Danny Seagren, the puppeteer who often stood in for Caroll Spinney as Sesame Street’s Big Bird and was the first ever live-action Spider-Man, has died at the age of 81. Seagren passed away on November 10, with his family making an official announcement on Dignity Memorial website.
Born in Minneapolis in 1943, Seagren moved to New York City to pursue his career and met a then relative unknown who wanted to train someone how to use puppets. That person was Jim Henson, and after being given a puppet by the Muppet master, he was told to go home and practice to be a puppet handler on The Ed Sullivan Show. After being trained by Henson, he worked on Sesame Street promotions, taking over the role of Big Bird when Caroll Spinney was not available, such as in parades and on The Ed Sullivan Show. He also appeared in several other kids’ shows, such as Captain Kangaroo, Miss Peach of the Kelly School, (which he created and won a Daytime Emmy for), and Who’s Afraid of Opera. He worked with Henson on The Muppets in 1974 when he discovered that PBS’ The Electric Company wanted someone to play a silent Spider-Man in their show.
Seagren auditioned for the role wearing a full costume and decided the best way to grab the attention of producer Andrew. Ferguson was to climb onto a filing cabinet and jump of Ferguson’s shoulder onto a table when he walked into the room. As he recalled in 2017, “I don’t remember if he screamed, but he said, “Oh, my God! You got the job.” Thanks to that audition, Seagren found his unique place in entertainment history as the first life-action iteration of the world’s most popular superhero.
Danny Seagren’s Spider-Man Legacy and Beyond
While there have been many iterations of Spider-Man, Seagren’s first version was very different to those that would come after him. He worked for The Electric Company through its final years, performing as Spider-Man in silent “pantomime” skits called Spidey Super Stories, which combined early green screen work with comic book panels to create some colorful 2-3 minutes long sketched that really caught the vibe of Spider-Man. His webslinger faced off against some imaginatively created villains such as The Spoiler, Funny Bunny, Mr. Measles, and The Birthday Bandit, while also starring with Hollywood stars such as Morgan Freeman.
Seagren did not leave Spider-Man behind when not working either. He would frequently be seen at baseball games in full costume, delighting youngsters and introducing many future comic book fans to the character for the first time. Speaking about what it was like playing the role, Seagren said:
“I never felt silly. I was focused on trying to be a superhero. I think before they cast me they saw some musclemen, but they couldn’t move. I had to be a little bit campy for the whole thing. I really enjoyed doing it. I always looked forward to the shooting days.”
Seagren made almost 40 appearances as Spider-Man across his 400-episodes of The Electric Company, and his adventures were actually captured in a spinoff Marvel comic book, further cementing him in the role. He also made many convention appearances for years after The Electric Company ended, including once doing a booking with Batman TV stars Adam Ward and Burt Ward.
Our thoughts are will Seagren’s family and friends at this time.