Brian Henson

Director

Birthday November 3, 1963

Birth Sign Scorpio

Birthplace New York City, U.S.

Age 60 years old

Nationality United States

#5557 Most Popular

1960

He has four siblings: Lisa (born 1960), Cheryl (born 1961), John (1965–2014) and Heather Henson (born 1970).

As a child, Henson appeared in some of the filmed segments that his father produced for the PBS children's series Sesame Street.

As a teenager, he built the first Muppet penguin puppet for the opening "Lullaby of Broadway" segment of a Season 3 episode of The Muppet Show.

1963

Brian Henson (born November 3, 1963) is an American puppeteer, director, producer, voice actor and the chairman of The Jim Henson Company.

He is the son of puppeteers Jim and Jane Henson.

Henson was born on November 3, 1963 in New York City, the third child of Jane Henson (née Nebel; 1934–2013) and Jim Henson (1936–1990).

1981

During his summer break from high school at the age of 17, Henson assisted in the production of The Great Muppet Caper (1981); skilled in the use of marionette puppets, he helped create and operate a special rigging device that allowed the Muppets to appear to ride bicycles.

1984

Several years later, after performing marionette work in The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) in the scene in which rats cook food in a diner, he specialized in managing complicated special effects.

1985

Henson performed Jack Pumpkinhead in Return to Oz (1985), operated special effects for Santa Claus: The Movie (1985) and was a principal performer for the Audrey II puppet in Little Shop of Horrors (1986), controlling mouth movement while others performed the lips and vines.

1986

He also performed the voice of Hoggle, one of the main characters in his father's film Labyrinth (1986), and the dog in both versions of The Storyteller (1988 and 1990).

Henson married Ellis Flyte, costume designer for the 1986 fantasy adventure film Labyrinth, in November 1990.

1991

Henson was the executive producer for several television series: Dinosaurs (1991–94), Aliens in the Family (1996), Bear in the Big Blue House (1997–2006) and Farscape (1999–2003).

1992

In 1992, Henson directed The Muppet Christmas Carol and directed the next film in the franchise, Muppet Treasure Island, in 1996.

1999

He performed the role of Dr. Phil van Neuter, the Muppet mad scientist in Muppets from Space (1999).

2001

For The Muppet Show Live in 2001, Henson performed his own Muppet characters and one of his father's characters, The Newsman, for the first time.

2002

He performed the roles of Janice and Scooter in the 2002 television film It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie.

Henson returned to perform Sal Minella, a character he created for Muppets Tonight, in Muppets Haunted Mansion (2021).

Henson is the cocreator, producer and performer for the adult-themed puppet-based variety show Puppet Up!, and has played various characters from the show on the British program That Puppet Game Show.

They divorced in 2002.

2003

He reprised the role for the 2003 video game Muppets Party Cruise.

2005

They have one child, a daughter born in 2005.

2010

Since 2010, Henson has been married to actress Mia Sara.

2014

In addition to assuming an executive producer role, Henson served as the head judge on the 2014 reality television show Jim Henson's Creature Shop Challenge.

2018

In 2018, he directed and produced The Happytime Murders, a puppet crime-comedy film for adult audiences.