Frank Oz is an English-born American film director, puppeteer, and actor who created
and performed the Muppet characters Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear along with Jim Henson in The
Muppet Show, as well as Cookie Monster, Bert, and Grover in Sesame Street.
His work as a film director includes 1986's Little Shop of Horrors remake and Dirty Rotten
Scoundrels.
He is also the puppeteer and voice of Yoda in the Star Wars film series.
Early life Oz was born in Hereford, England, the son
of Frances and Isidore Oznowicz, both of whom were puppeteers.
His parents moved to England after fighting the Nazis with the Dutch Brigades.
Oz's Dutch/Polish father was Jewish and his Flemish mother was a lapsed Roman Catholic.
Oz moved to Oakland, California, United States, with his parents when he was five years old.
He attended Oakland Technical High School and Oakland City College.
He worked as an apprentice puppeteer at Children's Fairyland as a teenager with the Vagabond
Puppets, a production of the Oakland Recreation Department, where Lettie Connell was his mentor.
Career Puppeteering
Oz is known for his work as a puppeteer, performing with Jim Henson's Muppets.
His characters have included Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, and Sam Eagle on The Muppet
Show, and Grover, Cookie Monster and Bert on Sesame Street, among many others.
In addition to performing a variety of characters, Oz has been one of the primary collaborators
responsible for the development of the Muppets over the last 30 years.
Oz has performed as a Muppet performer in over 75 productions including Labyrinth, video
releases, and television specials, as well as countless other public appearances, episodes
of Sesame Street, and other Jim Henson series.
His puppetry work spans from 1963 to the present, though he has retired full-time from the Muppets.
His Muppet characters were taken primarily over by Eric Jacobson in 2002.
Oz is also known as the performer of Jedi Master Yoda from George Lucas' Star Wars series.
Jim Henson had originally been contacted by Lucas about possibly performing Yoda.
Henson was pre-occupied, and so Oz was assigned as chief puppeteer and as creative consultant.
While other Henson alumni worked on the fabrication of Yoda, Oz performed the voice and puppet
for Yoda in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars Episode VI: Return
of the Jedi and Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
Oz also provided the voice of the computer-generated imagery Yoda in Star Wars Episode II: Attack
of the Clones and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
The conversion to CGI was met with some criticism among fans but Oz himself said that was "exactly
what [Lucas] should have done."
Oz had a great deal of creative input on the character and was himself responsible for
creating the character's trademark syntax.
Oz reprised his vocal role as Yoda in Disney's Star Tours: The Adventures Continue attraction
at Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios.
Directing Inspiration as a film-maker came to Oz upon
a viewing of the film Touch of Evil, the director tells Robert K. Elder in an interview for
The Film That Changed My Life.
I think it opened up my view of film—that there’s so much more that could be done.
Actually, by breaking so many rules, he allowed other people to say, “Hey, I can maybe think
of some stuff, too!”
He just opened up the possibilities more for me.
That’s what he did.
Oz began his behind-the-camera work when he co-directed the fantasy film The Dark Crystal
with long-time collaborator Jim Henson.
The film featured the most advanced puppets ever created for a movie.
Oz further employed those skills in directing 1984's The Muppets Take Manhattan, as well
as sharing a screenwriting credit.
In 1986 he directed his first movie that did not involve Henson, Little Shop Of Horrors.
The musical film starred Rick Moranis and Ellen Greene, as well as Vincent Gardenia,
Steve Martin, Bill Murray, John Candy, Christopher Guest, and a 15-foot-tall talking plant which
at times required up to 40 puppeteers to operate.
The film allowed Oz to show his ability to work with live actors, and led to opportunities
to direct films that did not include puppetry.
Usually directing comedies, Oz went on to direct Dirty Rotten Scoundrels in 1988, starring
Steve Martin and Michael Caine, What About Bob? in 1991, starring Bill Murray and Richard
Dreyfuss, and Housesitter in 1992.
Later films include The Indian in the Cupboard, In & Out, Bowfinger, The Score, the 2004 remake
of The Stepford Wives, and the original Death at a Funeral.
Acting As an actor, Oz appeared in a bit part as
Prison Storeroom Keeper in The Blues Brothers, directed by John Landis.
He also appeared in later Landis movies An American Werewolf in London, Spies Like Us,
Trading Places and Innocent Blood.
In 1998, Oz portrayed a warden in Blues Brothers 2000.
In 2001 he had a minor part in the Pixar film Monsters, Inc. as Randall's scare assistant,
Fungus.
In 2005, he had a minor part in the Columbia film Zathura as the voice of the Robot.
Other cameos have included playing a surgeon in scenes cut from the theatrical release
of Superman III, The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, The Muppets Take Manhattan and
several other Jim Henson-related films that did not involve just his puppeteering.
Even if he does not appear in a Landis movie, his name is often spoken in the background.
During airport scenes in Into the Night and Coming to America, there are announcements
on the PA system for 'Mr. Frank Oznowicz'.
Filmography Film
Television Video games
Awards and nominations References
External links Muppet Wiki: Frank Oz
Frank Oz at the Internet Movie Database