Richard Hunt (puppeteer)
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This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2012) |
| Richard Hunt | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 16, 1951 The Bronx, New York, U.S. |
| Died | January 7, 1992 (aged 40) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Cause of death | AIDS |
| Resting place | Cremated |
| Occupation | Actor, puppeteer,[1] voice artist, comedian |
| Years active | 1969-1992 |
Richard Hunt (August 16, 1951 – January 7, 1992) was an American puppeteer, best known as a Muppet performer. Hunt's Muppet roles included Scooter, Beaker, Janice, Statler, and Sweetums.
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Early life [edit]
Hunt was born in The Bronx, New York City on August 16, 1951, the second of five children. The family eventually moved to Closter, New Jersey some years later.
Because everyone in his family had worked in show business at some point, Hunt always felt he would end up in entertainment as well. While in middle school and high school, he put on puppet shows for local children, and he was a fan of the then-fledgling Muppets from a young age. After high school graduation and a four-month stint of doing weather reports at a local radio station, Hunt pursued a meeting with Jim Henson.[2]
Career [edit]
After being hired to work on Sesame Street, Hunt mostly performed background characters in early specials. One of his first major performances was as Taminella Grinderfall in The Frog Prince, puppeteering the character while Jerry Juhl performed the voice.[3]
He also did Scooter and shared Miss Piggy with Frank Oz until the final quarter of the first season of The Muppet Show. Hunt performed many characters on Sesame Street, including Forgetful Jones, Placido Flamingo, Don Music, Gladys the Cow, Sully, and an early version of Elmo. On Fraggle Rock, Hunt's main role was the performing the facial expressions and voice of Junior Gorg, but he also performed Gunge (one of the Trash Heap's barkers), and several one-shot or minor characters.
He has also directed several home videos such as Sing-Along, Dance-Along, Do-Along and Elmo's Sing-Along Guessing Game, as well as an episode of Fraggle Rock.
Personal life [edit]
Hunt was openly gay.[4] When Rudolf Nureyev made a guest appearance on The Muppet Show, Nureyev rather bluntly(and inappropriately) hit on Hunt.[5]
Death [edit]
Hunt died of AIDS-related complications on January 7, 1992 at the age of 40.[6] Episode 3136 of Sesame Street and The Muppet Christmas Carol were dedicated to his memory. Following his passing, his roles were taken over by David Rudman, Steve Whitmire and Jerry Nelson.
Filmography [edit]
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
| 1979 | The Muppet Movie | Scooter, Janice, Beaker, Statler, Sweetums, various | Puppeteer/voice |
| 1981 | The Great Muppet Caper | Scooter, Janice, Beaker, Statler, Sweetums, various | Puppeeter/voice |
| 1983 | Trading Places | Wilson | |
| 1984 | The Muppets Take Manhattan | Scooter, Janice, Beaker, Statler, various | Puppeteer/voice |
| Oxford Blues | Larry | ||
| 1985 | Sesame Street Presents Follow That Bird | Gladys the Cow, Feathered Friends Owl | Puppeteer/voice |
| 1990 | The Muppets at Walt Disney World | Scooter, Janice, Beaker, Statler, various | Puppeteer/voice |
| 1991 | Muppet*Vision 3D | Scooter, Janice, Beaker, Statler, Sweetums, various | Puppeteer/voice; Theme park attraction |
| Television | |||
| Years | Title | Role | Other notes |
| 1971-1992 | Sesame Street | Forgetful Jones, Placido Flamingo, Don Music, Gladys the Cow, Sully, Two-Headed Monster, various | Puppteer/voice; credited on show until 2001 |
| 1976-1981 | The Muppet Show | Miss Piggy (first season), Scooter, Janice (second season onwards), Beaker, Statler, Sweetums, various | Puppteer/voice |
| 1983-1987 | Fraggle Rock | Gunge, Junior Gorg, Beige Fraggle, Firechief Fraggle, Flex Doozer, Gillis Fraggle, Herkimer Fraggle, Mean Genie, Mudwell the Mudbunny, The Odd Old Man, various | Puppeteer/voice |
| 1984-1992 | The Cosby Show | Statler, Blue Frackle, and Disagreeable Sandwich | Puppeteer/voice |
| 1985 | Little Muppet Monsters | Tug Monster, Scooter, Janice, Beaker (Voice), Animated Muppet Shorts Narrator (Voice) | Puppeteer/voice |
Television [edit]
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This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2012) |
References [edit]
- ^ "Richard Hunt; Puppeteer for "Sesame Street," "Muppet Show"". The Los Angeles Times. January 11, 1992. Retrieved 2010-12-19.
- ^ Finch, Christopher (1993), Jim Henson: The Works, Random House, ISBN 0-679-41203-4
- ^ Ask Henson, question 60, archived from the original on 3 October 2000
- ^ Stein, Jessica Max (2011). "The Rainbow Connection: Richard Hunt, Gay Muppeteer". Retrieved 20 July 2012.
- ^ Kaiser, Charles (1997), The Gay Metropolis: The Landmark History of Gay Life in America, Grove Press, ISBN 978-0-395-65781-2
- ^ "Richard Hunt; Puppeteer, 40". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
External links [edit]
- Richard Hunt at the Internet Movie Database
- Richard Hunt (puppeteer) at Find a Grave
- Your Face!
- Muppet Central's Tribute to Richard Hunt
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| Preceded by None |
Performer of Scooter 1976 - 1992 |
Succeeded by David Rudman |
| Preceded by Eren Ozker |
Performer of Janice 1977 - 1992 |
Succeeded by David Rudman |
| Preceded by Jim Henson |
Performer of The Two-Headed Monster 1978 - 1992 |
Succeeded by David Rudman |
| Preceded by None |
Performer of Sonny Friendly 1986 - 1992 |
Succeeded by David Rudman |
| Preceded by None |
Performer of Sully 1970s - 1992 |
Succeeded by David Rudman |
| Preceded by Carl Banas |
Performer of Sweetums 1976 - 1992 |
Succeeded by John Henson |
| Preceded by None |
Performer of Beaker 1977 - 1992 |
Succeeded by Steve Whitmire |
| Preceded by Jerry Nelson |
Performer of Statler 1976 - 1992 |
Succeeded by Jerry Nelson |
| Preceded by Michael Earl Davis |
Performer of Forgetful Jones 1981 - 1992 |
Succeeded by None |
