Danny Seagren, the puppeteer known for his work on Sesame Street and for becoming the first live-action Spider-Man on television, has died.
He was 81.
His family announced that he passed away on Nov. 10, and shared the news in an online obituary. His cause of death was not listed.
Born on Nov. 15, 1943 in Minneapolis, Seagren was described by his family as a “dancer, writer and producer.”
He trained with Jim Henson and went on to perform and build puppets for several children’s shows.
His time with Sesame Street included occasionally stepping in as Big Bird on the show and for appearances at live events and even on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Seagren later became a fixture of other children’s programming, working on Captain Kangaroo, Who’s Afraid Of Opera, and Miss Peach, earning a daytime Emmy for that work.
But one of his most memorable performances came on The Electric Company, where he appeared as Spider-Man in silent comedy skits called Spidey Super Stories.
It marked the first television portrayal of the Marvel hero, and Seagren recalled winning the role by physically climbing and leaping across a producer’s office during his audition.
Fans remember his version of Spider-Man as playful and lighthearted.
One account of the show noted that his character “was not above taking the day off from his exhausting and frustrating war against crime [to] catch the baseball game.”
His segments eventually made their way into a Marvel comic book adaptation.
In total, Seagren appeared nearly 400 times on The Electric Company, working alongside Rita Moreno and Morgan Freeman.
He once said he never felt foolish while performing, “I was focused on trying to be a superhero.”
Seagren started his career when he met Jim Henson in 1968.
He later recalled that Henson wanted someone new to train, saying, “Here’s a puppet, take it home.” Weeks later, Seagren was already performing on national television.
He spent part of his later life appearing at conventions and meeting lifelong fans of his work.
“I meet people who are in their late 40s who are big fans of the show,” he once said, adding that they would tell him he had been their favourite character.
Seagren eventually retired to Little River, South Carolina.
He is survived by his longtime companion, Kate Vereau, and other family members including his brother Stephen, sister-in-law Jill and nephew Sean.
His family wrote, “Danny will be greatly missed by his family, friends and those throughout the community he loved living in.”
A celebration of life will be scheduled at a later date, and donations may be made in his memory to the Entertainment Community Fund.
