FRANK OZ Biography - Other artists & entretainers

 
 

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FRANK OZ

Name: Richard Frank Oznowicz                                                         
Born: May 25, 1944 (age 63)                                                           
                                                                                     
Frank Oz (born May 25, 1944) is an American film director, actor and puppeteer.       
                                                                                     
Oz was born Richard Frank Oznowicz in Hereford, England the son of Frances           
and Isidore Oznowicz, both of whom were puppeteers. His parents were refugees         
from the Holocaust who moved to England after fighting the Nazis with the Dutch       
Brigades. Oz's Dutch/Polish father was Jewish and his Flemish mother was a           
lapsed Catholic.Oz moved to California, United States with his parents               
when he was five years old. He attended Oakland City College.                         
                                                                                     
Oz is known for his work as a puppeteer , performing with Jim                         
Henson's Muppets. His characters have included Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, and Sam       
the Eagle on The Muppet Show, and Grover, Cookie Monster and Bert on Sesame           
Street, among many others. The Muppet character Fozzie Bear is actually not           
named after Frank Oz, as is widely believed. Fozzie is named after Muppet             
builder Faz Fazakas, who invented the device which enabled Fozzie to wiggle his       
ears. In addition to performing a variety of characters, Oz has been one of the       
primary collaborators responsible for the development of the Muppets over the         
last 30 years. Oz has performed as a Muppeteer in over 75 movies, video releases,     
and TV specials, as well as countless other public appearances, episodes of           
Sesame Street, and other Jim Henson series. His puppetry work spans from 1963 to     
the present day. He also worked with the puppets on the movie Labyrinth,             
starring David Bowie.