Frank Richard Oznowicz was born on the 25th May 1944 in Hereford, England, and is a famous puppeteer, director and actor as well, but probably best known to the world for creating such Muppet characters as Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear, while also creating Cookie Monster and Grover in Sesame Street, and also he has voiced Yoda in every Star Wars film, video game or TV series. His career has been active since 1960.
Have you ever wondered how rich Frank Oz is, as of late 2016? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Frank`s net worth is as high as $20 million, an amount earned through his successful career in the entertainment industry.
Frank Oz Net Worth $20 Million
Frank is of mixed heritage; his parents evaded the Nazis invasion in Netherland, as his father was Polish-Jewish and his mother was Flemish. Six months after Frank`s birth, he and his family moved to Belgium, where they lived until Frank turned five. After that they moved to Montana in the USA, and eventually found their place in Oakland, California. He went to the Oakland Technical High School and after matriculation enrolled at Oakland City College. His parents were both puppeteers, and he continued the tradition, working as an apprentice puppeteer at Children’s Fairyland for a while, before he joined Jim Henson in the Muppets and Sesame Street, creating several characters such as Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam Eagle and Miss Piggy in “The Muppet Show”, while on “Sesame Street” he created Cookie Monster, Grover and Bert. The popularity and long lasting of these two shows increased Frank`s net worth by a large margin, as he has been involved in the majority of the “The Muppet Show” and “Sesame Street” films, TV series, and TV specials.
Apart from being known as a puppet muster, Frank is also known as the voice of the Jedi Master Yoda in George Lucas` “Star Wars” franchise, having given voice to the character since “Star Wars: Episode V- The Empire Strikes Back” in 1980, in every subsequent film, TV series and animated series as well, which has also increased his net worth by a large margin.
Frank is also a director; his first film came out in 1982, entitled “The Dark Crystal”, starring Jim Henson and Kathryn Mullen, and in 1984 he directed the “The Muppets Take Manhattan”. Two years later he directed the Oscar-nominated “Little Shop of Horrors” (1986) with Rick Moranis and Ellen Greene in lead roles, and continued successfully with the comedy “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”, starring Steve Martin and Michael Caine. Through his entire career as a director, Frank`s movies have been a success in every category; some of his other films include “What About Bob” (1991) featuring Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss, “The Indian in the Cupboard” (1995), “Bowfinger” (1999), “The Score” with Robert De Niro, Edward Norton and Marlon Brando, and “Death at a Funeral” (2007), all of which increased his net worth by a large margin.
Thanks to his skills, Frank has won numerous prestigious nominations and awards, including a Primetime Emmy Award in the category Outstanding Comedy-Variety or Music Series for “The Muppet Show”, and three Daytime Emmy Awards for “Sesame Street”. Furthermore, he received a Creative Achievement Award from American Comedy Awards, and Life Career Award from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films.
Regarding his personal life, Frank has been married to Victoria Labalme since 2011. Previously he was married to Robin Oz from 1979 until 1994, and the couple has four children.
