Jim Henson
Henson in 1979
Born	James Maury Henson (1936-09-24)September 24, 1936 Greenville, Mississippi, U.S.[1]
Died	May 16, 1990(1990-05-16) (aged 53) New York City, U.S.
Cause of death	Toxic shock syndrome caused by a Group A streptococcal infection
Resting place	Cremated; ashes scattered in Taos, New Mexico in May 1992
Alma mater	University of Maryland, College Park (BS)
Occupations	Puppeteer animator actor filmmaker
Years active	1954–1990
Known for	Creator of the Muppets
Board member of	Jim Henson Foundation The Jim Henson Company (1958–1990) Jim Henson's Creature Shop (1979–1990)
Spouse	Jane Henson ​ ​ (m. 1959; sep. 1986)​
Children	Lisa Cheryl Brian John Heather
Awards	Courage Conscience Award Emmy Award Disney Legend Inkpot Award[2]
Website	henson.com

James Maury Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was an American puppeteer, actor, animator, creative producer, and director who achieved worldwide notability as the creator of the Muppets. Henson was also well known for creating Fraggle Rock (1983–1987) and as the director of The Dark Crystal (1982) and Labyrinth (1986), as well as creating the puppets for Sesame Street (1969–present).

Born in Greenville, Mississippi, and raised in both Leland, Mississippi, and University Park, Maryland, Henson began developing puppets in high school. He created Sam and Friends (1955–1961), a short-form comedy television program on WRC-TV, while he was a freshman at the University of Maryland, College Park, in collaboration with fellow student Jane Nebel. Henson and Nebel co-founded Muppets, Inc. – now The Jim Henson Company – in 1958, and married less than a year later in 1959. Henson graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in home economics.

In 1969, Henson joined the children's television program Sesame Street (1969–present) where he helped to develop Muppet characters for the series. He and his creative team also appeared on the first season of the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (1975–present). He produced the sketch comedy television series The Muppet Show (1976–1981) during this period. Henson revolutionized the way puppetry is captured and presented in video media, and he won fame for his characters – particularly Kermit the Frog, Rowlf the Dog, and the characters on Sesame Street. During the later years of his life, he founded the Jim Henson Foundation and Jim Henson's Creature Shop. He won the Emmy Award twice for his involvement in The Storyteller (1987–1988) and The Jim Henson Hour (1989).

Henson died in New York City from toxic shock syndrome caused by Streptococcus pyogenes. At the time of his death, he was in negotiations to sell his company to The Walt Disney Company, but talks fell through after his death. He was posthumously awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1991, and was named a Disney Legend in 2011.