Frank Richard Oznowicz[1] (b. May 25, 1944), better known as Frank Oz, is one of the foremost Muppet performers and Jim Henson's closest collaborator. Oz and Henson performed some of the most famous Muppet comedy teams -- Oz was Bert to Henson's Ernie, and Miss Piggy to Henson's Kermit the Frog...

Muppet Show_Louise Gold right-handing Fozzie Bear for Frank Oz

Today, I'm looking at Jim Henson's partner-in-crime, Frank Oz. He retired in 2000 to further focus on his directorial career (which includes one of my favorite films of all-time, Little Shop of Horrors), but many of his classic Muppet characters are still with us today. Remember, just because I placed Animal at number 6 doesn't mean he can't be your favorite Muppet. It just means that you need to get your priorities straight…

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Yoda behind the scenes photo

Photo of Kermit the Frog for fans of The Muppets 121874

Frank Oz with Fozzie Bear - entertaining kid backstage

Frank Oz was one of Jim Henson's closest creative partners, beginning in 1963. Oz played Bert to Henson's Ernie on Sesame Street, and he also performed Cookie Monster and Grover. In 1976, Oz created many of the core characters for The Muppet Show, including Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal and Sam the Eagle, and he continued to perform these characters in the Muppet movies and TV specials. Henson and Oz collaborated on the 1982 film The Dark Crystal, directing as a team. In the mid-1980s…

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Behind the scenes photos of Muppet productions.