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Dave Goelz

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Dave Goelz
Goelz in May 2018
Born
David Charles Goelz

(1946-07-16) July 16, 1946 (age 78)
Occupations
  • Puppeteer
  • puppet builder
  • actor
Years active
  • 1961
  • 1973–present
Spouse
Debra Goelz
(m. 1992)
Children2

David Charles Goelz (/ˈɡlz/; born July 16, 1946) is an American puppeteer and voice actor known for his work with the Muppets. He is best known for performing the characters Gonzo the Great, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Zoot, and Beauregard. Goelz joined Jim Henson's Muppet team in 1973 and has been a key performer in many Muppet productions, including The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock, and various movies and television specials.

Early life

[edit]

Goelz was born in Los Angeles, California. He had a childhood interest in puppetry, fascinated by the children's television shows Howdy Doody and Time for Beany. After graduating from John Burroughs High School in Burbank, he attended the Los Angeles Art Center College of Design, beginning his career as an industrial designer.[1] Goelz applied to work at Walt Disney Imagineering, but was not considered on the basis that they had sufficient industrial designers already employed.[2]

Goelz went on to work for companies such as John Deere, American Airlines, and Hewlett-Packard.[3] During this time, Goelz regularly viewed episodes of Sesame Street, fascinated with the design process behind the Muppet characters, costumes, and performances, leading him to wonder about the creators behind them.[4][5]

Career

[edit]

1972–1975: Early career

[edit]

In 1972, Goelz attended a workshop conducted by Frank Oz at the Puppeteers of America National Convention in Oakland, California. One month later, following an invitation from Oz, Goelz attended daily tapings of Sesame Street during a work trip to Pennsylvania.[5] During his visit, Goelz brought three puppets he had recently built. Impressed by his work, Bonnie Erickson, former head of the Muppet workshop, recommended that Goelz meet Jim Henson.[5][6] Months later, Goelz presented his design portfolio to Henson, ultimately receiving a job offer with Henson Associates as a part-time puppet builder. His first assignment was to build puppets and design effects for a proposed Broadway stage play. However, the show was soon abandoned in favor of an ABC pilot, The Muppets Valentine Show, for which Goelz built characters and got his first chance at performing.[7][8]

Upon returning to California, Goelz had been replaced by his electronics employer. He then set up his own shop, creating puppets and producing videos for industrial clients. Eight months later, in the fall of 1974, Henson offered Goelz a full-time position as a designer and puppet builder, and occasional performer in specials, while allowing him to retain his main industrial clients.[9]

Returning to New York, Goelz began work on The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence, where he built the puppets Nigel, Animal, Floyd Pepper, and Zoot, the latter becoming his first major character.[8]

1976–1982: The Muppet Show and Gonzo

[edit]

In 1976, Goelz traveled to London to begin work on The Muppet Show.[10] In addition to reprising the role of Zoot, Goelz was promoted to principal Muppet performer with the starring role of The Great Gonzo. The puppet previously debuted in The Great Santa Claus Switch as Cigar Box Frackle and had made brief appearances in the Muppet Meeting Films and Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, with different performers.[11][9] Despite this promotion, Goelz was still employed in the Muppet workshop.

Goelz recalled the hectic schedule of working full-time behind the scenes and in front of the cameras, describing his typical day as involving running back and forth between making puppets and performing. He admitted that he did not know anything about performing at the time and had no training for it. At the end of the first season, Goelz asked Henson if he could return the following year solely as a performer, to which Henson agreed.[11]

During the first season of the show, Gonzo was still being developed. Initially, Goelz was concerned about finding the right voice for the character. He conceived the voice on the morning of the first taping. Goelz later recalled that he believed he had the weakest voice among the Muppet performers and felt anxious about singing for the first time.[12][13]

Goelz viewed Gonzo as a misfit and out of place, mirroring his own feelings as a performer.[4][11] The early design of Gonzo featured a permanently sad expression, which influenced Goelz to give the character a similarly depressed demeanor. Goelz described the character's downcast eyes as making him easier to play, reflecting his own feelings of being an impostor in show business and learning to perform and puppeteer on the job.[4][9][10]

At times, Goelz's portrayal of the character steered more comedic. Goelz ultimately began to feel limited by Gonzo's droopy eyelids, which made it difficult convey excitement and limited the character's emotions. After the first season, he asked Henson if he could build a Gonzo puppet with an eye mechanism, to which Henson agreed. Goelz returned to New York to make the modifications, allowing Gonzo to convey his excitement and enthusiasm more effectively. Gonzo's character evolved from a nervous, depressed failure to a manic, confident stuntman. Other facets of the character, such as his romantic fascination with poultry, were introduced in the second season.[14]

In addition to the starring role of Gonzo, Goelz also performed saxophone player Zoot and scientist Dr. Bunsen Honeydew. In later seasons, Goelz introduced a new character, Beauregard, the slow-witted backstage janitor.

1983–1999: Fraggle Rock and Henson's death

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In 1983, Goelz was cast in Fraggle Rock as Boober Fraggle. Goelz also performed Uncle Traveling Matt, Philo, and the World's Oldest Fraggle, as well as a variety of guests and incidental characters.

Goelz also worked on Henson's forays into the fantasy genre, performing skekUng and Fizzgig in The Dark Crystal and Sir Didymus in Labyrinth.[15] In 1986, Goelz played Rugby Tiger in The Christmas Toy, later reprising the role in The Secret Life of Toys. In 1989, Goelz performed Digit in The Jim Henson Hour.[11]

Following Henson's death in 1990, and with Oz focusing more on directing, Goelz's role as Gonzo gained increased prominence, beginning with The Muppet Christmas Carol. He portrayed Gonzo as Charles Dickens, a direction he embraced alongside his own growth as a performer.[16] In 1992, Goelz took over the role of Waldorf from Henson. He introduced the characters Randy Pig and Bill the Bubble Guy in Muppets Tonight in 1996. In 1999, Gonzo's role in Muppets From Space marked Goelz's first leading role in a Muppet production.

Goelz puppeteered the face of Earl Sinclair in Dinosaurs during the show's first two seasons. From 1996 to 1998, he performed Stinky the Skunk in Jim Henson's Animal Show and Humongous Chicken in The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland.

2000–present: Continued career

[edit]

In 2002, Goelz was cast as the voice of Figment in the revamped version of Epcot's Journey Into Imagination with Figment ride at Walt Disney World Resort.[17]

Goelz continues to regularly perform in new Muppet productions. In 2011 and 2014, he reprised his roles as Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Zoot, Waldorf, Beauregard and other signature characters in The Muppets and Muppets Most Wanted, respectively. In 2023, Goelz performed Zoot in the Disney+ series The Muppets Mayhem.[18]

In 2015, Goelz voiced Subconscious Guard Frank in the Pixar film Inside Out. He reprised the role as Mind Cop Frank in Inside Out 2 in 2024.[19] In 2019, he voiced Baffi the Fizzgig in the Netflix original series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. Since 2018, he has voiced characters in various installments of the StoryBots franchise.

Goelz reprised the voices of his Fraggle Rock roles in the Apple TV+ Fraggle Rock: Rock On! shorts in 2020, with puppeteering by John Tartaglia. Following the success of the shorts, a reboot of Fraggle Rock was ordered by the streaming service. Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock premiered on January 21, 2022, with Goelz continuing to provide voices of his characters and serving as co-executive producer.[20]

Personal life

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Goelz is married to Debra Goelz, a writer and former CFO of Jim Henson Productions. They have two children.[5]

Over the years, Goelz has sustained a number of injuries due to the physical positions Muppet performers must maintain for extended periods and contort into small spaces. These injuries have resulted in four shoulder surgeries and a hip replacement.[5]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Production Role Notes
1961 The Parent Trap Extra
1979 The Muppet Movie Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Zoot, Doglion, Beauregard Performer
1981 The Great Muppet Caper Gonzo, Beauregard, Zoot, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Lubbock Lou Performer
1982 The Dark Crystal General, Fizzgig Puppeteer
1984 The Muppets Take Manhattan Gonzo, Chester the Rat, Bill the Frog, Zoot, a Penguin, Jim the Dog, Baby Gonzo, Beauregard and Dr. Bunsen Honeydew Performer
1986 Labyrinth Sir Didymus, The Hat, Left Door Knocker, Fiery #3, Guard Puppeteer
The Christmas Toy Rugby Tiger, Ditz Performer; television film
1992 The Muppet Christmas Carol Gonzo (as Charles Dickens), Waldorf (as Robert Marley), Betina Cratchit, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew Performer
1994 Muppet Classic Theater Gonzo, Randy Pig, Elvis Performer; direct-to-video film
1996 Muppet Treasure Island Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Waldorf, Zoot, Mudwell the Mudbunny Performer
1999 Muppets from Space Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Zoot, Waldorf, Birdman
The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland Humongous Chicken
2002 Kermit's Swamp Years Young Waldorf Performer; direct-to-video film
It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Waldorf Performer; television film
2005 The Muppets' Wizard of Oz Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Waldorf, Zoot, Audience Member (cameo)
2011 The Muppets Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Zoot, Waldorf, Beauregard, Kermit Moopet Performer
2014 Muppets Most Wanted Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Zoot, Waldorf, Beauregard, Baby, Penguin
2015 Inside Out Subconscious Guard Frank Voice[19]
2024 Inside Out 2 Mind Cop Frank

Television

[edit]
Year Production Role Notes
1976–1981 The Muppet Show Gonzo, Zoot, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Beauregard, Alfredo the Mop Dancer, Banananose Moldenado, Brewster, Bullets Barker, Dr. Salamander, Inspector LaBrea, Johnny, Kermit the Pig, Klaus Mueller, Koozebanian Spooble, Sundance, Lubbock Lou, Luis Greco, Mackerel, Matador, Mr. Dawson, Muppy, Otto the Automatic Entertainer, Rabbi, Righton Bird, Salzburg Sauerkraut Singer, Signor Baffi, Walter Tell, Warthog, Wig Trainer, Additional Muppets Performer
1977 Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas Wendell Porcupine, Will Possum, Pop-eyed Catfish Performer; television special
1979 The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Gonzo Performer; 1 episode
1981 The Muppets Go to the Movies Gonzo, Beauregard, Joe, Firefighter, Trumpet Blower, Rat, and Horse Performer; television special
1983–1987 Fraggle Rock Boober Fraggle, Clerk Fraggle, Large Marvin Fraggle, Philo, Uncle Traveling Matt, 7-Words-Max, Sidebottom, Skenfrith, World's Oldest Fraggle, Wrench Doozer Performer
1985 Little Muppet Monsters Gonzo, Zoot Performer; 3 episodes
1986 The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years Gonzo, Zoot, Uncle Traveling Matt, and Beauregard Performer; television special
1987 A Muppet Family Christmas Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Zoot, Beauregard, Boober Fraggle, Uncle Traveling Matt, and Baby Gonzo
1989–1993 The Jim Henson Hour Gonzo, Digit, Cabbage, Doglion, Timmy Monster, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Frisky, Jade Green Frackle, Milton Performer
1990 The Cosby Show Gonzo Performer; episode: "Cliff's Nightmare"
The Earth Day Special Elderly Frog Performer; television special
The Magical World of Disney Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Beauregarde Performer; 2 episodes
The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson Gonzo, Beauregard, Boober, Zoot Performer; television special
1991–1992 Dinosaurs Earl Sinclair, Grapdelite, General Chow Puppeteer
1992 Blue Peter Gonzo Voice; 1 episode
1992 What's Up Doc? Performer; 1 episode
1993 Sesame Street China Shop Clerk, Elephant, Mr. Between, Piño, Rocky, Lavender Royal Sycophant Performer
1994 Secret Life of Toys Rugby Tiger, Ditz
1995 Jim Henson's Animal Show Stinky the Skunk
1996–1998 Muppets Tonight Gonzo, Waldorf, Randy Pig, Beauregard, Artie, Baby Kramer, Bill the Bubble Guy, Bud, Cupid, Dr. Pain, Elvises, Gary Cahuenga, Jean-Dodd van Clamme, Morty, Purple Extreme, Purple Rain Man, Stu, Additional Muppets
1999 Bear in the Big Blue House Jack the Dog Performer; 2 episodes
2004, 2011 Saturday Night Live Gonzo, Waldorf Performer; 2 episodes
2008 Studio DC: Almost Live Gonzo, Zoot, Waldorf, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Pancake the Water Buffalo Performer
A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Zoot, Waldorf, Beauregard Performer; television special
2009 Late Night with Jimmy Fallon Gonzo, Waldorf Performer; 2 episodes
2011 WWE Raw Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Waldorf Performer; 1 episode
2012 Jimmy Kimmel Live! Zoot
2015–2016 The Muppets Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Waldorf, Zoot, Chip, Randy Pig Performer
2018 Ask the StoryBots Mr. Caterpillar Voice; episode: "How Do Flowers Grow?"
2019 The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Baffi Performer; 3 episodes
2020 Fraggle Rock: Rock On! Boober Fraggle, Uncle Travelling Matt Performer, co-executive producer; television shorts
Prop Culture Self; Episode: "The Muppet Movie"
Muppets Now Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Waldorf, Zoot, Chip, Beauregard Performer
2021 Muppets Haunted Mansion Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Waldorf, Zoot, Chip, Randy Pig, Beauregard Performer; Halloween special for Disney+
2022–2023 StoryBots: Answer Time Doink Voice
2022–present Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock Boober Fraggle, Uncle Traveling Matt, The World's Oldest Fraggle Voices only; co-executive producer
2023 The Muppets Mayhem Zoot, Waldorf, Jimmy Shoe Performer

Video games

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Year(s) Title Role Notes
2000 Muppet RaceMania Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Zoot Voice
Muppet Monster Adventure Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Baron Petri von Honeydew, Chives the Butler
2003 Muppets Party Cruise Gonzo

Other appearances

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Year(s) Production Role Notes
1991 Muppet*Vision 3D Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Zoot, Rick, Dinah Performer; theme park show
2002 Journey into Imagination with Figment Figment Voice; theme park attraction[21]
2005 Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony Waldorf Performer (8 episodes), web series
2010 The Muppets Kitchen with Cat Cora Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Beauregard, Randy Pig Performer; web series
2016–2019 The Muppets Present...Great Moments in American History Gonzo Voice; theme park show
2017 The Muppets Take the Bowl Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Zoot, Waldorf, Chip, Beauregard Performer; live show at the Hollywood Bowl, Sept. 8–10[22]
2018 The Muppets Take the O2 Performer; live show at the O2, Jul. 13–14[22]
2021 The Muppets' Christmas Caroling Coach Gonzo Voice; theme park show[22][23]

References

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  1. ^ Smokler, Kevin (January 18, 2015). ""A puppet needs to project a personality": The original Muppeteer on how the business has changed". Salon. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  2. ^ "WD-FM Interview with Muppet Performers Dave Goelz and Bill Barretta" (video). youtube.com. The Walt Disney Family Museum. October 8, 2021.
  3. ^ Canavese, Peter. "Dave Goelz—The Muppet Movie—08/17/07". GrouchoReviews. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Plume, Kenneth (January 28, 2000). "Gonzo Puppeterism: An Interview with Muppeteer Dave Goelz". Muppet Central. p. 2.
  5. ^ a b c d e Hilgers, Laura (August 31, 2019). "Dave the Human". nobhillgazette.com. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  6. ^ "Interview with Legendary Muppet Performer Dave Goelz, Part 1 | The Muppet Mindset". May 20, 2023. Archived from the original on May 20, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  7. ^ "Dave Goelz – The Dark Crystal". www.darkcrystal.com. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Roe, Ryan (January 5, 2012). "An Interview with Bonnie Erickson: Part 1 of 4". ToughPigs. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c "Muppet Central Articles - Interviews: Dave Goelz". muppetcentral.com. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  10. ^ a b "The Evolution of Gonzo: A Chat With Longtime Muppet Performer Dave Goelz - TheaterMania.com". March 16, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  11. ^ a b c d "The Geeks Shall Inheirit the Earth: Dave Goelz Under the Stage part 2". Film Threat. March 31, 2004. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  12. ^ "Muppet Morsels – Episode 111: Avery Schreiber". The Muppet Show: Season One (DVD) (Special Edition Four-Disc Set ed.). Buena Vista Home Entertainment. August 9, 2005.
  13. ^ "Muppet Morsels – Episode 111: Lena Horne". The Muppet Show: Season One (DVD) (Special Edition Four-Disc Set ed.). Buena Vista Home Entertainment. August 9, 2005.
  14. ^ Kryza, AP; Mesh, Aaron (April 28, 2009). "Dave Goelz Practicing Gonzo journalism with a master of Muppets". Willamette Week. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  15. ^ Plume, Kenneth (January 28, 2000). "Muppet Central Articles - Interviews: Dave Goelz". Muppet Central. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  16. ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (December 21, 2015). "How we made: The Muppet Christmas Carol". The Guardian. Archived from the original on December 30, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  17. ^ "Figment Movie in the Works Based on Disney Theme Park Character From 'Detective Pikachu' Writers". Yahoo Entertainment. September 28, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  18. ^ Otterson, Joe (November 21, 2023). "'Muppets Mayhem' Canceled After One Season at Disney+". Variety. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  19. ^ a b Anderton, Ethan (June 16, 2024). "How Pixar's Inside Out 2 Male Director And Producer Tapped Into The Mind Of A 13-Year Old Girl". /Film. Archived from the original on June 16, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  20. ^ "The CJM | "The Best Idea Wins": Dave Goelz and Larry Mirkin on Creativity and Collaboration". www.thecjm.org. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  21. ^ mike (March 5, 2023). "40 Years of Sparks - The Complete History of Journey Into Imagination - WDW News Today". wdwnt.com. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  22. ^ a b c Itzkoff, Dave (July 28, 2020). "It's Time to Re-Re-Re-Meet the Muppets". The New York Times. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  23. ^ "Video: The Muppet Christmas Caroling Coach Debuts at Disney Merriest Nites". laughingplace.com. November 11, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
[edit]
Preceded by Performer of Waldorf
1992–present
Succeeded by
None
Preceded by
None
Gonzo
1976–present
Succeeded by
None
Preceded by
None
Bunsen Honeydew
1976–present
Succeeded by
None
Preceded by
None
Big Mean Carl
1992
Succeeded by
Preceded by
None
Randy Pig
1994–present
Succeeded by
None
Preceded by
None
Beauregard
1978–present
Succeeded by
None
Preceded by
None
Zoot
1975–present
Succeeded by
None
Preceded by
None
Kermoot
2011–present
Succeeded by
None
Preceded by
None
Philo
1983–1993
Succeeded by
Dan Garza
Preceded by
None
Large Marvin Fraggle
1983–1987
Succeeded by
Preceded by
None
Wrench Doozer
1984–1987
Succeeded by
Andy Hayward