Jerry Juhl

Jerry Juhl was a writer best known for his work with Jim Henson's Muppets. Juhl first met Henson at a puppeteer convention. The pair worked together on Henson's first television project, "Sam and Friends," on which Juhl served as a writer and puppeteer. In 1961, he became the first full-time employee of Jim Henson Co. It proved to be the start of a long and puppet-filled career. Juhl helped build the Muppet name with his writing and puppetry, and by 1976 "The Muppet Show" debuted. The variety show, which was hosted by the iconic Kermit the Frog, ran for five seasons and featured a series of impressive guest stars including: Lena Horne, Vincent Price, Steve Martin, George Burns, Peter Sellers, John Cleese, Liza Minnelli, and Gene Kelly. Juhl's writing on the series earned him three Emmy nods before he won one in 1981 for an episode that featured Carol Burnett. In 1979, Kermit and the gang moved from TV to film in "The Muppet Movie"; Juhl co-wrote the script alongside Jack Burns. Juhl's worked on a number of the Muppet films, among them: "The Great Muppet Caper," "The Muppet Christmas Carol," "Muppet Treasure Island," and "Muppets from Space." In 1983, he helped develop a new Henson venture, "Fraggle Rock," on which Juhl served as writer and producer for the series' entire five-season run. After a career that included hundreds of puppets and hours of comedy, Juhl died on September 26, 2005.