in full James Maury Henson
born Sept. 24, 1936, Greenville, Miss., U.S.
died May 16, 1990, New York, N.Y.
U.S. puppeteer and producer.
He created a puppet show for a television station while in college and developed the first Muppets (melding marionettes and puppets ). In the 1960s he made TV commercials. When PBS featured the Muppets on Sesame Street (from 1969), Henson achieved nationwide notice. He premiered The Muppet Show on television in 1976 and gained audiences in over 100 countries. He also produced and directed The Muppet Movie (1979) and its sequels.