Frank Oz (born Frank Richard Oznowicz, May 25th, 1944) was a prominent collaborator with the late Jim Henson of Muppets fame.
Oz was born in England; his family eventually moved to Oakland. He grew up here and attended Oakland Technical High School and Laney College (then called Oakland City College.)
His parents, Mike and Frances Oznowicz were "...lifelong puppetry enthusiasts...". Jim Henson met them at a Puppeteers of America convention in 1960, and Frank the following year at the Puppeteers convention in Asilomar, California, when he was a senior in high school. When he was 14, he "...joined Lettie Schubert's traveling Vagabond Puppets team at the Oakland Recreation Department, then performed regularly... at Fairyland Amusement Park..." 1
Links and References
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Looking Back: Muppet man Oz got start at Children's Fairyland in Oakland by Erika Mailman, Oakland Tribune, September 17, 2010
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Frank Oz on Muppet Wiki
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Frank Oz on Wikipedia
- Jim Henson: The Biography by Brian Jay Jones. [2013]
