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| {{about|the puppeteer|the astronomer|Jerry Nelson (astronomer)}} | {{about|the puppeteer|the astronomer|Jerry Nelson (astronomer)}} | ||
| {{refimprove|date=March 2012}} | {{refimprove|date=March 2012}} | ||
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| {{Infobox person | {{Infobox person | ||
| | name = Jerry Nelson | | name = Jerry Nelson | ||
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| '''Jerry L. 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 '']'', '']'', '']'', and various Muppet movies and specials. | '''Jerry L. 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 '']'', '']'', '']'', and various Muppet movies and specials. | ||
| ==Early years== | |||
| {{unreferenced section|date=August 2012}} | |||
| Nelson was born '''Jerry L. Nelson''' in ] and raised in ] He began puppeteering for ]. 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 up until 1966. The amount of work was somewhat reduced, so ] had to release Nelson. Following this, Nelson puppeteered in a number of projects in the late 1960s. | |||
| ==Career== | ==Career== | ||
| ===''The Muppets'' / ''Sesame Street''=== | ===''The Muppets'' / ''Sesame Street''=== | ||
| ⚫ | He was also the first puppeteer to perform ], keeping the role from 1971 to 1978. Most sources (including '']''{{citation needed|date=August 2012}} and ''Sesame Street: A Celebration - 40 Years of Life on the Street''{{citation needed|date=August 2012}}) 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 '']'' and he was a real part of the show, and they needed his presence. So they asked if I’d mind giving it up.".<ref>Nelson, Jerry </ref> | ||
| After learning that the Muppets were used on '']'', 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 ] (1970–1995, 2010), a hapless magician named The ] (1971–2011), and the overly strong, but sensitive ] (1970–2010). His most famous character is the ]c vampire ] (1972–2012). | |||
| ⚫ | He was also the first puppeteer to perform ], keeping the role from 1971 to 1978. Most sources (including '']''{{citation needed|date=August 2012}} and ''Sesame Street: A Celebration - 40 Years of Life on the Street''{{citation needed|date=August 2012}}) 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 '']'' and he was a real part of the show, and they needed his presence. So they asked if I’d mind giving it up.".<ref>Nelson, Jerry </ref> |
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| When ] joined the Muppets, he was only 18, so Nelson acted as a mentor to him. The two quickly became a powerful puppeteer team, performing such characters together as ] and ] (1972-1999, 2010) and ] (1978–2002). ] took over Hunt's halves of these duos following his death. | |||
| Nelson also performed many characters on '']'', including ] (the bassist of the ] band), ''Pigs in Space'' star ], the boomerang fish-throwing ], ]'s nephew ], ]'s girlfriend ], 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. | Nelson also performed many characters on '']'', including ] (the bassist of the ] band), ''Pigs in Space'' star ], the boomerang fish-throwing ], ]'s nephew ], ]'s girlfriend ], 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. | ||
Revision as of 18:54, 18 December 2012
This article is about the puppeteer. For the astronomer, see Jerry Nelson (astronomer). | This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Jerry Nelson" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (March 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
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| Jerry Nelson | |
|---|---|
 Nelson in a Sesame Street publicity photograph from June 2012. Here he is pictured with the Count. | |
| Born | Jerry L. Nelson July 10, 1934 Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died | August 23, 2012(2012-08-23) (aged 78) Cape Cod, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Emphysema |
| Resting place | Cremated |
| Occupation(s) | Puppeteer, voice actor, singer |
| Years active | 1965–2012 |
| Spouse(s) | Jan Nelson (? – 2012; his death) |
| Children | 1 daughter |
Jerry L. Nelson (July 10, 1934 – August 23, 2012) was an American puppeteer, best known for his work with The Muppets. Renowned for his wide range of characters and singing abilities, he performed Muppet characters on Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock, and various Muppet movies and specials.
Career
The Muppets / Sesame Street
He was also the first puppeteer to perform Mr. Snuffleupagus, keeping the role from 1971 to 1978. Most sources (including 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 The Muppet Show and he was a real part of the show, and they needed his presence. So they asked if I’d mind giving it up.".
Nelson also performed many characters on The Muppet Show, including Sgt. Floyd Pepper (the bassist of the Electric Mayhem band), Pigs in Space star Dr. Julius Strangepork, the boomerang fish-throwing Lew Zealand, Kermit the Frog's nephew Robin the Frog, Gonzo's girlfriend Camilla the Chicken, and the Phantom of the Muppet Show, Uncle Deadly. 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 Statler 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 A Muppet Family Christmas, and The Muppets at Walt Disney World.
Nelson performed the puppet and voice of Emmet in Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas, a 1-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 Fraggle Rock, 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 The Muppets. His final performance as the said announcer was part of the Jim Henson's Musical World concert at Carnegie Hall.
Cartoon voice actor
Nelson has also performed character voices in Sesame Street cartoons. In the late Cartoon Network series, Sheep in the Big City, Nelson voiced General Public.
Other
In 2009, Nelson released an album entitled Truro Daydreams, an album of original songs.
Personal life
Nelson had a daughter named Christine from his first marriage to Jacqueline Nelson Gordon. Christine had cystic fibrosis and died from the disease in 1982, after attending Rye Country Day School. Her health problems were the reason Nelson took so much time off The Muppet Show's first season. She made a cameo appearance in the second Muppet movie, The Great Muppet Caper. Nelson's friend and employer, Muppets creator 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 8 years later. Matt Vogel performs Nelson's Muppet characters, as well as the puppetry of Count von Count, with Nelson following his death. Vogel will presumably start performing the Count, both voice and puppetry following Nelson's passing.
Illness and death
Nelson suffered from emphysema for years.
On August 23, 2012, he died at his Massachusetts home on Cape Cod, of complications from the various cancers and respiratory diseases from which he suffered in his final years.
References
- Nelson, Jerry Tough Pigs interview with Jerry Nelson
- http://www.toughpigs.com/fraggles-monsters-squirrels-and-frogs-play-carnegie-hall/
- "Truro Daydreams - Jerry Nelson". DigStation.com. Archived from the original on 29 March 2010.
- "List of people diagnosed with cystic fibrosis". enotes.com. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
- Day, Patrick Kevin (24 August 2012). "'Sesame Street' puppeteer Jerry Nelson dies". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
- "Jerry Nelson 1934-2012 « ToughPigs — Muppet Fans Who Grew Up". Toughpigs.com. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
External links
| Preceded byNone | Performer of Count von Count 1972 - 2012 |
Succeeded byMatt Vogel (presumably) |
| Preceded byNone | Performer of Robin the Frog 1971 - 2003 |
Succeeded byMatt Vogel |
| Preceded byNone | Performer of Floyd Pepper 1975 - 2003 |
Succeeded byMatt Vogel |
| Preceded byJohn Lovelady | Performer of Crazy Harry 1978 - 2003 |
Succeeded byMatt Vogel |
| Preceded byNone | Performer of Camilla the Chicken 1978 - 2003 |
Succeeded byMatt Vogel |
| Preceded byNone | Performer of Lew Zealand 1978 - 2003 |
Succeeded byMatt Vogel |
| Preceded byRichard Hunt | Performer of Statler 1975; 1992 - 2003 |
Succeeded bySteve Whitmire |
| Preceded byNone | Performer of Mr. Snuffleupagus 1971 - 1978 |
Succeeded byMichael Earl Davis |
