Danny Seagren, the puppeteer who performed Big Bird on Sesame Street and portrayed television’s first Spider-Man on The Electric Company, died November 10, 2025, at age 81. His family obituary and the Television Academy list the same date of death.
What is known about Danny Seagren’s death
Daniel “Danny” Seagren was born November 15, 1943, and died five days before his 82nd birthday, according to his family’s obituary. The obituary does not state a cause of death. It says a celebration of life would be held at a later date, but gives no date for the event.
His longtime companion, Kate Vereau, and his family are among those named as survivors. The family’s obituary closes: “Danny will be greatly missed by his family, friends and those throughout the community he loved living in.”
His work on Sesame Street and with Jim Henson
Seagren was a dancer, writer, producer, puppeteer and puppet maker who worked for Jim Henson. His family described him as “Ernie’s right hand.” He performed Big Bird in several Sesame Street episodes and at live appearances, parades and events, as well as on repeated appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show.
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Seagren was the first actor to portray Spider-Man on television
Seagren played Spider-Man on the Children’s Television Workshop series The Electric Company, which starred Rita Moreno and Morgan Freeman. The family obituary and Television Academy biography credit him with the role. RTÉ describes it as the first television portrayal of Spider-Man and reports that Seagren remained in the role for three years.
Other television and puppet work
His family obituary also credits Seagren with creating and performing puppet characters for Captain Kangaroo, Miss Peach and Who’s Afraid of Opera, a PBS program starring Joan Sutherland. The obituary says he received a Daytime Emmy for Miss Peach. The Television Academy’s biography lists The Electric Company, Sesame Street and Miss Peach among his credits.
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Seagren was born and raised in Minneapolis before his entertainment career took him to New York City. His work connected children’s television puppetry with two enduring screen characters: Big Bird and Spider-Man.
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