Jerry Nelson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jerry Nelson
Nelson with the Count in a Sesame Street publicity photograph from June 2012
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	Puppeteer
Years active	1965–2012
Spouse(s)	Jacqueline Gordon (divorced) Jan Nelson ​ (m. 1984)​
Children	1

Jerry L. Nelson (born July 10, 1934 – died August 23, 2012) was an American puppeteer. He was very famous for his work with The Muppets. Jerry Nelson was known for playing many different characters. He was also a great singer. He brought many Muppet characters to life on shows like Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, and Fraggle Rock. He also worked on various Muppet movies and TV specials.

Jerry Nelson's Amazing Career

Jerry Nelson had a long and exciting career. He worked on many popular shows and movies. He was a talented puppeteer and voice actor.

Working on Sesame Street

On Sesame Street, Jerry Nelson's most famous character was Count von Count. The Count is a friendly vampire who loves to count everything! Jerry Nelson performed the Count's voice and movements from 1972 until 2004. He continued to voice the Count until he passed away in 2012.

Other Muppet characters he played on Sesame Street included Herbert Birdsfoot, The Amazing Mumford, Herry Monster, Biff, Mr. Johnson, and Sherlock Hemlock. He also appeared on the show himself nine times.

Jerry Nelson was also the first puppeteer to play Mr. Snuffleupagus. He played Snuffy from 1971 to 1978. He decided to stop playing Snuffy because he was also working on The Muppet Show. They needed his skills for the new show.

Bringing Characters to Life on The Muppet Show

Jerry Nelson performed many characters on The Muppet Show. These included Sgt. Floyd Pepper. Floyd was the cool bass player in the Electric Mayhem band.

He also played Dr. Julius Strangepork from Pigs in Space. Another fun character was Lew Zealand, who threw boomerang fish. He also played Kermit the Frog's nephew, Robin the Frog. Gonzo's girlfriend, Camilla the Chicken, was also one of his characters.

Jerry Nelson played the wild pyrotechnist List of Muppets#Crazy Harry. He also played "the Phantom of the Muppet Show," List of Muppets#Uncle Deadly. He played Statler in the first pilot episode. However, he was replaced by Richard Hunt for a while. Jerry Nelson became a full-time performer for the rest of the show. After Richard Hunt passed away, Jerry Nelson played Statler again.

Other characters he played on The Muppet Show were Pops the doorman and the giant blue monster Thog. He also played Fozzie Bear's mother. He played her in A Muppet Family Christmas and The Muppet Christmas Carol.

Other Famous Roles

Jerry Nelson performed the puppet and voice of Emmet in Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas. This was a special TV show. He later sang "When the River Meets the Sea" as Robin the Frog. He sang it with John Denver for a Muppet Christmas special. This song is still popular during the Christmas season.

On Fraggle Rock, Jerry Nelson played Gobo Fraggle. Gobo was the main character on the show. He also played Pa Gorg and Marjory the Trash Heap. Because Frank Oz and Jim Henson had less time for Fraggle Rock, Jerry Nelson took on a central role.

Many of Jerry Nelson's characters were singers or musicians. He sang lead vocals for Floyd of the Electric Mayhem. He also sang as Little Jerry of Little Jerry and the Monotones. Most of his main characters in all his shows sang songs.

He was the announcer in The Muppets movie. His last performance as the announcer was at a concert. Old recordings of his announcer voice were used in Muppets Most Wanted. This movie was dedicated to Jerry Nelson and Jane Henson.

In 2002, Jerry Nelson also voiced General Public in the Sheep in the Big City cartoon. In 2009, he released an album of his own songs called Truro Daydreams.

Jerry Nelson's Personal Life

Jerry Nelson had a daughter named Christine from his first marriage. Christine had a health condition called cystic fibrosis. She passed away in 1982. Taking care of her meant Jerry Nelson could not work full-time on The Muppet Show at first. Christine even appeared with him in the movie The Great Muppet Caper.

He later married his second wife, Jan Nelson, in 1984. They were married until he passed away.

In 2004, Jerry Nelson announced he would stop puppeteering. This was due to health reasons. However, he continued to voice his characters on Sesame Street until his death. Today, Matt Vogel performs most of Jerry Nelson's Muppet characters.

Illness and Passing Away

Jerry Nelson had several health problems, including prostate cancer and lung conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema. For the last six years of his life, he needed an oxygen tank to help him breathe.

Jerry Nelson passed away on August 23, 2012, at his home. He was 78 years old. The film Muppets Most Wanted was dedicated to him and Jane Henson.

Filmography

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