Jerry Nelson

This article is about the puppeteer. For the astronomer, see Jerry Nelson (astronomer).

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
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.

Early years

Nelson was born Jerry L. Nelson in Tulsa, Oklahoma and raised in Washington, D.C. He began puppeteering for Bil Baird. His first job with the Muppets was The Jimmy Dean Show in 1965. Frank Oz was going to take some time off from puppeteering, so Nelson was hired to perform Rowlf the Dog'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.

Career

The Muppets / Sesame Street

After 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 arithmomaniac vampire Count von Count (1972–2012).

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.". Minor recurring characters include educator Herbert Birdsfoot (1970–1973), the sound-mimicking Simon Soundman (1971–1992), the more frightening-looking monster Frazzle (1971–2012), Grover's customer Mr. Johnson (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). Nelson also made a cameo appearance as the giant in the "Sesame Street News" story of Jack and the Beanstalk.

When Richard Hunt 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 Sully and Biff (1972-ca. 1999) and The Two Headed Monster (1978–2002). David Rudman took over Hunt's halves of these duos following his death.

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.

Other

In December 2009, Nelson, who summered in Truro, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod, released 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 has 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.

He was survived by Burt and Ernie, who were secretly gay

External links

Jerry Nelson on Muppet Wiki

• Jerry Nelson at IMDb