Jerry Nelson

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

Jerry Nelson
Nelson with the Count in a Sesame Street publicity photograph from June 2012, two months before his death.
Born	Jerry L. Nelson (1934-07-10)July 10, 1934 Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
Died	August 23, 2012(2012-08-23) (aged 78) Cape Cod, Massachusetts, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Puppeteer, singer, musician
Years active	1965–2012
Spouse(s)	Jacqueline Gordon (divorced) Jan Nelson ​ (m. 1984)​
Children	1

Jerry L. Nelson (July 10, 1934 – August 23, 2012) was an American puppeteer, singer, and musician, 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

On Sesame Street, Nelson's longest-running character was Count von Count, the counting vampire who takes delight in counting anything (and everything) he can. Nelson did the voice and puppetry for the Count from 1972 until 2004 and continued to provide the Count's voice until his death in 2012. His other Muppet roles on that program were Herbert Birdsfoot, The Amazing Mumford, Herry Monster, Biff the construction worker, Mr. Johnson, Simon Soundman, Mr. Chatterly, Frazzle, rockstar Little Jerry, and Sherlock Hemlock. He has also made a total of nine onscreen appearances on the show.

Nelson was 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 Nelson gave a different explanation for giving up the role: "I was not loath 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."

He 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, the mad pyrotechnist Crazy Harry, and "the Phantom of the Muppet Show", Uncle Deadly. He performed Statler in the pilot episode but was replaced by Richard Hunt when he could not perform full-time in the first season. He was a full-time performer for the rest of the show's run. Nelson was also selected to play Statler after Hunt's death, after the end of the show.

Less prominent characters on the show include sportscaster Louis Kazagger, Pops the doorman, giant blue monster Thog, gossip columnist Fleet Scribbler, and Scooter's uncle, J.P. Grosse, who owned the theater. He originated the role of Fozzie Bear's mother in season 2 of The Muppet Show and reprised the role in the TV specials A Muppet Family Christmas, The Muppets at Walt Disney World, and the film The Muppet Christmas Carol.

Nelson performed the puppet and voice of Emmet in Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas, a 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). He and Louise Gold performed the song at Jim Henson’s Memorial Service.

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 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 announcer was part of the Jim Henson's Musical World concert at Carnegie Hall. Archive audio of his announcer role was reused in Muppets Most Wanted, which was dedicated to both Nelson and Jane Henson, wife of Muppets' creator Jim Henson.

In 2001, Nelson also performed the character voice of General Public in the Cartoon Network animated series Sheep in the Big City in the episode "Daddy Shearest".

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. Caring for her limited Nelson's involvement in The Muppet Show's first season. She made a cameo appearance with him in the second Muppet movie, The Great Muppet Caper. He then married his second wife Jan Nelson in 1984, and they remained married until his death in 2012.

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 on August 23, 2012. Matt Vogel currently performs most of Nelson's Muppet characters.

Illness and death

Nelson suffered from prostate cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and emphysema. For the last six years of his life, he required an oxygen tank to assist his breathing. On August 23, 2012, Jerry Nelson died at his Cape Cod home from complications of his illnesses, at the age of 78. The film Muppets Most Wanted was dedicated to him and Jane Henson (who also died aged 78).

Filmography

Year	Title	Roles	Notes
1970–2012	Sesame Street	Count von Count (1972–2012), Herry Monster (1970–2003), Biff, Two-Headed Monster (left head, 1979–2000), Sherlock Hemlock, Snuffy (1971–1978), Frazzle, The Amazing Mumford (1971–2011), Mr. Johnson (1971–2012), Fred the Wonder Horse, Old MacDonald, Farley, Herbert Birdsfoot, SAM the Robot (1972–1976), The Big Bad Wolf (1973–2011), Additional Muppets
1976–1981	The Muppet Show	Floyd Pepper, Robin the Frog, Lew Zealand, Crazy Harry, Pops, Louis Kazagger, Camilla the Chicken, Uncle Deadly, Dr. Julius Strangepork, Slim Wilson, Bruno, Fleet Scribbler, Additional Muppets
1977	Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas	Emmet Otter, Weasel, Doc Bullfrog, Melissa Rabbit, Yancy Woodchuck
1979	The Muppet Movie	Floyd Pepper, Robin the Frog, Crazy Harry, Camilla the Chicken, Lew Zealand, Count von Count, Herry Monster, Biff, Mr. Johnson, Herbert Birdsfoot, Additional Muppets
1981	The Great Muppet Caper	Pops, Floyd Pepper, Lew Zealand, Louis Kazagger, Slim Wilson, Additional Muppets	Puppeteer/voice; Nelson also made a cameo as a man walking in a park alongside his daughter, Christine
1982	The Dark Crystal	Ritual Master skekZok and the Dying Emperor
1983–1987	Fraggle Rock	Gobo Fraggle, Pa Gorg, Marjory the Trash Heap, Architect Doozer, Feenie Fraggle, Uncle Gobo, Additional Muppets
1984	The Muppets Take Manhattan	Floyd Pepper, Camilla the Chicken, Lew Zealand, Count von Count, Herry Monster, Biff, Additional Muppets
1985	Sesame Street Presents Follow That Bird	Count von Count, Herry Monster, Biff
1986	The Christmas Toy	Balthazar
1987	A Muppet Family Christmas	Emily Bear, Robin the Frog, Floyd Pepper, Count von Count, Herry Monster, Gobo Fraggle, Camilla, Two-Headed Monster (Left-Head), Additional Muppets
1989	The Jim Henson Hour	Beard, Orange Extreme, Evil McBad, Additional Muppets	Nelson also made various cameos on the show
1990	The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson	Robin the Frog, Lew Zealand, Floyd Pepper, Gobo Fraggle, Additional Muppets
1992	The Muppet Christmas Carol	Tiny Tim Cratchet (Robin the Frog), Jacob Marley (Statler), Lew Zealand, Ghost of Christmas Present, Ma Fozziwig, Additional Muppets
1996	Muppet Treasure Island	Mad Monty, Blind Pew, Statler, Lew Zealand, Floyd Pepper, Calico, Additional Muppets	Nelson also makes a credited cameo as a butler
1996–1998	Muppets Tonight	Statler, Lew Zealand, Mama Fiama, Dr. Watson, Clarissa, The Mad Bomber, Phil, The Head of The Network, Additional Muppets
1999	Muppets from Space	Ubergonzo, Statler, Robin the Frog, Lew Zealand, Floyd Pepper, Additional Muppets
	The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland	Count von Count, Mr. Johnson, Grouch Mayor, Grouch Cop, Pestie, Additional Muppets
2011	The Muppets	Telethon Announcer	Uncredited; Final performance.

External links

• Jerry Nelson at IMDb
• Jerry Nelson at Find a Grave