The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced on Tuesday that Fran Brill, the first female Muppet performer after Jane Henson to be hired by Jim Henson for “Sesame Street,” will be the Lifetime Achievement Honoree at “The 3rd Annual Children’s & Family Emmy Awards.”
Brill, who joined “Sesame Street” during the show’s second season and created and performed characters such as Zoe and Prairie Dawn, among many other memorable neighborhood characters, will be presented with the prestigious honor in Los Angeles on Saturday, March 15.
“I am honored and humbled to be recognized by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, which has done so much to advance the arts and sciences of television. My years of working on ‘Sesame Street,’ under the leadership of cultural icons Jim Henson and Joan Ganz Cooney, made an enormous contribution to the person I became,” said Brill. “I feel both fortunate and proud to have created characters that live on today, and I hope young people continue to look to ‘Sesame Street’ and pursue careers in puppetry; there is no other medium like it.”
In addition to Brill, the organization also announced the 2025 Gold and Silver Circle Honorees in the Children’s & Family community, recognizing individuals who have made enduring contributions in broadcasting. Inductees are professionals who have performed distinguished service within the television industry, setting standards for achievement, mentoring, leadership and professional accolades for 50 or 25 years, respectively.
“Ms. Brill has enjoyed a stellar career, from creating iconic and loveable Muppet characters to voice acting on cartoons, including ‘Doug’ and ‘Sheep in the City,’ which has brought so much joy to children and their families,” said Adam Sharp, NATAS President and CEO. “We’re honored to fête her in front of so many of her peers and fans. And we’re thrilled to celebrate and welcome this new group of television industry legends into the Gold and Silver Circle.”
What follows is a breakdown of this year’s Gold and Silver Circle Inductees:
Gold Circle – 2025 Inductees
- Charlie Adler, Voice Director and Actor – Disney, Nickelodeon, Sony, Cartoon Network
- Hedda B. Sharapan, Child Development Consultant, Fred Rogers Productions
Silver Circle – 2025 Inductees
- Richard A. Fernandes, VP of Original Series (‘Noggin’), Paramount
- Carol Greenwald, Senior Executive Producer, GBH Kids
- Susette Hsiung, Executive Vice President, Studio Production & Network Programming Operations, Disney Branded Television
- Linda Simensky, Head of Character Development and Scripted Content, Duolingo
- Halle Stanford, Executive Producer, The Jim Henson Company
- Steven Vincent, Senior Vice President, Music and Soundtracks, Disney Branded Television
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is a service organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of television and the promotion of creative leadership for artistic, educational, and technical achievements within the television industry. It recognizes excellence in television with the coveted Emmy Awards for News & Documentary, Sports, Daytime, and Children’s & Family programming, as well as achievements in television Technology & Engineering.