The Talented Man Who Introduced Kids to Spider-Man on the PBS Series ‘The Electric Company’

That Junkman paid tribute to Danny Seagren, who, amongst his many accomplishments, introduced thousands of children to Spider-Man on The Electric Company. Seagen’s portrayal was the first live-action depiction of the iconic Marvel character. Sadly, Seagren passed away on November 10, 2025.

Danny Seagan. His name might not be as famous as Andrew Garfield, but he deserves being remembered as the first ever live action Spider-Man, and his Spider-Man made a lot of kids fans of the web slinger at a very early age.

Seagren was also a puppeteer and trained dancer who worked for Jim Henson from 1968 into the early 1970s, filling in to play Big Bird when Caroll Spinney was ill. But it was his unusual audition that got him the job.

Danny got the role of Spider-Man after putting on the costume and jumping around the producers’s office of “The Electric Company”. Leaping from the desk to the floor a number of times, the producers knew they had the right man for the job and hired him on the spot. 

Thanks Stephen Gasior and Chip Beale!