Jerry Nelson (July 10, 1934 August 23, 2012) was an American , best known for his work with . Renowned for his wide range of characters and singing abilities, he performed Muppet characters on Sesame Street , , , and various Muppet movies and specials.
Early yearsNelson was born in Oklahoma and raised in Bil Baird . His first job with the Muppets was in 1965. was going to take some time off from puppeteering, so Nelson was hired to perform 's right hand in his stead.
After The Jimmy Dean Show ended, Nelson continued to perform Rowlf's right hand with the Dean show on its live tour. At the conclusion of the tour, Frank Oz rejoined the company. Jerry continued working with The Muppets, performing in variety shows and commercials until in 1966. The amount of work was somewhat reduced, so Jim Henson had to release Nelson. Following this, Nelson puppeteered in a number of projects in the late 1960s.
CareerAfter learning that the Muppets were used on Sesame Street , he rejoined Henson and Oz as a puppeteer, beginning in the second season. He received a number of his major characters early in the show's run, including the Sherlock Holmes parody Sherlock Hemlock (1970 1995, 2010), a hapless magician named The Amazing Mumford (1971 2012), and the overly strong, but sensitive Herry Monster (1970 2012). His most famous character is the Count von Count (1972 2012).
He was also the first puppeteer to perform Sesame Street Unpaved and Sesame Street: A Celebration - 40 Years of Life on the Street ) state that back problems caused by the physical stress of the performance forced him to bow out, but in a 2009 interview Jerry Nelson gave a different explanation for giving up the role: "I was not loathe to give that character up. But the reasons for giving it up were because at that time we were doing Herbert Birdsfoot (1970 1973), the sound-mimicking Simon Soundman (1971 1992), the more frightening-looking monster (1971 2012), 's customer (1971 2012), Little Jerry of the band "Little Jerry and the Monotones" (1970 2000) and most of the announcers that appear in Sesame Street sketches (1970 2012). Jerry Nelson also made a cameo appearance as the giant in the "Sesame Street News" story of Jack and the Beanstalk.
When David Rudman took over Hunt's halves of these duos following his death.
Nelson also performed many characters on Sgt. Floyd Pepper (the bassist of the Electric Mayhem band), Pigs in Space star Lew Zealand , Kermit the Frog 's nephew Gonzo 's girlfriend Camilla the Chicken , and the Phantom of the Muppet Show, . Nelson's Muppets on The Muppet Show were all only supporting roles, but they did occasionally play a central role in an episode's plot.
Less prominent characters on the show include sportscaster Lewis Kazagger, Pops the doorman , gossip columnist Fleet Scribbler, and Scooter 's uncle J.P. Grosse who owned the theatre. He performed in the pilot episodes, but dropped the role when he could not perform full time on the first season. He was, however, a full-time performer for the rest of the show's run. Nelson was selected to play Statler after Richard Hunt's passing. He originated the role of Fozzie Bear's mother in Series 2 of the Muppet Show and reprised the role over the years in such things as the special , and .
Nelson performed the puppet and voice of Emmet in Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas , and one-hour special that originally aired on HBO. He later performed the signature song from that show, "When the River Meets the Sea," as Robin in a duet with John Denver for a Muppet Christmas special. That version of the song gets frequent radio airplay during the Christmas season (although the song is not seasonal).
On he performed Gobo Fraggle, Pa Gorg and Marjory the Trash Heap. Frank Oz did not perform on Fraggle Rock, and Jim Henson and Richard Hunt limited their time on the show, so they performed supporting characters. For this reason, Nelson was asked to perform Gobo, the central role on the show.
Nelson's characters were often singers or musicians. He performed the lead vocals for many songs as Floyd of the Electric Mayhem, Little Jerry of Little Jerry and the Monotones, Slim Wilson of Lubbock Lou and his Jughuggers, and a number of Anything Muppet bands. Most of his main characters in all three shows sang songs at one time or another.
He reprised the role of the announcer in Jim Henson's Musical World concert at Carnegie Hall .
Cartoon voice actorNelson has also performed character voices in Sesame Street cartoons and Private Public from Sheep in the Big City .
OtherIn December 2009, Nelson, who summered in , on Cape Cod, released Truro Daydreams, an album of original songs.
Personal lifeNelson had a daughter named Christine from his first marriage to Jacqueline Nelson Gordon. Christine had cameo appearance in the second Muppet movie, . Jim Henson gave her a speaking part so she would become a member of the actors' union.
In 2004, Nelson announced that he would no longer be puppeteering his Muppet characters, citing health reasons. However, he continued to voice his characters on Sesame Street until his death eight years later. Matt Vogel performs Nelson's Muppet characters, as well as the puppetry of Count von Count , with the latter following Nelson's death. Vogel will presumably start performing the Count, both voice and puppetry following Jerry's passing.
Jerry Nelson died on August 23rd, 2012 at his Massachusetts home on Cape Cod, of complications from the various cancers and respiratory diseases from which he suffered in his final years. He had suffered from emphysema for years. He was survived by his second wife, Jan.
References. DigStation.com. Archived from on 29 March 2010.
. enotes.com. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
. Toughpigs.com. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
Jerry Nelson on
Jerry Nelson at the Internet Movie Database
No comments:
Post a Comment