've never seen and most recently the 33rd Annual Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards. From 2005 - 2007 Henson was the co-host of Watch This! a daily television show on the TV Guide Channel
. Henson has also produced numerous field segments on the entertainment industry for MSNBC
and CNN
. Beginning in 2008, Henson has had a small recurring role as a local newscaster on My Name Is Earl
.
Since 2008, Henson has co-hosted an obstacle course game-show on ABC
,
Wipeout. Henson always ends the show with the catch phrase "Good night, and Big Balls," a reference to the signature obstacle in the show.
Appeared in the Blink-182 music video for their song What's My Age Again?
Biography
Henson was born in Stamford, ConnecticutStamford, Connecticut
Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...
, to Joe and Barbara (née Wright) Henson. He has four older brothers, one of whom is Dan Henson, the President and CEO of GE Capital
GE Capital
GE Capital is the financial services unit of General Electric, one of five major units. Its various divisions include GE Capital Aviation Services, GE Capital Real Estate, GE Energy Financial Services and GE Money....
, Americas. Another is Frank (Bubba) Henson, teacher at St. Luke's School, New Canaan, CT. He studied acting at Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
, Circle in the Square, Playwrights Horizons
Playwrights Horizons
Playwrights Horizons is a not-for-profit Off-Broadway theater located in New York City dedicated to the support and development of contemporary American playwrights, composers, and lyricists, and to the production of their new work....
and Three of Us Studios in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He has starred in various theatre productions such as
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead,
Conduct Unbecoming
Conduct Unbecoming (play)
Conduct Unbecoming is a play by Barry England. The plot concerns a scandal in a British regiment stationed in India in the 1880s. The widow of a heroic officer is assaulted by an unrevealed comrade in arms and an investigation takes place to determine his identity.It was first staged in May 1969 at...
, Heinous Crimes and Other Delights, The Greenhouse Effect and Remote Evolution.
Henson was born with a white streak of hair on the right side of his head. As a result he received the nickname Skunk Boy while hosting Talk Soup.
Education
Henson attended St.Luke's School, New Canaan, ConnecticutSt. Luke's School (Connecticut)
An independent, secular, co-educational day school founded in 1928 and situated on a campus in New Canaan, Connecticut, St. Luke’s offers a college-preparatory curriculum for grades 5 through 12, with a diverse student body of 503 from over 25 towns in Connecticut and New York.The School’s motto...
.
Career
Henson began his career as a stand-up comic. He started appearing in films in the mid to late 1990s.Henson was the longest-running host (four years) of Talk Soup
Talk Soup
Talk Soup was a television show produced for cable network E! that debuted on January 7, 1991, and aired until August 2002. Talk Soup aired selected clips of the previous day's daily talk shows—ranging from daytime entries like The Jerry Springer Show and to celebrity interview shows like The...
on the E! Entertainment Network. Henson hosted approximately 1,140 shows in the four and a half years he was host. In 2004, he was the host of The John Henson Project
The John Henson Project
The John Henson Project was an American reality television series that explores the world through the eyes of host John Henson. The series was shown on Spike TV in 2004. The intent of the show was to create a half hour variety-type program that would highlight news, entertainment and sports from a...
, a short-lived comedy-reality show on Spike TV
Spike TV
Spike is an American cable television channel. It launched on March 7, 1983 as The Nashville Network , a joint venture of WSM, Inc...
. Henson has also hosted several broadcast specials including ABC's Best Commercials You've Never Seen, ABC's Best TV you've never seen and most recently the 33rd Annual Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards. From 2005 - 2007 Henson was the co-host of Watch This! a daily television show on the TV Guide Channel
TV Guide Channel
TV Guide Network is an American cable network owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation....
. Henson has also produced numerous field segments on the entertainment industry for MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
and CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
. Beginning in 2008, Henson has had a small recurring role as a local newscaster on My Name Is Earl
My Name Is Earl
My Name Is Earl is an American television comedy series created by Greg Garcia that was originally broadcast on the NBC television network from September 20, 2005, to May 14, 2009, in the United States...
.
Since 2008, Henson has co-hosted an obstacle course game-show on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
,
Wipeout. Henson always ends the show with the catch phrase "Good night, and Big Balls," a reference to the signature obstacle in the show.
Appeared in the Blink-182 music video for their song What's My Age Again?
Television
- "Space Ghost: Coast to Coast"
- The View
- Politically IncorrectPolitically IncorrectPolitically Incorrect is a late-night, half-hour political talk show hosted by Bill Maher that ran from 1993 to 2002. It premiered on Comedy Central from 1993 to 1997, and later on ABC in 1997, which cancelled it in 2002....
- Remember WENNRemember WENNRemember WENN is a comedy-drama television series that aired from 1996 to 1998 on the cable channel American Movie Classics. Created and written by Rupert Holmes and set at the fictional Pittsburgh radio station WENN in the early 1940s, it depicted events in the personal and professional lives of...
- Stand Up, Stand Up
- Two Drink Minimum
- Caroline's Comedy Hour
- 2006 LA Area Emmy Awards
- Talk SoupTalk SoupTalk Soup was a television show produced for cable network E! that debuted on January 7, 1991, and aired until August 2002. Talk Soup aired selected clips of the previous day's daily talk shows—ranging from daytime entries like The Jerry Springer Show and to celebrity interview shows like The...
– 1995-1999 - The Best Commercials You've Never Seen – (1998)
- The John Henson ProjectThe John Henson ProjectThe John Henson Project was an American reality television series that explores the world through the eyes of host John Henson. The series was shown on Spike TV in 2004. The intent of the show was to create a half hour variety-type program that would highlight news, entertainment and sports from a...
– (2004) - Watch This! – (2006)
- Wipeout – (2008–Present)
- My Name Is EarlMy Name Is EarlMy Name Is Earl is an American television comedy series created by Greg Garcia that was originally broadcast on the NBC television network from September 20, 2005, to May 14, 2009, in the United States...
– 2009 - Who Wants to Be a MillionaireWho Wants to Be a Millionaire (US game show)Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is an American television quiz show which offers a maximum prize of $1,000,000 for correctly answering 14 consecutive multiple-choice questions of random difficulty. Until 2010, the format required contestants to correctly answer 15 consecutive questions of increasing...
(Host) - 2010 - WordGirlWordGirlWordGirl is an American children’s animated television series for children aged 6-12, produced by the Soup2Nuts animation unit of Scholastic Entertainment for PBS Kids...
(voice of Captain Tangent) - (2010–present)
Film
- Meet Wally SparksMeet Wally SparksMeet Wally Sparks is a comedy film released in 1997 by Trimark Pictures. It stars Rodney Dangerfield and was directed by Peter Baldwin.-Plot:...
– 1997 - Stag (film)Stag (film)Stag is a 1997 film, directed by Gavin Wilding, made for HBO and later released theatrically after drawing large ratings. STAG features an ensemble cast including Ben Gazzara, Andrew McCarthy, Taylor Dayne, Mario Van Peebles, Lawrence Leritz, William McNamara, John Henson, Kevin Dillon, and Jerry...
– 1997 as Timan Bernard - Blink 182: The Urethra Chronicles – 1999
- Bar HoppingBar HoppingBar Hopping is a 2002 comedy film directed by Steve Cohen starring Tom Arnold, Linda Favila, Nicole Sullivan, John Henson, Anson Downes, Romy Windsor, Scott Baio and Kevin Nealon....
– 2002 as Roger - Life Without DickLife Without DickLife Without Dick is a direct-to-video 2002 American black comedy film written and directed by Bix Skahill. The screenplay focuses on the relationship that develops between an incompetent hitman and a woman who accidentally kills her boyfriend when she discovers he's leaving her for another...
– 2002