Danny Seagren, Electric Company Spider-Man, Dies at 81

Danny Seagren, the puppeteer and performer best known for portraying the first live-action Spider-Man on the children's television series The Electric Company and for his work with Jim Henson on Sesame Street, died on November 10 in Little River, South Carolina. He was 81.

Seagren's family announced his passing through an online obituary, noting that the cause of death was not disclosed. Born on November 15, 1943, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Seagren built a multifaceted career as a dancer, writer, producer, puppeteer, and puppet maker. He moved to New York City in the late 1960s, where he met Henson, who sought to train novices in puppetry. In a 2015 interview, Seagren recalled Henson handing him a puppet and instructing him to practice over the weekend. Just two weeks later, he performed a reindeer puppet on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Seagren's association with Henson led to key roles in children's programming. He created and operated puppets for shows such as Captain Kangaroo, Who's Afraid of Opera, and Miss Peach, earning a Daytime Emmy in 1980 for a Thanksgiving episode of the latter. On Sesame Street, produced by the Children's Television Workshop, Seagren occasionally filled in...