Danny Seagren, the Jim Henson-trained puppeteer who occasionally portrayed Big Bird on Sesame Street and played the first live-action Spider-Man on The Electric Company, has died. He was 81.
Seagren’s family announced the news in an online obituary, revealing that he died Nov. 10, five days before his 82nd birthday, in Little River, SC., where he was enjoying his retirement. No cause of death was shared.
Seagren was born Daniel Morley Seagren on Nov. 15, 1943, to Morley R. Seagren and Carol C. (Linner) Seagren in Minneapolis. He moved to New York City and met Henson, beloved creator of The Muppets and Fraggle Rock, in 1968.
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Described by his family as a “dancer, writer and producer,” Seagran became a puppeteer and puppet maker for Henson. He appeared on Sesame Street, on which he stepped in for Caroll Spinney to play Big Bird for several episodes. Seagren also donned the yellow-feathered costume for events, parades and live appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Seagren created and manned puppets for other kids shows as well, such as Miss Peach of the Kelly School — for which he received a Daytime Emmy in 1980 for a Thanksgiving Day episode — Captain Kangaroo, and PBS’ Who’s Afraid Of Opera, which starred Joan Sutherland.
A professionally trained dancer, Seagren became TV’s first live-action Spider-Man in 1974, when he starred as everyone’s favorite neighborhood web-slinger on The Electric Company, the Sesame Street sister series that starred Rita Moreno and Morgan Freeman, and was produced by Sesame Workshop predecessor Children’s Television Workshop.
Seagren remained on the final three years of The Electric Company, battling childish villains, including the Funny Bunny, Mr. Measles, the Sitter, the Birthday Bandit, the Spoiler and the Prankster.
He appeared as Spider-Man about three dozen times throughout his nearly 400-episode run on the series, and his segments were spun off into a Marvel comic book called Spidey Super Stories, the name of his sketches. As Spider-Man, he never spoke during his segments; he got his message across with cartoon “thought bubbles,” which encouraged the young viewers to read.
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His other credits include Tales from Muppetland, The Great Santa Claus Switch and The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant.
Seagren eventually retired to Little River, where he “will be greatly missed by his family, friends and those throughout the community he loved living in,” his family wrote online.
He is survived by his longtime companion, Kate Vereau, brother Dr. Stephen L. Seagren, sister-in-law Jill R. Seagren, and nephew Sean G. Seagren.
A celebration of life is being planned. Donations in his memory can be made to the Entertainment Community Fund (formerly The Actors Fund).