Tim Gosley is a Canadian puppeteer who has worked on several Muppet productions. Gosley studied theater at the University of Alberta, earning a BFA in acting. He soon shifted to puppeteering, and in 1981, he was one of several Canadian artists who trained with Richard Hunt to work on Fraggle Rock, where he performed minor and background characters. In 1987, he landed his first major Muppet character, Basil the polar bear, who he would play for nine seasons on Sesame Park, the Canadian version of Sesame Street.
Gosley's other puppetry work includes his touring one-man show based on The Ugly Duckling. In television, he has performed on Blizzard Island, Iris the Happy Professor, and Caillou. He went on to write for several animated series, including Fix & Foxi.
Muppet credits
- The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show (uncredited)[1]
- Fraggle Rock: Brool the Minstrel, Bulldoozer, The Cave's Oldest Fraggle, Noodlenose Fraggle, Poison Cackler, Background Fraggles
- Follow That Bird: Honker, Board of Birds Member, backup Grouch in "The Grouch Anthem"[2]; puppetry for Oscar the Grouch in one shot[3]
- The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years (uncredited)[1]
- Sesame Park: Basil (1987-1996); also writer[1]
- Basil Hears a Noise: Basil
Trivia
- Gosley once auditioned to become a puppeteer at Canada's Wonderland in 1981, but was rejected for the role in favor of fellow Fraggle Rock performer John Pattison.[4] Coincidentally, the Fraggle episode "The Thirty-Minute Work Week" was shot at Wonderland years later, being documented through one of Traveling Matt's postcards.
Sources
Further reading
- C.P. "Anonymous Star Likes it That Way." The Globe and Mail (Canada). January 3, 1989