Editing Jerry Nelson (section)

==Career==
On ''Sesame Street'', Nelson's longest-running character was [[Count von Count]], the counting vampire who takes delight in counting anything (and everything) he can. Nelson did the voice and puppetry for the Count from 1972 until 2004 and continued to provide the Count's voice until his death in 2012. His other Muppet roles on that program were Herbert Birdsfoot, The Amazing Mumford, [[List of Sesame Street Muppets|Herry Monster]], Biff, [[List of Sesame Street Muppets|Mr. Johnson]], Simon Soundman, Mr. Chatterly, [[List of Sesame Street Muppets|Frazzle]], Little Jerry, and [[Sherlock Hemlock]]. He has also made a total of nine onscreen appearances on the show.

From 1971 to 1978, Nelson was the first puppeteer to perform [[Mr. Snuffleupagus]]. Reported back problems caused by the physical stress of the character forced him to bow out of the role,<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Gikow |first1=Louise |title=123 Sesame Street: a celebration: 40 years of life on the street |last2=Loredo |first2=Betsy |date=2009 |publisher=Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers |isbn=978-1-57912-638-4 |location=New York, NY}}</ref> but in a 2009 interview Nelson provided a different explanation: "I was not loath to give that character up. But the reasons for giving it up were because at that time we were doing ''[[The Muppet Show]]'' and he was a real part of [''Sesame Street''], and they needed his presence. So they asked if I'd mind giving it up."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-12-24 |title=A Chat with Jerry Nelson, part 3 « ToughPigs – Muppet Fans Who Grew Up |url=https://toughpigs.com/a-chat-with-jerry-nelson-part-3/ |access-date=2024-07-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091224142430/https://toughpigs.com/a-chat-with-jerry-nelson-part-3/ |archive-date=2009-12-24 }}</ref>

Nelson also performed many characters on ''[[The Muppet Show]]'', including [[Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem#Floyd Pepper|Sgt. Floyd Pepper]] (the bassist of the [[Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem|Electric Mayhem]] band), ''Pigs in Space'' star [[List of Muppets#Dr. Julius Strangepork|Dr. Julius Strangepork]], the boomerang fish-throwing [[List of Muppets#Lew Zealand|Lew Zealand]], [[Kermit the Frog]]'s nephew [[List of Muppets#Robin the Frog|Robin the Frog]], [[Gonzo (Muppet)|Gonzo]]'s girlfriend [[List of Muppets#Camilla the Chicken|Camilla the Chicken]], the mad pyrotechnist [[List of Muppets#Crazy Harry|Crazy Harry]], and "the Phantom of the Muppet Show", [[List of Muppets#Uncle Deadly|Uncle Deadly]]. He performed [[Statler and Waldorf|Statler]] in the pilot episode but was replaced by [[Richard Hunt (puppeteer)|Richard Hunt]] when he could not perform full-time in the first season. He was a full-time performer for the rest of the show's run. Nelson was also selected to play Statler after Hunt's death, after the end of the show.

Less prominent characters on the show include sportscaster Louis Kazagger, [[List of Muppets#Pops|Pops the doorman]], giant blue monster [[List of Muppets#Thog|Thog]], gossip columnist [[List of Muppets|Fleet Scribbler]], and [[Scooter (Muppet)|Scooter]]'s uncle, [[List of Muppets|J.P. Grosse]], who owned the theater. He originated the role of Fozzie Bear's mother in season 2 of ''The Muppet Show'' and reprised the role in the TV specials ''[[A Muppet Family Christmas]]'', ''[[The Muppets at Walt Disney World]]'', and the film ''[[The Muppet Christmas Carol]]''.

Nelson performed the puppet and voice of Emmet in ''[[Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas (TV program)|Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas]]'', a one-hour special that originally aired on CBC. He later performed the signature song from that show, "When the River Meets the Sea," as Robin, in a duet with [[John Denver]] for a Muppet Christmas special. That version of the song gets frequent radio airplay during the Christmas season (although the song is not seasonal). He and [[Louise Gold]] performed the song at Jim Henson’s Memorial Service.

On ''[[Fraggle Rock]]'', he performed [[Gobo Fraggle]], Pa Gorg, and Marjory the Trash Heap. [[Frank Oz]] did not perform on ''Fraggle Rock'', and [[Jim Henson]] and Hunt limited their time on the show, so they performed supporting characters. For this reason, Nelson was asked to perform Gobo, the central role on the show.

Nelson's characters were often singers or musicians. He performed the lead vocals for many songs as Floyd of the Electric Mayhem, Little Jerry of Little Jerry and the Monotones, Slim Wilson of Lubbock Lou and his Jughuggers, and a number of [[Anything Muppet]] bands. Most of his main characters in all three shows sang songs at one time or another.

He reprised the role of the announcer in ''[[The Muppets (2011 film)|The Muppets]]''. His final performance as the announcer was part of the ''Jim Henson's Musical World'' concert at [[Carnegie Hall]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.toughpigs.com/fraggles-monsters-squirrels-and-frogs-play-carnegie-hall/ |title=Fraggles, Monsters, Squirrels, and Frogs Play Carnegie Hall « Muppet Fans Who Grew Up – ToughPigs |date=15 April 2012 |publisher=Toughpigs.com |access-date=2013-12-29}}</ref> Archive audio of his announcer role was reused in ''[[Muppets Most Wanted]]'', which was dedicated to both Nelson and [[Jane Henson]], wife of Muppets' creator [[Jim Henson]].

In 2001, Nelson also performed the character voice of General Public in the [[Cartoon Network]] animated series ''[[Sheep in the Big City]]'' in the episode "Daddy Shearest".

In December 2009, Nelson, who summered in [[Truro, Massachusetts|Truro]], [[Massachusetts]] on Cape Cod, released ''[[Truro Daydreams]]'', an album of original songs.<ref>{{cite web | title= Truro Daydreams - Jerry Nelson | url= http://www.digstation.com/AlbumDetails.aspx?albumid=ALB000040517 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100329021520/http://www.digstation.com/AlbumDetails.aspx?albumID=ALB000040517 | archive-date=29 March 2010 | publisher= DigStation.com}}</ref>