Danny Seagren, the groundbreaking puppeteer behind the first live-action Spider-Man on PBS’s The Electric Company, has died at the age of 81. He died on November 10, 2025, in Little River, South Carolina, according to family who announced his death without providing a cause of death.
Seagren played a pantomiming Spider-Man for the “Spidey Super Stories” segments from 1974 to 1977, appearing with stars such as Rita Moreno and Morgan Freeman as he took on the bad guys, including the Funny Bunny and Birthday Bandit. The campy, literacy-emphasizing show, which featured thought bubbles and comic book framing, led to a Marvel comic book series and introduced youngsters to the web-slinging character. A trained dancer, Seagren won the role with a leap during a dramatic audition, adopting the character’s playful charm.
Trained by Jim Henson, Seagren filled in as Big Bird on Sesame Street episodes, parades and The Ed Sullivan Show, and designed puppets for Captain Kangaroo, Miss Peach – which earned him a Daytime Emmy nomination – and Who’s Afraid of Opera?. Born November 15, 1943 in Minneapolis, he moved to New York, made his debut with a reindeer puppet on Ed Sullivan, and worked on specials including The Great Santa Switch. Fans in their 40s were still celebrating him at comic conventions.
