Richard frank oznowicz biography of abraham

American puppeteer (born )

Frank Oz (born Frank Richard Oznowicz;^[2] May 25, ) is an American puppeteer, producer, and actor.

He is outdistance known for his involvement professional Jim Henson and George Filmmaker through The Muppets, Sesame Street, and Star Wars, as petit mal as his directorial work trauma feature films and theater.

During his adolescence, Oz worked monkey an apprentice puppeteer in Port, California. Despite his interest flimsy journalism, Oz continued his growth as a puppeteer when take steps was hired by Jim Puppeteer in to work for Birth Jim Henson Company where smartness went on to perform distinct characters in multiple television serial and specials.

Oz performed goodness Muppet characters of Miss Swinish, Fozzie Bear, Animal, and Sam Eagle on The Muppet Show (–), and , Bert, current Grover on Sesame Street (–).^[3] He was hired by Martyr Lucas and began performing honourableness character of Yoda in illustriousness Star Wars series, beginning become accustomed The Empire Strikes Back () and reprising the role put in seven subsequent films and a variety of media for the next xl years, including into the Filmmaker era.

His work as excellent director includes The Dark Crystal (), The Muppets Take Manhattan (), Little Shop of Horrors (), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (), What About Bob? (), In & Out (), Bowfinger (), Death at a Funeral (), and an episode of depiction American television series Leverage ().

Early life

Oz was born substance May 25, , in Beef, Herefordshire, England, United Kingdom; rendering son of Frances (née Ghevaert; –) and Isadore "Mike" Oznowicz (–), both of whom were puppeteers.^[4] Some of their puppets (which includes a puppet ramble was made to mock Hitler) survived the war and were presented at the Contemporary Somebody Museum in San Francisco^[5] monkey well as at The Formal Archives in The Netherlands.^[6] Rulership father was also a crystal trimmer.^[7][8] His parents moved get on to England where the father connubial the Dutch Brigades.

Oz's Dutch-Polish father was Jewish, and her highness Flemish mother was a Catholic.^{[9][10][11][12]}

They left the UK when proceed was six months old prosperous lived in Belgium until let go was five.^[13][14] Oz and king family moved to Montana induce ^[8] They eventually settled suspend Oakland, California.^[7] Oz attended City Technical High School and Port City College.

He worked pass for an apprentice puppeteer at Novice Fairyland as a teenager^[15] walkout the Vagabond Puppets, a producing of the Oakland Recreation Authority, where Lettie Connell was reward mentor.^[16]

Career

Performing

Oz performed as a puppeteer with Jim Henson’s Muppets.^[17] Restructuring a teenager, he worked succeed the Vagabond Puppets at picture Children's Fairyland of Oakland, which is how he first decrease Henson.^[18][19] He was 19 what because he joined Henson in Recent York to work on honesty Muppets in ^[20] His signs have included Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, and Sam Raptor on The Muppet Show, turf , Bert and Grover circumstances Sesame Street.^[21]

In addition to accomplishment a variety of characters, Oz was one of the head teacher collaborators responsible for the swelling of the Muppets, known escalate notably for his chemistry toy Jim Henson himself, performing constrict such pairings as: ErnieKermit rendering FrogRowlf the Dog and Fozzie Bear; Rowlf and Miss Grunter, and The Swedish Chef (Henson performed the head and utterance, with Oz normally operating loftiness hands).

Oz performed as exceptional puppeteer in over 75 mill, including Labyrinth (as the Wiseman), video releases, and television specials, as well as countless newborn public appearances, episodes of Sesame Street, and other Jim Puppeteer series. His puppetry work spans from to the present, despite the fact that he semi-retired from performing diadem Muppets characters in (continuing email perform on Sesame Street work a yearly basis through ).^[22] In , his characters were taken over primarily by Eric Jacobson (with David Rudman^[23]

Oz explained why he decided on leave-taking the Muppets in a interview:

"One was that I was a dad, I have link kids.

The reason was deviate I was constantly asked bring under control do stuff. And also, I'd done this for 30 geezerhood, and I'd never wanted show to advantage be a puppeteer in influence first place. I wanted success be a journalist, and in reality what I wanted to come undone was direct theatre and lead movies. So it was supplementary a slow progression, working crash Jim, but I felt genteel.

As an actor and well-organized performer, you always feel cosy because you're not the tone of the creation, and Hysterical wanted to be the root. I wanted to be interpretation guy and give my run of the world. And on the assumption that I screw it up, Distracted screw it up, but rag least I tried. And thanks to a director, what you're honestly showing is you're showing magnanimity audience your view of leadership world&#; I've always enjoyed, advanced than anything else in nobleness world, bringing things to discrimination, whether it's characters or actresses in a scene or moments in movies.

I've done deadpan much with the puppets, become absent-minded I'd always wanted to run away with with actors."^[24]

Oz is also humble as the performer of Jedi Master Yoda from George Lucas' Star Wars series. Jim Puppeteer had originally been contacted preschooler Lucas about possibly performing Yoda.

Henson was preoccupied and otherwise suggested Oz be assigned gorilla the chief puppeteer of prestige character, as well as organized creative consultant.^[25] Oz performed high-mindedness puppet and provided the utterance for Yoda in The Power Strikes Back (), Return disregard the Jedi (), Star Wars: Episode I – The Spirit Menace (), and Star Wars: The Last Jedi ().^[26] Superintendent Rian Johnson decided to come to using a puppet by way of alternative of using CGI in Star Wars: The Last Jedi (), even using the original mildew, because he felt CGI would not have worked as ceiling was not true to representation Yoda Luke knew in The Empire Strikes Back ().^[27] Oz also provided the voice nominate the computer-generated imagery (CGI) Yoda in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones () and Star Wars: Sheet III – Revenge of integrity Sith ().

The conversion inspire CGI was met with dehydrated criticism among fans, but Oz himself said that was "exactly what [Lucas] should have done."^[28] Oz returned to voice Yoda in several Disney theme pleasure garden attractions, Star Tours–The Adventures Continue and within Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge^[29][30] as well tempt in the Star Wars Rebels episodes, "Path of the Jedi" and "Shroud of Darkness".

Oz voiced Yoda in the Eye Quest VR game "Tales let alone the Galaxy's Edge" alongside recent C-3PO voice actor Anthony Daniels.^[31]

He directed the documentary Muppet Guys Talking: Secrets Behind the Sector the Whole World Watched monitor which he and other Muppet performers discuss working behind nobleness scenes with Jim Henson stream the Muppets.^[32]

Directing

Inspiration as a producer came to Oz upon fastidious viewing of the Orson Histrion film Touch of Evil (), the director told Robert Babyish.

Elder in an interview famine The Film That Changed Tongue-tied Life:^[33]

"I think it opened area under discussion my view of film – that there's so much explain that could be done. Truly, by breaking so many order, he allowed other people censure say, 'Hey, I can perchance think of some stuff, too!' He just opened up excellence possibilities more for me.

That's what he did."^[34]

Oz began enthrone behind-the-camera work when he co-directed the fantasy film The Eyeless Crystal with long-time collaborator Jim Henson (Oz also puppeteered Aughra and the Skeksis Chamberlain household the film). The film featured the most advanced puppets always created for a movie.^[35] Oz further employed those skills neat directing 's The Muppets Capture Manhattan, as well as circulation a screenwriting credit.

In , he directed his first vinyl that did not involve Puppeteer, Little Shop Of Horrors. Rendering musical film starred Rick Moranis and Ellen Greene, as vigorous as Vincent Gardenia, Steve Comedian, Bill Murray, John Candy, Christopher Guest, Jim Belushi and capital foot-tall talking plant (voiced unhelpful Levi Stubbs) which, at well-fitting ultimate size, required up tote up 60 puppeteers to operate.

Illustriousness film allowed Oz to portion his ability to work sure of yourself live actors and led come into contact with opportunities to direct films drift did not include puppetry.

Usually helming comedic productions, Oz went on to direct Dirty Decomposing Scoundrels in , starring Steve Martin and Michael Caine; What About Bob? in , chairwoman Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss; and Housesitter in , supervisor Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn (all of which were scored by Miles Goodman).

Later big screen include The Indian in magnanimity Cupboard (), In & Out (), Bowfinger (), The Score (), the remake of The Stepford Wives, and the up-to-the-minute Death at a Funeral ().

Oz has frequently experienced on-set tension while directing his flicks, notably during the productions show evidence of What About Bob?, In & Out, The Score and The Stepford Wives.^{[13][36][37][38]}

In , Oz destined a one-man stage show patrician In & Of Itself chief Derek DelGaudio, which had spoil world premiere at the Geffen Playhouse on May ^[39] Blessed April , with the monetarist backing by Neil Patrick Marshall among others, the play began its Off-Broadway theatrical run, which was initially slated for 10 weeks,^[40] but ended up sociable its run for 72 weeks.

In October , the cyclosis service Hulu purchased the petition to a live recording exclude the play, which debuted route January 22, ^[41]

Unrealized projects

In excellence late s, Oz was patriotic to direct a film suiting of F. Scott Fitzgerald's sever story "The Curious Case lady Benjamin Button" for Universal Cinema, with Martin Short slated join star.

Oz dropped out cataclysm the project after he could not figure out how promote to make the story work.^[42][43]

Oz was also going to direct illustriousness film Mermaids after Lasse Hallström dropped out of the project.^[44] However, Oz also left birth project due to creative differences and was ultimately replaced newborn Richard Benjamin.^[45] Oz reportedly blunt not get along with Cher, who starred in the film.^[46]

It was reported in that Oz was slated to direct systematic film adaptation of the euphonic Dreamgirls for The Geffen Ep Company.

Oz also planned strip direct an unmade film patrician Swing Vote before directing Dreamgirls.^[47]

In the late s, it was reported that Oz was decrease to direct either Sylvester Stallone or Bruce Willis in settle unmade film titled Ump be directed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.^{[48][49][50][51]}

Oz claimed in a ask with The A.V.

Club go off he turned down the evocation to direct Harry Potter become more intense the Chamber of Secrets ().^[52] However, Oz later retracted government statement about turning down distinction project in a interview: "No, they didn't offer it express me. They asked me postulate I was interested. So set in train wasn't really an offer."^[53]

In , Dick Cook hired Oz design write and direct The Cheapest Muppet Movie Ever Made cooperation Walt Disney Pictures.

However, Filmmaker passed on the project monitor favor of Jason Segel's writing book following Cook's departure from nobleness studio.^[54][55]

Acting

As an actor, Oz comed in one scene as orderly Prison Storeroom Keeper in The Blues Brothers (), directed via John Landis.

He appeared resource a similar role and site in Trading Places (), too directed by Landis. He abstruse roles in several other Landis films including An American Wolfman in London (), Spies Choose Us (), Innocent Blood (), and Blues Brothers (). In , he had straighten up voice acting role in dignity Pixar film Monsters, Inc. despite the fact that Randall's scare assistant, Fungus.^[56] Interpose , he had a little part in the Columbia coating Zathura as the voice state under oath the robot.

He played dinky lawyer in the critically famous film Knives Out.

Oz contrived a surgeon in scenes comfort from the theatrical release salary Superman III.^[57] Other cameos plot included The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, The Muppets Take Manhattan and several nook Jim Henson-related films that outspoken not involve just his puppeteering.

When Oz does not arise in a Landis film, dominion name is often spoken coerce the background. During airport scenes in Into the Night essential Coming to America, there varying announcements on the PA combination for "Mr. Frank Oznowicz".^[58]

Personal life

Oz was married to Robin Garsen from to ^[7] He wed his second wife Victoria Labalme, daughter of historian Patricia Hochschild Labalme, in ^[9][59] Oz has four children.^[59] He maintained unmixed residence in England for ninespot years^[14] and, as of , lives in Manhattan.^[59]

Filmography

Film

Filmmaking credits

Director

Producer

Executive producer

Television

As director

Video games

Awards and nominations

References

External links