‘Sesame Street’ Actor Dies After Months of Health Struggles: Horst Janson Was 89

Actor Horst Janson, known for his role as Horst on the German version of Sesame Street, has died. Janson passed away “peacefully” earlier this month at the age of 89 following a series of recent health struggles, the Janson family’s attorney, Dr. Arnim Rosenbach, told BILD. Janson’s wife, Hella, also confirmed his passing.

In the months leading up to his passing, Janson had faced a number of health scares and hospitalizations. The actor was hospitalized and underwent rehabilitation in Bad Heilbrunn in Bavaria after suffering a stroke over the summer. In August, he was again hospitalized after he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and a broken hand after he fell down the stairs at his house in Grünwald. According to BILD, Horst most recently suffered a serious infection that required hospitalization. He was reportedly hospitalized over the Christmas holiday.

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Born on May 5, 1935, Janson began his acting career in the theater while still at school. After taking acting lessons at the Wiesbaden School for Acting, run by Hertha Genzmer, he made his stage debut at the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden in Alfred de Musset’s dance drama Lorenzaccio, per his IMDb bio. He went on to make his screen debut in 1959 in The Buddenbrooks, Alfred Weidenmann’s Thomas Mann film adaptation, kickstarting a career that spanned decades.

Janson is most fondly remembered for his appearance on Sesamstraße, the German version of Sesame Street. The actor played the role of Horst from 1979 through 1983. Horst was one of the show’s main characters and was friends with Muppet characters Samson, Tiffy, Uli von Bödefeld, and Finchen.

“With great sadness we bid farewell to Horst Janson, who enchanted us as ‘Horst’ in Sesame Street with his warmth and smile,” the Sesamstraße Instagram account wrote in tribute of Janson. “is performances brought laughter to generations of children and taught us valuable lessons. His loss leaves a void in our hearts. Rest in peace, dear Horst.”

Outside of Sesamstraße, Janson is also well remembered for his role as Bastian Guthmann in the 1973 West German TV series Der Bastian, as well as his starring role in the ARD series Salto Mortale. He also appeared on TV series including Forsthaus Falkenau and Tatort, and starred in English-language films like Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter (1974) and the World War II film Murphy’s War (1971). His final acting credit was in the 2022 TV movie The Privilege.