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Commenting on his performing habits, [[Fran Brill]] noted that Oz would often put his hand on top of whoever was doing right hands so they couldn't gesture too much.<ref>panel at [[Sesame Street: A Celebration of 40 Years of Life on the Street (exhibit)|Brooklyn Public Library]] event, November 21, 2009</ref> |
Commenting on his performing habits, [[Fran Brill]] noted that Oz would often put his hand on top of whoever was doing right hands so they couldn't gesture too much.<ref>panel at [[Sesame Street: A Celebration of 40 Years of Life on the Street (exhibit)|Brooklyn Public Library]] event, November 21, 2009</ref> |
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− | According to the book ''[[Sesame Street Unpaved (book)|Sesame Street Unpaved]]'', during the show's early years Oz was in almost every sketch, but by 1998 he only appeared on the ''Sesame Street'' set four days a year, performing nearly fifteen sketches with his characters |
+ | According to the book ''[[Sesame Street Unpaved (book)|Sesame Street Unpaved]]'', during the show's early years Oz was in almost every sketch, but by 1998 he only appeared on the ''Sesame Street'' set four days a year, performing nearly fifteen sketches with his characters in those four days. Despite this, to help keep Oz's characters visible, [[Eric Jacobson]] was cast as the principal performer of Bert and Grover, and [[David Rudman]] the principal performer of Cookie Monster. As late as April 2012, during production of [[Season 43 (2012-2013)|Season 43]], Oz was still performing in new segments, taped on a limited schedule of one day a year.<ref>''Entertainment Weekly'' [https://web.archive.org/web/20120518002316/http://insidemovies.ew.com/2012/05/15/frank-oz-little-shop-of-horrors/3/ "Frank Oz: Muppets maestro discusses 'Little Shop of Horrors' and the remaking of his classics"] May 15, 2012. (archived link)</ref><ref>[https://twitter.com/#!/tyler_bunch/status/193925826272698368 Tyler Bunch on Twitter]. April 22, 2012.</ref> |
==Middle Years== |
==Middle Years== |
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In addition to performing these main characters, Oz also normally performed the hands of [[The Swedish Chef]] while Jim Henson performed the body and voice. During these sketches, Oz would often do someting unexpected with the hands, without telling Jim Henson beforehand. The [[Muppet Morsels]] quote Oz as saying that the best Swedish Chef sketches were unrehearsed. |
In addition to performing these main characters, Oz also normally performed the hands of [[The Swedish Chef]] while Jim Henson performed the body and voice. During these sketches, Oz would often do someting unexpected with the hands, without telling Jim Henson beforehand. The [[Muppet Morsels]] quote Oz as saying that the best Swedish Chef sketches were unrehearsed. |
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− | In addition to performing, Frank Oz also wrote the songs "[[The Rhyming Song]]" and "[[Jamboree]] |
+ | In addition to performing, Frank Oz also wrote the songs "[[The Rhyming Song]]" and "[[Jamboree]]." He was also credited on ''The Muppet Show'' as a creative consultant. |
==Frank Oz and Jim Henson== |
==Frank Oz and Jim Henson== |
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==Branching Out== |
==Branching Out== |
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[[Image:Empire-oz&henson.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Stuart Freeborn]], Frank Oz, and Jim Henson consult over the creation of Yoda.]] |
[[Image:Empire-oz&henson.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Stuart Freeborn]], Frank Oz, and Jim Henson consult over the creation of Yoda.]] |
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− | In 1980, [[George Lucas]] contacted Henson about a puppet character he wanted for his next ''[[Star Wars]]'' film, ''The Empire Strikes Back'', a creature known as [[Yoda]]. Since Henson was |
+ | In 1980, [[George Lucas]] contacted Henson about a puppet character he wanted for his next ''[[Star Wars]]'' film, ''The Empire Strikes Back'', a creature known as [[Yoda]]. Since Henson was preoccupied, Oz was assigned as chief puppeteer and as creative consultant, while other Henson alumni worked on the fabrication. Oz had a great deal of creative input on the character, and was himself responsible for creating the character's trademark style of reversed grammar. Originally, Oz was only supposed to puppeteer the character, with another actor dubbing the voice, but at the last minute, Lucas decided to use Oz's voice.<ref name="swrebels">''Big Shiny Robot'' [http://bigshinyrobot.com/58342/star-wars-rebels-interview-frank-oz/ "A 'Star Wars: Rebels' Interview with Frank Oz."] by Bryan Young, December 29, 2014</ref> Oz would go on to perform Yoda in all of the sequels and prequels (the latter of which feature a CGI version of Yoda), and in select ancillary appearances such as the updated ''Star Tours'' attraction and in an episode of ''Star Wars: Rebels''.<ref name="swrebels" /> |
Oz has also been a frequent cameo player in the films of [[John Landis]], in which he was often cast as a grizzled or surly official. This began with ''[[An American Werewolf in London]]'' and extended to ''[[The Blues Brothers]]'', ''Trading Places'', ''[[Spies Like Us]]'', ''Innocent Blood'', and ''Blues Brothers 2000''. As a voice actor outside of the Muppets and Yoda, he was heard in [[Pixar]] films ''Monsters, Inc.'' (as Fungus), ''Inside Out'' (as Subconcious Guard Dave, opposite fellow Muppet performer [[Dave Goelz]] as Subconcious Guard Frank), and in [[Columbia Pictures]]' ''Zathura'' (as the robot). |
Oz has also been a frequent cameo player in the films of [[John Landis]], in which he was often cast as a grizzled or surly official. This began with ''[[An American Werewolf in London]]'' and extended to ''[[The Blues Brothers]]'', ''Trading Places'', ''[[Spies Like Us]]'', ''Innocent Blood'', and ''Blues Brothers 2000''. As a voice actor outside of the Muppets and Yoda, he was heard in [[Pixar]] films ''Monsters, Inc.'' (as Fungus), ''Inside Out'' (as Subconcious Guard Dave, opposite fellow Muppet performer [[Dave Goelz]] as Subconcious Guard Frank), and in [[Columbia Pictures]]' ''Zathura'' (as the robot). |
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[[Image:Pigfrogfrankjim.jpg|thumb|300px]] |
[[Image:Pigfrogfrankjim.jpg|thumb|300px]] |
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[[File:Jim_and_Frank_bw.jpg|thumb|300px]] |
[[File:Jim_and_Frank_bw.jpg|thumb|300px]] |
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− | * ''[[The Muppet Show]]'' characters: [[Aliens (Muppet Show)|Alien]], [[Alligator]] ([[Episode 203: Milton Berle|episode 203]]), [[Animal]], [[Bananas|Banana]] ([[Episode 103: Joel Grey|episode 103]]), [[Baskerville]] ([[Episode 110: Harvey Korman|episode 110]]), [[Black Rooster]], [[Boo Mortmorkinson]], [[Blue Frackle]] ([[Episode 104: Ruth Buzzi|episode 104]], [[Episode 107: Florence Henderson|episode 107]]), [[Dancers]], [[Doglion]] ([[Episode 211: Dom DeLuise|episode 211]]), [[Dough]], [[Feather Boa Constrictor]], [[Fozzie Amoeba]], [[Fozzie Bear]], [[Frank]], [[Fred (Whatnot)|Fred]], [[George the Janitor]], [[Geri and the Atrics]] (piano player), [[The Gingerbread Men|Gingerbread Man]], [[Green Frackle]] ([[Episode 103: Joel Grey|episode 103]]), [[Gorgon Heap]] ([[Episode 103: Joel Grey|episode 103]], [[Episode 204: Rich Little|episode 204]]), [[Gramps]], [[Talking Houses|House #3]] ([[Episode 119: Vincent Price|episode 119]]), [[Hugga Wugga]], [[Male Koozebanian Creature]], [[Marvin Suggs]], [[Mary Louise (old woman)|Mary Louise]] ([[Episode 204: Rich Little|episode 204]]), [[Mean Mama]] (occasional), [[Merdlidops|Merdlidop]], [[Mildred Huxtetter]] ("[[At the Dance]]," Season 1), [[Miss Piggy]], [[Rowlf the Dog|Rowlf]] (assistant), [[The Salzburg Sauerkraut Singers|Salzburg Sauerkraut Singer]], [[Sam the Eagle]], [[Shark (Muppet Show)|Shark]] ([[Episode 402: Crystal Gayle|episode 402]]), [[Wolf (Muppet Show)|Sheep Wolf]], [[Slim Wilson]] ([[Episode 322: Roy Rogers & Dale Evans|episode 322]]), [[The Snowths]], [[The Swedish Chef]] (hands), [[The Swedish Pig]], [[T.R.]] ([[The Muppet Show Theme#Season One|season one pilot openings]]) |
+ | * ''[[The Muppet Show]]'' characters: [[Aliens (Muppet Show)|Alien]], [[Alligator]] ([[Episode 203: Milton Berle|episode 203]]), [[Animal]], [[Bananas|Banana]] ([[Episode 103: Joel Grey|episode 103]]), [[Baskerville the Hound|Baskerville]] ([[Episode 110: Harvey Korman|episode 110]]), [[Black Rooster]], [[Boo Mortmorkinson]], [[Blue Frackle]] ([[Episode 104: Ruth Buzzi|episode 104]], [[Episode 107: Florence Henderson|episode 107]]), [[Dancers]], [[Doglion]] ([[Episode 211: Dom DeLuise|episode 211]]), [[Dough]], [[Feather Boa Constrictor]], [[Fozzie Amoeba]], [[Fozzie Bear]], [[Frank]], [[Fred (Whatnot)|Fred]], [[George the Janitor]], [[Geri and the Atrics]] (piano player), [[The Gingerbread Men|Gingerbread Man]], [[Green Frackle]] ([[Episode 103: Joel Grey|episode 103]]), [[Gorgon Heap]] ([[Episode 103: Joel Grey|episode 103]], [[Episode 204: Rich Little|episode 204]]), [[Gramps]], [[Talking Houses|House #3]] ([[Episode 119: Vincent Price|episode 119]]), [[Hugga Wugga]], [[Male Koozebanian Creature]], [[Marvin Suggs]], [[Mary Louise (old woman)|Mary Louise]] ([[Episode 204: Rich Little|episode 204]]), [[Mean Mama]] (occasional), [[Merdlidops|Merdlidop]], [[Mildred Huxtetter]] ("[[At the Dance]]," Season 1), [[Miss Piggy]], [[Rowlf the Dog|Rowlf]] (assistant), [[The Salzburg Sauerkraut Singers|Salzburg Sauerkraut Singer]], [[Sam the Eagle]], [[Shark (Muppet Show)|Shark]] ([[Episode 402: Crystal Gayle|episode 402]]), [[Wolf (Muppet Show)|Sheep Wolf]], [[Slim Wilson]] ([[Episode 322: Roy Rogers & Dale Evans|episode 322]]), [[Slithy Toves|Slithy Tove]], [[The Snowths]], [[The Swedish Chef]] (hands), [[The Swedish Pig]], [[T.R.]] ([[The Muppet Show Theme#Season One|season one pilot openings]]) |
− | * ''[[Sesame Street]]'' characters: [[Aladdin]], [[As I Was Going to St. Ives]] girl, [[Augustine Washington]], [[The Barber]], [[Bart]], [[Baskerville the Hound]], [[Beautiful Day Monster]], [[Bert]] (1969-2006), [[Betty Lou]] (occasional), [[Bruce Rumpelstiltskin]], [[ |
+ | * ''[[Sesame Street]]'' characters: [[Aladdin]], [[As I Was Going to St. Ives]] girl, [[Augustine Washington]], [[The Barber]], [[Bart]], [[Baskerville the Hound]], [[Beautiful Day Monster]], [[Bert]] (1969-2006), [[Betty Lou]] (occasional), [[Bruce Rumpelstiltskin]], [[Farson]], [[The Cat (Sesame Street)|The Cat]], [[Charlie (Anything Muppet)|Charlie]] (occasionally), [[Clancy]] (in "[[We Are All Monsters]]"), [[Cloud]] (in "[[Here Is Your Life]]"), [[Consider Yourself]] girl and boy, [[Cookie Monster]] (1969-2004), the Count's [[Bats]], [[Doc Holiday]], [[Dr. Reinbrain]], [[Beginning, Middle, and End|End]], [[Farmer Frankie]], [[Fat Cat|Fat Blue "Fat Cat" performer]], [[Frances Oznowicz]], [[Grover]] (1970-2012), [[Grover's Mommy]] (1970s), [[Harvey Kneeslapper]], [[Harvey Monster]] (occasionally), [[Helen Happy]], [[Humpty Dumpty (Sesame Street)|Humpty Dumpty]] (70s), [[Jascha Lombardi]], [[J Friends|J Friend]], [[Keith Heartburn]], [[King Kenny the Kind]], [[Lamont (dog)|Lamont]], [[The Rhymies|Larry Rhymie]], [[Lefty the Salesman]], [[Little Miss Muffet (Sesame Street)|Little Miss Muffet]] (1971), [[Lucy Jones]], [[Episode 0038|Mailman]], [[The Busby Twins|Moe Busby]], [[Mr. Draper]], [[Mrs. Rooney]], [[Officer Krupky]], [[The Old Woman Who Lives in a Shoe]] ("[[Sesame Street News Flash]]"), [[Parker Piper]], [[The Pied Piper]], a pineapple from "[[Bilingual Fruit Song]]", [[Pinocchio (Sesame Street)|Pinocchio]], [[Poppa Piper]], [[Porter Piper]], [[Prince Charming]], [[Princess Penelope]], [[Professor Hastings]], Pumpkin Anything Muppet woman from "[[I Want to Hold Your Ear]]", [[Purple]] [[Anything Muppets|Anything Muppet]] female back-up singer from "[[Mah Na Mah Na]]", [[Rocky's Mother]], [[Rosemary]], [[Harvey Kneeslapper|Sad Man]], [[Sally Screamer]], [[Scudge]] (1969), [[Five People in My Family|Sister]] (albums only), [[The Smallest Person in the Kingdom]], [[Smilin' Jack]], [[Snow White (Sesame Street)|Snow White]] (1971), [[The Square]], [[Susie]], [[T-Shirt Salesman]], [[The Tallest Person in the Kingdom]], [[Tessie Twiddlebug]], [[Tooth]], [[The Tortoise]] (1971), [[Uncle Hank]], [[Witches|The Wicked Witch]], [[Yellow Submarine|Yellow Submarine Purple captain]], [[the Martians]], [[Zizzy Zoomers|Zizzy Zoomer]] |
* Commercials: [[Delbert the La Choy Dragon]] (body), [[Southern Colonel]] (assistant) |
* Commercials: [[Delbert the La Choy Dragon]] (body), [[Southern Colonel]] (assistant) |
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− | * ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'': [[Grover|Gleep]], [[Reindeer|Dancer]], [[Grump]], [[Octopus' Garden|Octopus]], [[Octopus' Garden|Giant Clam]], [[Splurge]], [[The Glutton]] (assistant) |
+ | * ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'': [[Proto-Grover|Gleep]], [[Reindeer|Dancer]], [[Grump]], [[Octopus' Garden|Octopus]], [[Octopus' Garden|Giant Clam]], [[Splurge]], [[The Glutton]] (assistant) |
* ''[[Sesame Street Pitch Reel]]'': [[Rowlf the Dog]] (puppetry only),<ref>{{40book|31}}</ref> [[Scoop and Skip|Scoop]], Beautiful Day Monster |
* ''[[Sesame Street Pitch Reel]]'': [[Rowlf the Dog]] (puppetry only),<ref>{{40book|31}}</ref> [[Scoop and Skip|Scoop]], Beautiful Day Monster |
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* ''[[Hey Cinderella!]]'': [[The Stepsisters|Stepsister #1]], [[Rufus]] |
* ''[[Hey Cinderella!]]'': [[The Stepsisters|Stepsister #1]], [[Rufus]] |
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− | * ''[[The Great Santa Claus Switch]]'': [[Boppity]], [[Hoppity]], [[Skippity]], [[The Snerfs|Snerf #1]], [[Thig]] |
+ | * ''[[The Great Santa Claus Switch]]'': [[Boppity]], [[Elves|Hoppity]], [[Elves|Skippity]], [[The Snerfs|Snerf #1]], [[Thig]] |
* ''[[The Frog Prince]]'': [[Robin the Frog]] (puppetry only), [[Gawain]] |
* ''[[The Frog Prince]]'': [[Robin the Frog]] (puppetry only), [[Gawain]] |
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* ''[[Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass]]'': Beautiful Day Monster (puppetry only) |
* ''[[Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass]]'': Beautiful Day Monster (puppetry only) |
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* ''[[One to One]]'': [[Marvin]] |
* ''[[One to One]]'': [[Marvin]] |
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* ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'': [[The Mighty Favog]], [[Food]], [[Gligs|Glig]] |
* ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'': [[The Mighty Favog]], [[Food]], [[Gligs|Glig]] |
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− | * ''[[The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence]]'': [[Sam the Eagle]], [[Animal]] |
+ | * ''[[The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence]]'': [[Sam the Eagle]], [[Animal]], [[Clyde (bird)|Clyde]], [[Pigs|Pig]], [[Purple Heap]], [[Ruler]], [[Mount Rushmore|Theodore Roosevelt]] |
* ''[[Muppet Meeting Films]]'': [[Grump]], [[Kent]] |
* ''[[Muppet Meeting Films]]'': [[Grump]], [[Kent]] |
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* ''[[Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas]]'': [[Chuck]], [[Alice Otter]] (puppetry only) |
* ''[[Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas]]'': [[Chuck]], [[Alice Otter]] (puppetry only) |
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* ''[[Labyrinth]]'': [[The Wiseman]] (puppetry only) |
* ''[[Labyrinth]]'': [[The Wiseman]] (puppetry only) |
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* [[The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years]]: [[Miss Piggy]], [[Fozzie Bear]], [[Bert]], [[Cookie Monster]], [[Grover]], [[Animal]], [[Sam the Eagle]] |
* [[The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years]]: [[Miss Piggy]], [[Fozzie Bear]], [[Bert]], [[Cookie Monster]], [[Grover]], [[Animal]], [[Sam the Eagle]] |
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− | * [[A Muppet Family Christmas]]: [[Miss Piggy]], [[Fozzie Bear]], [[Bert]], [[Cookie Monster]], [[Grover]], [[Animal]] |
+ | * [[A Muppet Family Christmas]]: [[Miss Piggy]], [[Fozzie Bear]], [[Bert]], [[Cookie Monster]], [[Grover]], [[Animal]], [[Sam the Eagle]] |
* [[The Muppets at Walt Disney World]]: [[Miss Piggy]], [[Fozzie Bear]], [[Animal]] |
* [[The Muppets at Walt Disney World]]: [[Miss Piggy]], [[Fozzie Bear]], [[Animal]] |
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* [[Muppet*Vision 3D]]: [[Miss Piggy]], [[Fozzie Bear]], [[Animal]] |
* [[Muppet*Vision 3D]]: [[Miss Piggy]], [[Fozzie Bear]], [[Animal]] |
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* [[Frank Oz Films|Frank Oz films]] |
* [[Frank Oz Films|Frank Oz films]] |
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* [[Frank Oz Cameos|Frank Oz cameos]] |
* [[Frank Oz Cameos|Frank Oz cameos]] |
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− | * [[ |
+ | * [[Muppeteers in non-Henson acting roles#Frank_Oz|Frank Oz's acting roles]] |
* [[Why doesn't Frank Oz perform with the Muppets anymore?]] |
* [[Why doesn't Frank Oz perform with the Muppets anymore?]] |
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* [[Return performances by Frank Oz on Sesame Street|Return performances by Frank Oz on ''Sesame Street'']] |
* [[Return performances by Frank Oz on Sesame Street|Return performances by Frank Oz on ''Sesame Street'']] |
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[[Category:Producers]] |
[[Category:Producers]] |
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[[Category:Writers]] |
[[Category:Writers]] |
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+ | [[Category:Lyricists]] |
Revision as of 20:02, 14 March 2020
Frank Richard Oznowicz[1] (b. May 25, 1944), better known as Frank Oz, is one of the foremost Muppet performers and Jim Henson's closest collaborator. Oz and Henson performed some of most famous Muppet comedy teams -- Oz was Bert to Henson's Ernie, and Miss Piggy to Henson's Kermit the Frog. On Sesame Street, Oz also performed Grover and Cookie Monster; on The Muppet Show, he performed Fozzie Bear, Animal and Sam the Eagle.
Early Years
Frank Richard Oznowicz was born in England, spent parts of his childhood in Belgium, and moved to America when he was five. The son of puppeteers Isadore "Mike" Oznowicz and his wife Frances, with two other siblings, young Frank was performing as part of the Oznowicz Family Marionettes troupe by age 12. Despite this background, "I don't have a love of puppets," Oz explained in a 1987 interview "I did it as a means of expression. I was able to express myself and please my parents. It was also safe to hide behind puppets because at that point I was a little shy."[2] He had no desire to go into puppeteering professionally: "I just did it as a hobby to get some money-- I really wanted to be a journalist."[3]
Beginnings with Henson
At the age of 17, Oz first met Jim Henson at the Puppeteers of America festival in California. His first impression of Henson was as "this very quiet, shy guy who did these absolutely ******* amazing puppets that were totally brand new and fresh, that had never been done before."[4] At age 19, in 1963, he joined the burgeoning Muppets, Inc. as a right hand for Rowlf the Dog in variety appearances and later on The Jimmy Dean Show. It was here that Jimmy Dean introduced him as "Frank Oz...," mumbling the last part of his name. Thus, Oz began using the shortened form of his name that he's known by today.[5]
He also worked on commercials, replacing Jane Henson as key assistant. While Henson provided all of the voices, he and Oz would alternate when performing such buddy duos as Scoop and Skip, and the new puppeteer assisted on such characters as the Southern Colonel and Nutty Bird. His most notable commercial role was as Delbert the La Choy Dragon. This was Oz's first, and one of his very few, experiences as a full-bodied puppet performer, and one which he did not relish:
Sesame Street
On Sesame Street, Frank Oz originated the characters of Bert, Grover, and Cookie Monster, and performed them exclusively for nearly 30 years. During this time, he performed a great number of minor characters, including Lefty the Salesman. He was also offered the role of Big Bird, but because of his experience as the La Choy Dragon, he turned down the role.[6]
Commenting on his performing habits, Fran Brill noted that Oz would often put his hand on top of whoever was doing right hands so they couldn't gesture too much.[7]
According to the book Sesame Street Unpaved, during the show's early years Oz was in almost every sketch, but by 1998 he only appeared on the Sesame Street set four days a year, performing nearly fifteen sketches with his characters in those four days. Despite this, to help keep Oz's characters visible, Eric Jacobson was cast as the principal performer of Bert and Grover, and David Rudman the principal performer of Cookie Monster. As late as April 2012, during production of Season 43, Oz was still performing in new segments, taped on a limited schedule of one day a year.[8][9]
Middle Years
Between the beginning of Sesame Street and the start of The Muppet Show, Frank Oz performed in nearly every major Henson production, including The Great Santa Claus Switch, The Frog Prince, and The Muppet Musicians of Bremen. One of his most significant characters during this time was The Mighty Favog on Saturday Night Live.
The Muppet Show
Frank Oz was one of the main performers on The Muppet Show, performing several of the show's stars. Oz performed Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, and Animal, as well as secondary characters Sam the Eagle, George the Janitor and Marvin Suggs.
Fozzie Bear was originally intended to be his main character, and Miss Piggy was originally meant to be a supporting character. In fact, during the first few episodes of the show's first season, Frank Oz shared the role of Miss Piggy with Richard Hunt. Once the writers and producers realized that Miss Piggy was more than just a one-joke character, and had more star potential than Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy became a major part of the Muppet cast, and Frank Oz performed her full-time.
In addition to performing these main characters, Oz also normally performed the hands of The Swedish Chef while Jim Henson performed the body and voice. During these sketches, Oz would often do someting unexpected with the hands, without telling Jim Henson beforehand. The Muppet Morsels quote Oz as saying that the best Swedish Chef sketches were unrehearsed.
In addition to performing, Frank Oz also wrote the songs "The Rhyming Song" and "Jamboree." He was also credited on The Muppet Show as a creative consultant.
Frank Oz and Jim Henson
And so it was with the many characters on which the two collaborated. Together, Jim Henson and Frank Oz made such memorable pairings as Ernie and Bert, Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, and the aforementioned Swedish Chef. Two other characters that Oz performed, Fozzie Bear and Grover, would play off Henson's Kermit the Frog on numerous occasions, and The Salesman was always trying to pull one over on poor Ernie. Other pairings of the team's characters include Rowlf and Fozzie. As in the case of Kermit and Miss Piggy, Henson's characters often became the victim of one of Oz's characters, and vice versa. For example, Kermit would become victim to Marvin Suggs in episode 506 of The Muppet Show, as well as Oz's character of Animal. The first time this occurred was in episode 110, when Animal beat on Kermit like a drum. The two also worked together during the early 1980s while co-directing and performing in The Dark Crystal.
Michael K. Frith says that Henson and Oz's work was inspiring:
Branching Out
In 1980, George Lucas contacted Henson about a puppet character he wanted for his next Star Wars film, The Empire Strikes Back, a creature known as Yoda. Since Henson was preoccupied, Oz was assigned as chief puppeteer and as creative consultant, while other Henson alumni worked on the fabrication. Oz had a great deal of creative input on the character, and was himself responsible for creating the character's trademark style of reversed grammar. Originally, Oz was only supposed to puppeteer the character, with another actor dubbing the voice, but at the last minute, Lucas decided to use Oz's voice.[11] Oz would go on to perform Yoda in all of the sequels and prequels (the latter of which feature a CGI version of Yoda), and in select ancillary appearances such as the updated Star Tours attraction and in an episode of Star Wars: Rebels.[11]
Oz has also been a frequent cameo player in the films of John Landis, in which he was often cast as a grizzled or surly official. This began with An American Werewolf in London and extended to The Blues Brothers, Trading Places, Spies Like Us, Innocent Blood, and Blues Brothers 2000. As a voice actor outside of the Muppets and Yoda, he was heard in Pixar films Monsters, Inc. (as Fungus), Inside Out (as Subconcious Guard Dave, opposite fellow Muppet performer Dave Goelz as Subconcious Guard Frank), and in Columbia Pictures' Zathura (as the robot).
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 interview with Oz,
A few years later, Oz directed The Muppets Take Manhattan. According to Oz,
After this, he directed his first non-Henson movie, Little Shop of Horrors, adapted from the Broadway play. In the 1987 interview with The Advertiser, Oz explained the empowering aspects of directing:
Following the film's success, Oz became an in-demand director, primarily of live action comedies such as Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, What About Bob?, and The Stepford Wives. In 2001, he directed his first drama, The Score, and in 2007, he directed his first independent film, Death at a Funeral.
Because of his career as a director, he became too busy to perform as often as he had previously. He would still perform a few days on Sesame Street every season, and would often find time to perform in major (and sometimes minor) Muppet productions, though the producers often had to work around his schedule (and in some instances, other puppeteers performed his characters on set and he looped the dialogue later. Such was the case during many of the filming days for Muppet Treasure Island and Muppets from Space.)
Current Muppet Status
See also Why doesn't Frank Oz perform with the Muppets anymore?
Starting in the mid-1990s, after more than thirty years of Muppet performing, Oz began to transition himself away from his Muppet duties to focus on directing. He occasionally performed his characters on Sesame Street until 2012, but following Muppets from Space, his classic Muppet Show characters have been turned over to Eric Jacobson.
In a 2007 interview, Oz explained why he distanced himself from the Muppets:
In a 2000 interview, Oz said,
In addition to not posing for pictures with his characters, Frank Oz also refuses to talk in his character voices on request.[15] His reasoning for this is that the characters are too special to him. For him, to do a voice on command is akin to performing a parlor trick, and that the character exists as much more than just a voice. Oz goes more into depth on this subject in The World of Jim Henson.
Oz made a rare in-person appearance on October 23, 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 Muppet performer and director.
From 2011-2017, Oz developed Muppet Guys Talking, a documentary film where he and fellow Muppet performers Jerry Nelson, Dave Goelz, Fran Brill, and Bill Baretta discuss their time working with the Muppets.
Muppeteer Credits
- The Muppet Show characters: Alien, Alligator (episode 203), Animal, Banana (episode 103), Baskerville (episode 110), Black Rooster, Boo Mortmorkinson, Blue Frackle (episode 104, episode 107), Dancers, Doglion (episode 211), Dough, Feather Boa Constrictor, Fozzie Amoeba, Fozzie Bear, Frank, Fred, George the Janitor, Geri and the Atrics (piano player), Gingerbread Man, Green Frackle (episode 103), Gorgon Heap (episode 103, episode 204), Gramps, House #3 (episode 119), Hugga Wugga, Male Koozebanian Creature, Marvin Suggs, Mary Louise (episode 204), Mean Mama (occasional), Merdlidop, Mildred Huxtetter ("At the Dance," Season 1), Miss Piggy, Rowlf (assistant), Salzburg Sauerkraut Singer, Sam the Eagle, Shark (episode 402), Sheep Wolf, Slim Wilson (episode 322), Slithy Tove, The Snowths, The Swedish Chef (hands), The Swedish Pig, T.R. (season one pilot openings)
- Sesame Street characters: Aladdin, As I Was Going to St. Ives girl, Augustine Washington, The Barber, Bart, Baskerville the Hound, Beautiful Day Monster, Bert (1969-2006), Betty Lou (occasional), Bruce Rumpelstiltskin, Farson, The Cat, Charlie (occasionally), Clancy (in "We Are All Monsters"), Cloud (in "Here Is Your Life"), Consider Yourself girl and boy, Cookie Monster (1969-2004), the Count's Bats, Doc Holiday, Dr. Reinbrain, End, Farmer Frankie, Fat Blue "Fat Cat" performer, Frances Oznowicz, Grover (1970-2012), Grover's Mommy (1970s), Harvey Kneeslapper, Harvey Monster (occasionally), Helen Happy, Humpty Dumpty (70s), Jascha Lombardi, J Friend, Keith Heartburn, King Kenny the Kind, Lamont, Larry Rhymie, Lefty the Salesman, Little Miss Muffet (1971), Lucy Jones, Mailman, Moe Busby, Mr. Draper, Mrs. Rooney, Officer Krupky, The Old Woman Who Lives in a Shoe ("Sesame Street News Flash"), Parker Piper, The Pied Piper, a pineapple from "Bilingual Fruit Song", Pinocchio, Poppa Piper, Porter Piper, Prince Charming, Princess Penelope, Professor Hastings, Pumpkin Anything Muppet woman from "I Want to Hold Your Ear", Purple Anything Muppet female back-up singer from "Mah Na Mah Na", Rocky's Mother, Rosemary, Sad Man, Sally Screamer, Scudge (1969), Sister (albums only), The Smallest Person in the Kingdom, Smilin' Jack, Snow White (1971), The Square, Susie, T-Shirt Salesman, The Tallest Person in the Kingdom, Tessie Twiddlebug, Tooth, The Tortoise (1971), Uncle Hank, The Wicked Witch, Yellow Submarine Purple captain, the Martians, Zizzy Zoomer
- Commercials: Delbert the La Choy Dragon (body), Southern Colonel (assistant)
- The Ed Sullivan Show: Gleep, Dancer, Grump, Octopus, Giant Clam, Splurge, The Glutton (assistant)
- Sesame Street Pitch Reel: Rowlf the Dog (puppetry only),[16] Scoop, Beautiful Day Monster
- Hey Cinderella!: Stepsister #1, Rufus
- The Great Santa Claus Switch: Boppity, Hoppity, Skippity, Snerf #1, Thig
- The Frog Prince: Robin the Frog (puppetry only), Gawain
- Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass: Beautiful Day Monster (puppetry only)
- One to One: Marvin
- Saturday Night Live: The Mighty Favog, Food, Glig
- The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence: Sam the Eagle, Animal, Clyde, Pig, Purple Heap, Ruler, Theodore Roosevelt
- Muppet Meeting Films: Grump, Kent
- Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas: Chuck, Alice Otter (puppetry only)
- The Muppets Go Hollywood: Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam the Eagle
- The Muppet Movie: Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam the Eagle
- The Dark Crystal: Aughra (puppetry only), Skeksis Chamberlain (puppetry only)
- The Great Muppet Caper: Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam the Eagle
- The Muppets Take Manhattan: Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam the Eagle
- Follow That Bird: Bert, Cookie Monster, Grover
- Country Music with the Muppets: Lyle, Baskerville the Hound, Cows, Sheep and Rufus.
- Labyrinth: The Wiseman (puppetry only)
- The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years: Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Bert, Cookie Monster, Grover, Animal, Sam the Eagle
- A Muppet Family Christmas: Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Bert, Cookie Monster, Grover, Animal, Sam the Eagle
- The Muppets at Walt Disney World: Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal
- Muppet*Vision 3D: Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal
- The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson: Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Bert, Cookie Monster, Grover, Animal, Sam the Eagle
- The Muppet Christmas Carol: Miss Piggy (as Emily Cratchet), Fozzie Bear (Fozziwig), Sam the Eagle, Animal, Vegetable Seller, Mr. Bitte
- Muppet Classic Theater: Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear
- Muppet Treasure Island: Miss Piggy (as Benjamena Gunn), Fozzie Bear (as Squire Trelawny), Sam the Eagle (as First Mate Samuel Arrow), Animal
- Muppets Tonight: Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam the Eagle, The Lion in "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" (Episode 103)
- The Animal Show: Sam the Eagle (Episode 318, voice only)
- The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland: Bert, Grover, Cookie Monster
- Muppets from Space: Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, Animal, Sam the Eagle
- Elmo's Potty Time: Grover
Directoral Credits
Henson Projects
- The Dark Crystal (co-director with Jim Henson) (1982)
- The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show (1982)
- The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)
Non-Henson Films
- Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
- Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)
- What About Bob? (1991)
- HouseSitter (1992)
- The Indian in the Cupboard (1995)
- In & Out (1997)
- Bowfinger (1999)
- The Score (2001)
- The Stepford Wives (2004)
- Death at a Funeral (2007)
Additional Credits
- The Muppet Show (1976) (creative consultant)
- The Great Muppet Caper (1981) (producer)
- The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) (writer)
- The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) (executive producer)
- Muppet Treasure Island (1996) (executive producer)
- Muppets Tonight (1996) (executive consultant)
Trivia
- Kermit asks the Wizard of Oz if he is related to Frank Oz in The Muppets' Wizard of Oz.
Awards & Honors
1974
- Daytime Emmy for Individual Achievement in Children's Programming for Sesame Street.
1976
- Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Children's Programming for Sesame Street.
1979
- Daytime Emmy for Individual Achievement in Children's Programming for Sesame Street.
1999
- American Comedy Awards Creative Artist Award presented by John Cleese - YouTube Video
See also
- Frank Oz films
- Frank Oz cameos
- Frank Oz's acting roles
- Why doesn't Frank Oz perform with the Muppets anymore?
- Return performances by Frank Oz on Sesame Street
Sources
- ↑ a 2002 questionnaire with Oz on IGN claimed Oz's full name as Richard Frank Oznowicz — "10 Questions: Frank Oz" IGN FilmForce by Kenneth Plume, January 23, 2002 — however, in January 2018, Oz stated in a Reddit AMA that his full name is Frank Richard Oznowicz
- ↑ Reddy, Muriel. "The Wizardry of Oz." The Advertiser, March 19, 1987.
- ↑ Borgenicht, David Sesame Street Unpaved, 1998.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Plume, Ken. FilmForce Interview, part 1. February 10, 2000.
- ↑ Interview, The Merv Griffin Show, 1983.
- ↑ Borgenicht, David Sesame Street Unpaved, page 33
- ↑ panel at Brooklyn Public Library event, November 21, 2009
- ↑ Entertainment Weekly "Frank Oz: Muppets maestro discusses 'Little Shop of Horrors' and the remaking of his classics" May 15, 2012. (archived link)
- ↑ Tyler Bunch on Twitter. April 22, 2012.
- ↑ A Company of Players.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Big Shiny Robot "A 'Star Wars: Rebels' Interview with Frank Oz." by Bryan Young, December 29, 2014
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Plume, Ken. Film Force Interview, part 2. Febuary 10, 2000.
- ↑ Oz, Frank August 7, 2007 interview
- ↑ Plume, Ken. Film Force Interview, part 3. Febuary 10, 2000.
- ↑ Oz, Frank. Sesame Street at 40: A Night of Celebration with the Legendary Cast
- ↑ Sesame Street: A Celebration - 40 Years of Life on the Street, page 31
External links
- Official Website
- @thefrankozjam on Twitter — Frank Oz's official account
- Reddit AMA