Frank Oz Biography

Frank Richard Oznowicz, popularly known as Frank Oz, is an American puppeteer, director, actor and voice-artist. Oz is better known as the creator and performer of the Muppet characters such as ‘Miss Piggy’ and ‘Fozzie Bear’ along with Jim Henson in ‘The Muppet Show’. He also created the puppet characters that are loved by children and adults alike—‘Cookie Monster’, ‘Bert’, and ‘Grover’ for the popular children’s television show ‘Sesame Street’. Oz was born in England into a family of amateur puppeteers, which naturally gave way to Oz’s interest in puppets and the art of puppeteering. By the time he was a teenager, he found Jim Henson who took him along for ‘Muppets, Inc.’ and later when he created his own show ‘The Muppet Show’, several other small projects and movies like ‘The Dark Crystal’, etc., he always collaborated with Oz and made him his primary creative consultant. Oz has himself directed many movies over the years, like, ‘Dirty Rotten Scoundrels’, ‘What About Bob?’, ‘Death at a Funeral’, etc. Oz is also known for giving the world its beloved Star Wars puppet character, ‘Yoda’ with its trademark reverse grammar style.