Richard Hunt (puppeteer)
Richard Hunt | |
---|---|
Born | The Bronx, New York, U.S. | August 17, 1951
Died | January 7, 1992 Manhattan, New York, U.S. | (aged 40)
Occupation(s) | Puppeteer, director |
Years active | 1969–1992 |
Notable work | The Muppets Sesame Street |
Richard Hunt (August 17, 1951 – January 7, 1992) was an American puppeteer and director, best known as a Muppet performer on Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock, and other projects for The Jim Henson Company.[1] His roles on The Muppet Show included Scooter, Statler, Janice, Beaker and Sweetums.[2][3]
Early life
Hunt was born in The Bronx, New York City,[3] The family eventually moved to Closter, New Jersey some years later.[4]
Hunt came from a family of performers.[2] As a student in middle school and high school, he put on puppet shows for local children, and was a fan of the then-fledgling Muppets.[2] 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.[5] In 1970 he cold-called from a payphone and was invited to audition.[4][6]
Career
After being hired to work on Sesame Street, Hunt mostly performed background characters.[6] One of his first major performances was as Taminella Grinderfall in The Frog Prince, physically performing the character while Jerry Juhl portrayed the voice.[7] Hunt performed Scooter and shared Miss Piggy with Frank Oz until the final quarter of the first season of The Muppet Show.
His characters on Sesame Street included Forgetful Jones, Placido Flamingo, Don Music, Gladys the Cow, and Sully; Hunt also briefly performed Elmo before Kevin Clash was cast in that role.[6] On Fraggle Rock, Hunt's main role was the performing the facial expressions and voice of Junior Gorg; he also performed Gunge (one of the Trash Heap's barkers) as well as several one shot or minor characters.
Hunt also worked as a director of several home video releases such as Sing-Along, Dance-Along, Do-Along and Elmo's Sing-Along Guessing Game, as well as an episode of Fraggle Rock.[6] Hunt was close friends with fellow puppeteer Jerry Nelson.[8] Several of their characters were paired, such as Nelson's Floyd Pepper with Hunt's Janice; the Two-Headed Monster; and Nelson's Pa Gorg to Hunt's Junior Gorg on Fraggle Rock.[8]
Personal life
Hunt was openly gay.[6][9] When Rudolf Nureyev, also openly gay, made a guest appearance on The Muppet Show, Nureyev bluntly flirted with Hunt.[9]
Death and legacy
In the late 1980s, Hunt was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, and said he would continue to perform Muppets as long as possible. He died from heart failure caused by the HIV/AIDS disease at Cabrini Hospice in Manhattan on January 7, 1992, at the age of 40.[1][3] He was cremated, and some of his ashes were sprinkled over the flower beds at the Hunt Family home in Closter, New Jersey. The Muppet Christmas Carol was dedicated to his memory.
Following Hunt's death, the roles of Scooter and Janice were recast to David Rudman. The roles of Beaker and Statler, likewise, were recast to Steve Whitmire and Jerry Nelson, respectively, with Whitmire later cast as Statler as well. John Henson was cast as Sweetums shortly prior to Hunt's death, having initially been trained by Hunt for physical performances in the attraction Muppet*Vision 3D, before Matt Vogel was cast in the role in 2009. Hunt’s characters are now currently performed by Rudman (Janice, Scooter, Wayne, Beaker, Bobby Benson), Vogel (Sweetums) and Peter Linz (Statler).
On Sesame Street, Hunt's roles of Sully, Sonny Friendly, and the right head of the Two-Headed Monster were also recast to Rudman until the former two were eventually retired, while the role of Gladys the Cow was recast to Jennifer Barnhart. Don Music returned for the show’s 50th anniversary in 2019, now performed by Ryan Dillon along with Forgetful Jones (Vogel) and Captain Vegetable (Linz).
Filmography
Film | |||
---|---|---|---|
Year | Film | Role | Notes |
1977 | Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas | Charlie Muskrat, Fred Lizard, George Rabbit | Puppeteer/voice |
1979 | The Muppet Movie | Scooter, Janice, Statler, Beaker, Sweetums, Additional Muppets | Puppeteer/voice |
1981 | The Great Muppet Caper | Scooter, Janice, Statler, Beaker, Sweetums, Additional Muppets | Puppeeter/voice |
1983 | Trading Places | Wilson | |
1984 | The Muppets Take Manhattan | Scooter, Janice, Statler, Beaker, Additional Muppets | Puppeteer/voice |
1984 | Oxford Blues | Larry | |
1985 | Sesame Street Presents Follow That Bird | Gladys the Cow, Turkey, Elmo | Puppeteer/voice |
1986 | The Christmas Toy | Belmont | Puppeteer/voice |
1987 | A Muppet Family Christmas | Scooter, Janice, Statler, Beaker, Gladys the Cow, The Two Headed Monster (Right-Head), Snowman, Additional Muppets | Puppeteer/voice |
1990 | The Muppets at Walt Disney World | Scooter, Janice, Beaker, Statler, Additional Muppets | Puppeteer/voice |
1990 | The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson | Scooter, Janice | Puppeteer/voice |
1990 | Basil Hears a Noise | Two-Headed Monster (right head), Dip Cat, Kathleen the Cow | Puppeteer/voice |
1991 | Muppet*Vision 3D | Scooter, Statler, Beaker, Sweetums, Additional Muppets | Puppeteer/voice; Theme park attraction |
Television | |||
---|---|---|---|
Years | Title | Role | Notes |
1972–1992 | Sesame Street | Placido Flamingo, Don Music, Sully, Gladys the Cow, Two-Headed Monster (right head), Forgetful Jones, Sonny Friendly, Additional Muppets | Also director (1 episode) |
1976–1981 | The Muppet Show | Scooter, Janice, Statler, Beaker, Sweetums, Additional Muppets | |
1983–1987 | Fraggle Rock | Gunge, Junior Gorg, Beige Fraggle, Firechief Fraggle, Flex Doozer, Turbo Doozer, Gillis Fraggle, Lambo, Herkimer Fraggle, Mean Genie, Mudwell the Mudbunny, The Odd Old Man, The Wizard, A White Eagle, The Bandit Fraggle, Additional Muppets | Also director (1 episode) |
1985 | Little Muppet Monsters | Tug Monster, Scooter, Janice, Beaker, Animated Muppet Shorts Narrator | |
1990 | The Cosby Show | Statler, Disagreeable Sandwich, Boppity |
References
- ^ a b "Richard Hunt; Puppeteer for 'Sesame Street,' 'Muppet Show'". Los Angeles Times. 11 January 1992. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
- ^ a b c Finch, Christopher (1981). Of Muppets and Men: The Making of the Muppet Show. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. pp. 79–85.
- ^ a b c "Richard Hunt; Puppeteer, 40". The New York Times. 9 January 1992. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
- ^ a b Stein, Jessica Max. "A Chat with Richard Hunt's Mother". Tough Pigs: Muppet Fans Who Grew Up. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
- ^ Finch, Christopher (1993), Jim Henson: The Works, Random House, p. 58, ISBN 0-679-41203-4
- ^ a b c d e Stein, Jessica Max (17 March 2011). "The Rainbow Connection: Richard Hunt, Gay Muppeteer". The Bilerico Project. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
- ^ "Ask Henson, question 60". Archived from the original on 3 October 2000.
- ^ a b Soberman, Matthew (26 June 2014). "Great Muppeteer Duos: Jerry Nelson and Richard Hunt". Tough Pigs: Muppet Fans Who Grew Up. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
- ^ a b Kaiser, Charles (1997). The Gay Metropolis: The Landmark History of Gay Life in America. Grove Press. p. 311. ISBN 978-0-395-65781-2.
External links
- Richard Hunt at IMDb
- Richard Hunt at the TCM Movie Database
- Richard Hunt at Find a Grave
- Muppet Central's Tribute to Richard Hunt
- 1951 births
- 1992 deaths
- 20th-century American male actors
- AIDS-related deaths in New York (state)
- American male film actors
- American television directors
- American male voice actors
- American puppeteers
- Fraggle Rock performers
- Gay actors
- LGBT entertainers from the United States
- LGBT people from New York (state)
- Muppet performers
- People from Closter, New Jersey
- People from the Bronx
- Sesame Street Muppeteers
- Primetime Emmy Award winners
- Film directors from New Jersey
- Film directors from New York (state)