Next person biography:
Born with a passion for performance, the individual's childhood was filled with a professional magic act at the tender age of eight, and a memorable puppet show that surprisingly ended in a pie fight at the ripe age of nine. This early exposure to the world of entertainment sparked a fascination with The Muppet Show, which premiered in 1976, and the individual knew that puppetry was their calling.
As a young fan, they first met Jim Henson and his team of puppeteers in 1977 and, inspired by their work, began visiting the set of "The Muppet Show" regularly, bringing homemade Muppet-style puppets and learning valuable skills from the experts.
Upon leaving school, the individual landed their first job as a Muppeteer in 1980, working on The Great Muppet Caper, which was released in 1981. This initial opportunity led to a string of successful projects, including building Podlings and Slaves for The Dark Crystal in 1982 and performing the role of the Slavemaster Skeksis in the film.
The individual's impressive resume continued to grow, with notable roles such as Nien Nunb in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi in 1983 and assisting Frank Oz with the beloved character Yoda.
Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, the individual collaborated with fellow puppetmaster David Alan Barclay to create Ultimate Animates, a production company dedicated to experimenting with new building and performing techniques for their own and external puppet productions.
As a natural progression, the individual explored the use of computer graphic technologies to enhance and expand the possibilities for their characters. In 1997, they made the move to San Francisco to join Pixar as a character animator, working on A Bug's Life in 1998 and Woody's Round Up on Toy Story 2 in 1999.
The individual's desire to return to their roots led them to George Lucas's ILM, where they animated the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park III in 2001 and worked on Yoda and other creatures in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones in 2002.
Currently, the individual is active in the entertainment industry, pursuing a career in acting, puppeteering, and voiceover work, while also developing their own independent productions for future film and television projects.
