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Revision as of 15:51, 15 June 2006
Richard Frank Oznowicz (born May 25, 1944), better known as Frank Oz, is an English film director, actor and puppeteer. He was born in Hereford, England to French parents - a Jewish father and Catholic mother, both of Polish descent. Oz moved to California, United States with his parents when he was five years old.
Oz is best 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. 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 1969 to the present day.
Possibly Oz's most famous character is the diminutive Jedi Master Yoda from George Lucas' Star Wars series. Oz performed the voice and puppet (where applicable) for Yoda in Star Wars films between 1980 and 2005. Yoda first appeared in 1980's The Empire Strikes Back. Oz had a great deal of creative input on the character, and was himself responsible for creating the character's trademark style of reversed grammar.
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, and Trading Places. In 1998, Oz portrayed a warden in Blues Brothers 2000. And while it wasn't for Landis, in 2001 he had a minor part in the Pixar film Monsters, Inc. as Randall's scare assistant Fungus.
Oz began his behind-the-camera work when he co-directed the fantasy film The Dark Crystal with long-time collaborator Jim Henson. The film featured the most advanced puppets ever created for a movie. 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 30 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), and the 2004 re-make of The Stepford Wives.
After Jim Henson's death, Frank put a reference to Jim in every movie he directs. He sees it as a tribute to Jim as well as a "thank you" to him for making Frank a star.
Trivia
- Has appeared in many of Director John Landis's films, as a good luck charm of sorts. He did not appear in Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983), and Landis had plenty of bad luck during that film. In Trading Places (1983), he plays a cop taking inventory of Dan Aykroyd's personal items, ironically reprising his role from The Blues Brothers (1980) where he took inventory of the other Blues Brother's personal items, John Belushi, as Belushi was being freed from jail.
- During the filming of The Score (2001), Marlon Brando refused to take direction from Frank Oz, causing Robert DeNiro to act as an intermediary to relay instructions. Brando told Oz "I bet you wish I was Miss Piggy, so you could stick your hand up my ass and make me do whatever you want."
- Often works with Steve Martin (The Muppet Movie (1979), Little Shop of Horrors (1986), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988), HouseSitter (1992), Bowfinger (1999))
- The last 3 digits/letters of his car's license plate are "PYK," for Piggy, Yoda, and Kermit. It is believed to be a coincidence because it is a standard DMV-issued license plate, not a vanity plate, and because Oz has never been responsible for Kermit's voice.
- Is a recipient of the prestigious Connor Award given by the brothers of the Phi Alpha Tau fraternity based out of Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts. He is also an honorary brother of the fraternity.
- The Muppet character "Fozzie Bear" is actually not named after Frank Oz, as is widely believed. Fozzie is named after Muppet builder Faz Fazakas.
- Uncle of Michelle Oznowicz and Jenny Oznowicz.
- Though Yoda only appears in two episodes of the original Star Wars trilogy, Oz managed to make three movies with Carrie Fisher by appearing with her in The Blues Brothers (1980), the same year that Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) was released. Then, in addition to working with Leia's on-screen mother, Natalie Portman, in all three prequels, he also directed Fisher's real-life mother, Debbie Reynolds, in In & Out (1997).
- Has directed two of his Star Wars cast mates in otherwise unrelated films: Ian McDiarmid (Palpatine/Darth Sidious) appeared in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988) and Terence Stamp (Supreme Chancellor Valorum) appeared in Bowfinger (1999).
- George Lucas was so impressed by Frank Oz's performance as Yoda in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) that he spent thousands of dollars on an advertising campaign to try and get him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
- Was replaced by John Lithgow in the radio adaptations of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Lithgow also appeared in the Broadway musical based on Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.
- On the audio commentary for Keep Fishin' Weezer refers to Jim Henson as "the guy who died" and laments that Oz is "also no longer with us" despite the fact Oz is alive and well. The band may have been confusing Oz with fellow Muppeteer Richard Hunt, who is in fact deceased.
- Was considered to direct Charlie And The Chocolate Factory. He even stated in interviews his plan for it, Steve Martin would have been Willy Wonka, The Jim Henson Company would have made Oompa-Loompa muppets, Dave Goelz, Jerry Nelson and Louise Gold would have puppetereed the Oompa-Loompas, and he as Miss Piggy would have voiced Grandma Georgina.