Dave Goelz

Dave Goelz
Dave Goelz, March 2009
Born	David Charles Goelz (1946-07-16) July 16, 1946 (age 70) Los Angeles, California
Occupation	Puppeteer
Years active	1974–present
Known for	Gonzo from The Muppets

David Charles "Dave" Goelz (born July 16, 1946) is an American puppeteer best known for his association with the Muppets, and in particular with the Muppet character Gonzo. His other Muppet characters include Bunsen Honeydew, Zoot (the saxophonist of Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem), Beauregard the stagehand and Tiny (the giant chicken in The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland) . He also performed the characters of Boober Fraggle and Uncle Travelling Matt on Fraggle Rock. He also performed the puppetry for various characters, including Sir Didymus and Wiseman's Hat (both voiced by David Shaughnessy) in Labyrinth. Outside of puppeteering, he is the current voice actor for the Walt Disney World character Figment. He also provided the voice of the elephant bird creature in Dennis Nolan's 1976 animated short film Monster Bubbles. After Jim Henson died in 1990, Goelz took over puppeteering Waldorf in 1992.

Born in Los Angeles, California, Goelz had an interest in puppetry as a child, including an affinity for the children's television show Time for Beany, but after high school, he attended the Los Angeles Art Center College of Design and began work as an industrial designer. The mechanically-minded Goelz worked for such companies as John Deere, American Airlines, and Hewlett-Packard. However, when Sesame Street premiered, he was fascinated by the craftsmanship, as he recalled in a Muppet Central interview: