Frank Oz

Frank Richard Oznowicz was born in Hereford, England to puppeteers Frances and Isidore Oznowicz. His family moved to Montana in 1951, eventually settling in Oakland, California. As a teenager, he worked as an apprentice puppeteer at Children's Fairyland amusement park. He is one of the primary puppeteers responsible for the development of Jim Henson's Sesame Street (1969) and The Muppet Show (1976) as well as over 75 other Muppet productions. George Lucas originally contacted Henson to play the part of Yoda in Chiến Tranh Giữa Các Vì Sao Tập 5: Đế Chế Phản Công (1980), but he recommended Oz for the part instead. He developed the character's trademark syntax, returning to voice and puppet the Jedi Master in Chiến Tranh Giữa Các Vì Sao Tập 6: Sự Quay Trở Lại Của Jedi (1983) and Chiến Tranh Giữa Các Vì Sao 1: Hiểm Họa Bóng Ma (1999).

Oz voiced the computer-generated Yoda in Chiến Tranh Giữa Các Vì Sao 2: Cuộc Tấn Công Của Người Vô Tính (2002) and Chiến Tranh Giữa Các Vì Sao 3: Người Sith Báo Thù (2005), supporting the transition of the character's rendering to digital. In 2011, the Blu-Ray edition of The Phantom Menace replaced the puppet Yoda with CGI to match the other prequel films.

He began a career of behind-the-camera puppet and live action filmmaking by co-directing The Dark Crystal (1982) with Henson. He went on to direct Đại Nhạc Hội Rối Tới Manhattan (1984), Little Shop of Horrors (1986), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988), What About Bob? (1991), Người Tí Hon Da Đỏ (1995), Bowfinger (1999), Siêu Trộm (2001), Những Bà Vợ Bí Ẩn (2004) and Chết Dưới Nấm Mồ (2007).