Dave Goelz facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dave Goelz
Goelz in May 2018
Born	David Charles Goelz (1946-07-16) July 16, 1946 (age 79) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Puppeteer puppet builder actor
Years active	1961 1972–present
Spouse(s)	Debra Goelz ​ (m. 1992)​
Children	2

David Charles Goelz (born July 16, 1946) is an American puppeteer and actor. He is famous for his work with the Muppets. He brings many beloved characters to life. Some of his most well-known characters are Gonzo the Great, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Zoot, and Beauregard. After Jim Henson passed away, Dave also started performing Waldorf.

Dave joined Jim Henson's Muppet team in 1973. He has been a very important performer in many Muppet shows. These include The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock, and many movies and TV specials.

Early Life and First Steps

Dave Goelz was born in Los Angeles, California on July 16, 1946. As a child, he loved puppetry. He was fascinated by TV shows like Howdy Doody and Time for Beany. After high school, he studied industrial design. He even worked for big companies like John Deere and Hewlett-Packard.

During this time, he watched Sesame Street a lot. He was amazed by how the Muppet characters were designed. This made him curious about the people who created them. When he was a child, Dave also appeared as an extra in the 1961 Disney movie The Parent Trap.

Becoming a Muppet Performer

Starting with Puppets (1972–1975)

In 1972, Dave Goelz met Frank Oz, another famous puppeteer. Frank Oz invited Dave to watch Sesame Street tapings. Dave brought some puppets he had built. Everyone was impressed with his work. Soon, he met Jim Henson, the creator of the Muppets.

Jim Henson offered Dave a part-time job. He would build puppets and design special effects. His first big project was for a TV pilot that would later become The Muppet Show. Dave built characters like Animal, Floyd Pepper, and Zoot. Zoot became one of his first main characters.

The Muppet Show and Gonzo (1976–1982)

In 1976, Dave went to London to work on The Muppet Show. He continued to play Zoot. He also got a starring role as The Great Gonzo. Gonzo had appeared before, but Dave made him famous.

Dave worked very hard, building puppets and performing. He learned how to be a performer on the job. He felt a bit like an outsider, just like Gonzo. Gonzo's early design had a sad expression. This made Dave give him a nervous and sometimes depressed personality.

Later, Dave wanted Gonzo to show more excitement. He asked Jim Henson if he could change Gonzo's puppet. Jim agreed, and Dave added an eye mechanism. This allowed Gonzo to show more feelings. Gonzo then changed from a nervous character to a confident stuntman. Other fun parts of Gonzo's character, like his love for chickens, were added later.

Besides Gonzo, Dave also performed the saxophone player Zoot and the scientist Dr. Bunsen Honeydew. He later introduced Beauregard, the kind but slow backstage janitor.

Fraggle Rock and Beyond (1983–1999)

In 1983, Dave Goelz joined the cast of Fraggle Rock. He played Boober Fraggle, Uncle Traveling Matt, and the World's Oldest Fraggle. He also worked on Jim Henson's fantasy movies. He performed characters like Fizzgig in The Dark Crystal and Sir Didymus in Labyrinth.

Goelz performing Gonzo at San Diego Comic-Con 2015

After Jim Henson passed away in 1990, Gonzo became an even bigger character. Dave played Gonzo as Charles Dickens in The Muppet Christmas Carol. In 1992, he also took over the role of Waldorf. Gonzo had his first main role in a Muppet movie in 1999, with Muppets From Space.

Continuing the Legacy (2000–Present)

Dave Goelz continues to perform in new Muppet productions. He reprised his roles as Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Zoot, Waldorf, and Beauregard in movies like The Muppets (2011) and Muppets Most Wanted (2014). In 2023, he performed Zoot in the Disney+ series The Muppets Mayhem.

He also voiced Figment in the Journey into Imagination with Figment ride at Walt Disney World in 2002. In 2015, he voiced Subconscious Guard Frank in the Pixar movie Inside Out. He returned as Mind Cop Frank in Inside Out 2 in 2024. Dave also voiced Baffi the Fizzgig in the Netflix series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance in 2019.

Dave continues to voice his Fraggle Rock characters. He was a co-executive producer for Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, which premiered in 2022.

Personal Life

Dave Goelz is married to Debra Goelz. They have two children. Being a puppeteer can be very demanding physically. Over the years, Dave has had several surgeries due to the difficult positions performers must hold.

Filmography

Film Roles

Television Roles

Video Game Roles

Other Appearances