Henson shows off one of her father's vests at MuppetFest in 2001.
Lisa and Jim Henson.
Heather, Lisa, John (as Sweetums), and Brian Henson at The Muppet Show Live in 2001.
Lisa Marie Henson (b. May 9, 1960)[1] is Chief Executive Officer of The Jim Henson Company and the eldest child of Jim and Jane Henson.
Henson was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in Greenwich, CT and Westchester County, NY.[2][3] Much of her childhood was comprised of being included creatively in the family business where she attended pitch meetings and marketing briefs.[4] Among her early cameos, she appeared in the 1965 short film Run, Run with her sister Cheryl and featured in a commercial for Aurora Bath Tissue. During production of The Great Muppet Caper, she worked with the film crew and received credit as a production runner.
Henson attended Harvard University, where she graduated in 1983 with a degree in folklore and mythology. She served as the first female president of The Harvard Lampoon and was later a member of Harvard's Board of Directors.
Following her schooling, Henson worked at Warner Bros. for ten years, beginning in 1983 as an Executive Assistant and moving into other roles such as Vice President of Production in 1986, Senior Vice President of Production in 1990, and Executive Vice President in 1991.[4] During her time at Warner Bros, she worked on the Lethal Weapon movies, Pee-wee's Big Adventure, Free Willy, and Tim Burton's Batman and Batman Returns.[5]
In 1993, Henson left Warner Bros. for a position at Columbia Pictures as the President of Worldwide Production where she was in charge of development and casting.[4] While at Columbia, Henson produced Bad Boys, Men in Black, Fly Away Home, Sense and Sensibility, Immortal Beloved, and Little Women.[6] Henson was replaced at Columbia by Amy Pascal in 1996[7] and later worked at 20th Century Fox where she produced the 2002 crime drama High Crimes with Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd.
Following the purchase of The Jim Henson Company in 2000 by EM.TV, Lisa Henson and her four siblings reacquired the company in 2003. Lisa and her brother Brian took on management roles, ultimately leading to her position as Henson Company CEO where she oversees all television and feature film production from early development through post-production. Henson has also served on the Board of Directors for The Tibet House and The Jim Henson Foundation for Puppetry.
Interviews[]
- "Because of the Wonderful Things it Does: The Legacy of Oz" (2005)
- "In Their Own Words: Jim Henson" (2015)
- "The Henson Legacy" (2016)
- "Reordering Time: Looking Back on Labyrinth" (2016)
- "The Myth, Magic and Henson Legacy" (2018)
- "The Crystal Calls: Making the Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance" (2019)
Sources[]
- ↑ Imagination Illustrated: The Jim Henson Journal, page 22 by Karen Falk
- ↑ Imagination Illustrated: The Jim Henson Journal, page 13 by Karen Falk
- ↑ Jim Henson: The Biography, page 80 by Brian Jay Jones
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 New York Times "Columbia Pictures Selects a President for Production" by Calvin Sims, August 10, 1993
- ↑ New York Times News Service "Lisa Henson is no Muppet" by Bernard Weinraub, April 7, 1994
- ↑ Henson.com bio
- ↑ AP Business December 2, 1996
