Immigrant of the Day: Frank Oz (UK)

Frank Oz was born in Hereford, England in 1944. He immigrated to the United States at the age of five with his parents. Jim Henson saw Oz at a puppeteers’ convention in California where he was impressed with Oz’s ability. Oz joined the Muppets in 1963, and since then has become one of the greatest puppeteers of our time as well as a superb comedy director (films such as Little Shop of Horrors).

Oz was born Richard Frank Oznowicz in England, the son of two puppeteers. His parents were refugees from the Holocaust who moved to England after fighting the Nazis with the Dutch Brigades.

Oz settled in California and attended Oakland City College.

Oz is known for his work as a puppeteer (including voices), performing with Jim Henson’s Muppets. His characters have included Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, and Sam the Eagle on The Muppet Show, and Grover, Cookie Monster and Bert on Sesame Street, among many others.

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.

Oz is also well known as the performer of Jedi Master Yoda from George Lucas’ Star Wars series. Oz performed the voice and puppet for Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi and The Phantom Menace, and provided the voice of the CGI Yoda in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.

As an actor, Oz appeared in 1980 as a corrections officer in The Blues Brothers movie, directed by John Landis. He also appeared in later Landis movies An American Werewolf in London, Spies Like Us, Trading Places and Innocent Blood. In 1998, Oz portrayed a warden in Blues Brothers 2000.

Oz began his behind-the-camera work when he co-directed the fantasy film The Dark Crystal with long-time collaborator Jim Henson. Oz further employed those skills in directing 1986’s Little Shop Of Horrors. The musical film starred Rick Moranis and Ellen Greene, as well as Steve Martin, Bill Murray, John Candy, Christopher Guest, and a 15-foot-tall talking plant (voiced by Levi Stubbs) which at times required up to 40 puppeteers to operate. Oz went on to direct Dirty Rotten Scoundrels in 1988, starring Steve Martin and Michael Caine, What About Bob? in 1991, starring Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss, and HouseSitter in 1992. Later films include The Indian in the Cupboard (1995), In & Out (1997), Bowfinger (1999), The Score (2001), the 2004 re-make of The Stepford Wives, and Death at a Funeral (2007).

KJ