These talented stars are heating up the charts on IMDb. How many do you recognize?

The Hottest Stars on IMDb

These big screen releases can now be watched from the comfort of your couch.

Theatrical Releases You Can Watch at Home

We celebrate the actors, performers, and filmmakers who have become icons and allies for LGBTQIA+ audiences through the years.

LGBTQIA+ Icons and Allies

Jim Henson in The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence (1975)

Jim Henson in Jim Henson: Idea Man (2024)

Jim Henson and Dick Cavett in Jim Henson: Idea Man (2024)

Frank Oz and Jim Henson in Jim Henson: Idea Man (2024)

Frank Oz, Jim Henson, and Fran Brill in Jim Henson: Idea Man (2024)

Jim Henson and Don Sahlin in Jim Henson: Idea Man (2024)

Jim Henson and Jane Henson in Jim Henson: Idea Man (2024)

Jim Henson and Paul Henson Jr. in Jim Henson: Idea Man (2024)

Jim Henson, Paul Henson Jr., Betty Henson, and Paul Henson Sr. in Jim Henson: Idea Man (2024)

Jim Henson and Richard Nixon in Jim Henson: Idea Man (2024)

Frank Oz, Jim Henson, Dave Goelz, Richard Hunt, Jerry Nelson, and The Muppets in The Great Muppet Caper (1981)

Frank Oz, Jim Henson, and Richard Hunt in The Muppet Movie (1979)

Jim Henson and Richard Hunt in The Muppet Movie (1979)

Frank Oz and Jim Henson in The Muppet Movie (1979)

Frank Oz, Jim Henson, Dave Goelz, Richard Hunt, and Jerry Nelson in The Muppet Movie (1979)

Frank Oz, Jim Henson, Dave Goelz, Richard Hunt, Jerry Nelson, Rowlf, The Great Gonzo, The Electric Mayhem, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, The Muppets, and Fozzie Bear in The Muppet Movie (1979)

Jim Henson, Percy Edwards, Stephen Garlick, Dave Goelz, Lisa Maxwell, and Kathryn Mullen in The Dark Crystal (1982)

Frank Oz, Jim Henson, Barry Dennen, Percy Edwards, Stephen Garlick, Dave Goelz, Lisa Maxwell, and Kathryn Mullen in The Dark Crystal (1982)

Jim Henson, Sean Barrett, Stephen Garlick, and Brian Meehl in The Dark Crystal (1982)

Frank Oz, Jim Henson, Stephen Garlick, and Billie Whitelaw in The Dark Crystal (1982)

Jim Henson, Dave Goelz, Michael Kilgarriff, and Jerry Nelson in The Dark Crystal (1982)

Jim Henson and Stephen Garlick in The Dark Crystal (1982)

Jim Henson and Kermit the Frog in The Muppet Movie (1979)

Jim Henson and The Muppets in The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962)

Jim Henson and Richard Hunt in The Muppet Show (1976)

Frank Oz, Jim Henson, Richard Hunt, Rowlf, and Miss Piggy in The Muppet Show (1976)

Frank Oz and Jim Henson in The Muppet Show (1976)

Jim Henson and Caroll Spinney in I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story (2014)

Frank Oz, Jim Henson, Kermit the Frog, and Miss Piggy in The Muppet Movie (1979)

Frank Oz, Jim Henson, Dave Goelz, Kathryn Mullen, Jerry Nelson, The Great Gonzo, Kermit the Frog, and Fozzie Bear in The Muppet Movie (1979)

Jim Henson never thought that he would make a name of himself in puppetry; it was merely a way of getting himself on television. The vehicle that achieved it was Sam and Friends (1955), a late-night puppet show that was on after the 11:00 news in Washington DC. It proved to be very popular and inspired Jim to continue using puppets for his work. He made many commercials, developing the signature humor that Henson Productions is known for. A key reason for the success of his puppets is that Jim realized he didn't need to hide puppeteers behind a structure when they were in front of a camera. All he had to do was instruct the camera operators to focus on the puppets and keep the puppeteers out of the frame. This allowed the puppets to dominate the image and make them more lifelike. This work on puppets and television would lead to separate projects that had different goals. The first one was his work on the The Jimmy Dean Show (1963) with the character Rowlf the Dog, the oldest clearly identified character that Henson Productions still uses. This show provided an income that allowed Jim to work on a pet project. That project was Time Piece (1965), a surrealistic short about time which was nominated for best live-action short Oscar. Henson shot to prominence when he was approached to use his muppets for the revolutionary educational show Sesame Street (1969). The show was a smash hit and his characters have become staples on public television. Unforetunately, this also led to Henson being typecast as only an entertainer for children. He sought to disprove that by being part of the initial crew of Saturday Night Live (1975), but his style and that of the creative staff simply didn't jibe. It was this circumstance that encouraged him to develop a variety show format that had the kind of sophisticated humor that "Sesame Street (1969)" didn't work with. No American broadcaster was interested, but British producer Lew Grade was. This led to The Muppet Show (1976). It initially struggled both in the ratings and in the search for guest stars, but in the second season it became a smash hit and would eventually become the most widely watched series in television history. Hungry for a new challenge, Henson made The Muppet Movie (1979), defying the popular industry opinion that his characters would never work in a movie. The film became a hit and spawned a series of features which included the moody fantasy The Dark Crystal (1982), which was a drastic and bold departure from the amiable tone of his previous work. The most successful TV work in the 1980s was Fraggle Rock (1983), a fantasy series specifically designed to appeal to as many cultural groups as possible. During this time he also established the Creature Shop, a puppet studio that became renowned for being as brilliant with puppetry as ILM was at special effects. When he died all too soon in 1990, he was indisputably one of the geniuses of puppetry. More importantly, he was a man who achieved his phenomenal success while still retaining his social conscience and artistic integrity as his work in promoting environmentalism and his brilliant The Storyteller (1987) series respectively attest to.

Jim Henson at an event for The 41st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1989)

Photos

Jim Henson

More from this person

More to explore

Recently viewed